http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com

• Be aware of why you write. Check and recheck daily.
• Be willing to fail… you’ll be able to, so enjoy it (ha-ha).
• Be in the moment with the muse. Amuse him/her. Feed her chocolates and wine and roses and music… anything and everything! What-evs.
• Be flexible. Forget about admonitions to sit and stare and pound at the same time daily. (see above)
• Be ready, steady, unsnared by tasks around the house… Really – you’re going to dust now?! Okay, be sure to write in your mind. Maybe the cobwebs will clear there, too.
• Be near a mirror. Glance at it. No, not for ego’s sake, but people tend to smile when they see another. Even with the other is themselves. Writing is a reclusive sport, a solitary pastime that can get to you. Release tension. Smile and add ‘cheer’ to your voice (a tip from SLP practice with voice patients – but that’s another post 😉
• Be financially independent, unfettered by need and/or goals.

• Begin with a great ‘dictionary’ in your head. Flaunt the vocabulary, strut your stuff!
• Be in love with language, have respect for words and their music.
• Be aware of cadence – and, the beat goes on…
• Be a longstanding reader of rich variety and scope.
• Be born to ‘high print’ (means lotsa books in the home) parents. Read to follow in their stead.
• Be unafraid of revision. Nope, I’m not gonna cliche this. You’ve heard it all before.
• Be willing to drop the whole thing – start another, have fun, don’t grind.
• Believe that you can recoup lost work (omg, my overwrite episode! Yikes, another blog post!)
• Be wonder full 

• Be willing to stand alone, to ignore critics who deride with great abandon. Be willing to resort to The Who’s ‘Who the F*** are You!’ (use your inside voice tho)
• Be interested in many things so you can divert interest. Do. Not. Obsess.
• Be dedicated, determined, and firm in your belief that there IS deathless prose. 
• Be willing to unclothe your emotions and lay bare on the page. Naked, remorseless. Pour yourself into your work. There’s power in catharsis and readers will applaud.
• Be guilt-free about your lack of an MFA. This used to be my personal derision tool, but no more. I’ve learned that I’m unfettered by the criticism that such an education carries, a great boon to write free.
• Be secure. Be secure. Be secure.
• Be faithful to your goals. (see point #1)
• Be true and straight arrow, dedicated to craft.
• Be play full

• Be generous with others. Be interested in their work. Even writing has karma –
• Believe in win-win.
• Be humble… the muse may move. Nimble as karma, my friend..
• Be willing to wait. Inspiration can be a late date.
• Be willing to be insecure – and say it aloud. Seek help. Find your tribe.
• Be into words for their own sake. Don’t even think about genre – or worse, copying someone else. “Comparison is the thief of joy” applies.
• Be musical, Seussical, nonsensical…
• Be bliss full – enjoy the process. (more than the product, which can ignite fear)

• Be receptive to compliments as well as critique. Yes. You. Can.
• Be incredible. Don’t wish. Make it so.
• Be fearless. Don’t fret. Don’t plunge down the rabbit hole.
• Be free. And easy on yourself.
• be willing to delete, the best button on the keyboard.
• Be embedded in ‘tongue in cheek’  😉
• be armed with an iPad, notebook, or ____ at all times to capture the butterfly thoughts in your net.
• Be willing to let go and let it fly on the page! Fling it, sing it, string it!

Write from and for your heart, not your ego!

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