The Day Before Reaching a Milestone

Painting 99 in my #100DayProject: Spaceship Invader (pictured above)

Tomorrow, on August 15, 2017, I'll be completing my first 100 Day Project.  My goal was to paint an acrylic painting each day and learn as I went by doing.

During the process, some difficult things happened to me in my personal life.  The painting was calming and soothing and really helped to clear my mind.  That was an unexpected byproduct of doing this project that I have come to appreciate.  

I feel grateful to reach this milestone and there were times I didn't feel like it, but I showed up and did the work each day.  Along the way, I used posting on Instagram as my accountability.  By doing so, I really came to enjoy utilizing the platform.  I followed other creatives on their 100 Day journey, as well as other artists.  There is a great energy seeing everyone creating and working, day by day.

If you are interested in some artists to follow, check out:

• Danny Bates @fidoart
• Jack Hill @jackhillrocks
• Greg Childress @violagreg

As the process has gone on, I've taken more work in progress pictures to share.  It is my hope that it could inspire someone else to try when they see the steps I took.

Ataribox and Inspiration from a Tweet

Earlier today, I read this tweet from @CutterStreeby:

"What's one piece of advice that you'd give to a younger you about art/writing?"

That stopped me in my tracks and made me think.  This is a powerful writing prompt for you to use if it sparks ideas for you, too.  

My answering tweet about writing was:

"Don't stop writing when life gets in the way. Write during lunch or late at night after working 2 jobs. Keep going, you'll be glad you did."

If I could tell 18, 23, 28, or 31 year old me anything, that would encapsulate a lot.  I was sporadic in my writing, especially after high school.  Most of my writing was buried in a desk drawer, so I could avoid it.  

I felt like the goal of becoming a published and/ or professional writer was something out of reach.  Something for a select few.  

I didn't have a writing degree.  I wasn't a journalist.  I needed a reliable paycheck to pay my bills.  

My writing was put on a back burner and life got in the way, in several every day kind of ways:  

• When I was too tired at night to even think about digging my manuscript out of my desk.
• Time off was spent decompressing from the hectic, busy workday. 
• My lunch break was spent grateful that I could sit, since my job was very physical and filled with constant motion.
• Picking up a part time job to supplement my full time job, left a smaller window of opportunity.
• The list could go on and on.

I wrongly figured that I needed to have huge chunks of uninterrupted free time in order to write my book.  That couldn't be further from the truth.  

It is more about setting up writing as a priority, and breaking it into manageable day to day chunks.  The smaller bite size pieces make it feel more attainable and keep overwhelm at a minimum.  It is also how I wrote and published my first two books.  Writing for an hour each day, after I completed my mind map and outline.

As for art, what I wish I could tell myself was to keep painting.  Something I am diligently working on during my 100 Day Project, consistently producing a painting a day.  

Art was fun in high school.  I opted for Ceramics, Photography, Statute Sketching, and my absolute favorite was Experimental Art.  That class was the first time I was given a sketchbook and told to make it mine.  We had to constantly sketch in there, take notes on demonstrations on new techniques, and it was turned in each semester for a grade.

Experimental Art was where I learned how to use oil paint and watercolors.  We ran out of time before getting to acrylic paints.  The class also covered useful stuff like picking subjects for your painting, working with pictures, correct perspective, etc.

The best part of the class was the doing part.  We didn't learn about a bunch of stuffy old guys, we put paint on a canvas, sketched, or learned techniques.  I learned a lot in a short amount of time.  When things get rocky for me personally, I find myself going back to paint.  My next step is to complete my one hundred days, then reassess where I will go next.

Last night's painting is the one featured at the top of this blogpost.  It is a piece inspired by a video I stumbled across on YouTube here about the Ataribox.  It is a mysterious video, and you can sign up for email updates to find out more.  A possible Atari home console sounds awesome!  Finding out about it in the middle of painting some of my favorite Atari games from when I was a kid, makes it even better.  My biggest hope is that my favorite games will be coming back, too.  (Please Pitfall II, please!!)

Bottom line, if there is something you are passionate about, DON'T STOP.  Don't give up.  Find a way to continue by making the time for it, as the priority it is.

Is there something you're going to make time for this week that you've been meaning to get back into?

Paper Vs. Digital For Writing

What is the preferred method for writing? For me, I like to mix it up. Mostly it depends on the task.

Paper is great for me to journal morning pages, thank you notes, letters, to take notes, and making mind maps.

•  Morning pages by Julia Cameron's decree need to be written in longhand on paper.  You use different parts of your brain when writing it out as opposed to typing, so it makes sense.  
• Thank you cards are a thoughtful touch for saying genuine thanks.  It really stands out because so many don't make the effort any more.  An email is not the same.  Who isn't excited to receive mail that isn't a bill?  This works great for baby shower gifts, wedding gifts, job interviews (thanks for the opportunity and time), get well wishes, and so much more.
• Personal letters are a rarity anymore. I love to write and receive these.  It is a personal touch, and again an email is not the same.  Emails have their place, but they are a cold, stark contrast to a personal letter to someone you love or care about.
• Taking notes when listening to a class lecture, webinar, podcast, etc. helps me learn. The act of writing it out on paper helps me remember the information better.
• Mind maps are creative brain dumps to get ideas out of your head and down on paper.  I prefer to use a sheet of freezer paper and some colored markers.  I like to just flow and scribble everything down.  This is how my books start out, as a mind map.  Then I write my outline utilizing pieces from the mind map in an organized fashion.

Digital writing on the computer I use for anything I publish, like blog posts and books, as well as emails.

• Blog posts I type up in a post editor on Squarespace. It is simple, clean, and useful.
• Books I type up the rough draft in Scrivener.  The more I use the software, the more I like it.  I am not a fan of Word at all.  When it comes time to work with an editor, I dread exporting the manuscript to Word.  I do several rounds with an editor, then a final round with a separate proofreader all in Word before sending the manuscript to the formatter.
• Emails are useful for quick correspondence, business items like receipts, and anything I want a paper trail for.

This is what works for me.  Everyone is different, with varying needs.  Trying new ways, or switching from digital to paper, can open up some creativity and freshen things up a little.  Experiment and have fun with your writing.

The picture is of my painting, "Crumpled Paper", and is Day 43 in my 100 Day Project.  It was the catalyst for this blog post and the thoughts behind it.  To see more paintings and the behind the scenes work in progresses, check out Marie Schaeller on Instagram.

Making the Switch from Writing Nonfiction to Fiction

I started out writing make believe stories when I was younger.  My imagination ran wild with me and I scrambled to keep up with my writing hand.  Then life sort of happened, as it tends to.  I kept all those scribblings and fond memories in my desk drawer.  It might as well have a label that said "Someday" on it.

Fast forward to 2016, and I was coming to grips with a diagnosis for sarcoidosis.  A rare disease that not much is known about, and there is no cure.  As cliched as it sounds, there is nothing like facing your own mortality to make you look at things in a fresh perspective.

One thing I knew I needed to do right away, was I wanted to finally get serious about writing.  So I joined an online mastermind and set to work on my rough draft of what turned into my first book:  Breaking the Chains of Silence.  I faced some of my biggest fears during the writing and publishing of that book.

Seven months later, I published Exploring Atlantic Canada my travel memoir of a solo trip I took to visit some of Canada's eastern Provinces.  Now, I enjoyed writing nonfiction, but ultimately it is not the final destination for me as a writer.  I have my eye set on writing fiction.

As a reader, I devour both fiction and nonfiction.  However, what do I pre-order the most of?  Romance.  Shout out to some of my favorites like Jay Crownover, Meghan March, Karina Halle, Penny Reid, Alessandra Torre and more.

Making the switch from nonfiction to fiction writing is much more than just a new genre.  Everything from how I mind-map/ brainstorm, to how I outline, to how I write has changed.  

My whole approach has been modified as I go.  It has been an interesting process so far.  I've hit some roadblocks and made a few breakthroughs.  

Here are a 5 helpful hints so far:

~Set daily goals to build momentum and consistency.  Get in the habit of writing every day, even if it is only a half an hour.  Then you can build from there.  This is one I am still improving on, but I have set a goal of writing 500 words a day in my project targets in Scrivener.  Having my session targets helps me focus and push to reach my set target and surpass it.  (Today's session pictured below.)

~Read some structure and story basics books.  Be careful.  It is easy to keep on reading, convincing yourself you aren't ready to start writing, yet.  This can become a form of procrastination and avoidance of getting started on your writing.  I was guilty of this, then I opened up a new project in Scrivener and started writing my first scene.

~Keep a notebook to jot down ideas when you are in line at the grocery store, or at a doctor's appointment.  Write down conversational snippets, observe people and their mannerisms and facial expressions.  The best way to write real dialogue is to listen to people speak around you.

~Reverse engineer the story if you want to.  You do not have to write linearly.  Start at the ending and then go back to middle and work your way back.  I'm not a pantser or a plotter when it comes to my outline, but more of a flexible outliner.  I write like I travel.  I know my destination, but I'm not rigid and allow some creativity and spontaneity along the way.

~Set a deadline for rough draft completion.  This is not set in stone, but it is a very clear goal to work toward.  That whole saying about a task swells to the amount of time you give it, is true.  No floundering and working toward someday.  My goal date for this draft is June 19, 2017.  My word count is at the bare minimum 55,000.  By the time I publish it will be around 65-70,000.  I know I usually add chunks during the editing phase, so 55,000 is a jumping off point.

I'm excited to share more on this work in progress as I go.  Have a great week!