Left Meets Right- Positive Thought and Action

As you may recall from my last entry, The Ant and the Elephant by Vincent Poscente played a large role in my research for my novella. Brio, the wise old owl, taught Adir, the ant, may lessons on being a leader. One of these lessons was as soon as you attach a specific, emotionally-charged thought to a gold dot, you will be sending clear, strong signals to your teammate (page 71)

Four years ago while writing Left Meets Right, I tried to create this principle of teamwork into my story in the form of character traits. On March 5, 2005, I wrote the following in my journal:

I am intrigued with the concept of imagining a gold dot, attaching positive thoughts to it, then sending it to my teammate(s)…does this imply that I am trying to manipulate my teammate into doing things the way I want them done, or does it mean that I am simply bringing my own positive light to the work situation? I guess that would depend upon what my true motivation is for sending a gold dot to anyone. I know that I will be working these antidotes into my story and create my protagonist with an attitude consisting of the above qualities (not all, but most, she can’t be perfect or else the reader will get bored; or, in the case of my presentation, the audience will get bored.)

I find that the gold dot principle is important in all aspects of my writing life as well. Teamwork includes participating in writing groups/clubs, creating conferences, volunteering and bringing my most positive self to the writer’s club meetings. I also see the gold dot as my creative project, whether it be fiction or nonfiction. When I put my own emotion, dedication, creativity, and hard work into my writing, I send the clear message to editors, publishers and readers that I am serious about my craft. I make sure my product is complete and polished before it makes it into the hands of the first reader, publisher or editor.

For anyone who has not read Poscente’s book, I highly recommend it. Along with On Writing by Stephen King and Zen in the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury. And do not forget to attach positive messages to your creative process. Keep writing!

Left Meets Right- Journey of the Ant and the Elephant

While researching for my novella, one of my favorite books was The Ant and the Elephant by Vincent Poscente © 2004. This fable is about an ant (Adir) learning skills to lead the elephant (Elgo) to a place of Oasis. The wise old owl teaches Adir to look within himself for answers and to change his negative thinking to positive. As Adir begins his journey, he takes notes on how to become the best leader possible (Adir’s Notes to Self, Lesson No. 1, page 47):

• Make fear your friend, not you master;
• You don’t know what you don’t know. Open your mind to discover possibilities that may not be obvious at the time;
• Zero in on a goal that has a depth of meaning. The journey has to be worth taking:
• Action Step No. 1: Find the elephant buzz, i.e. the emotion that ignites the vision. Inspire your team through emotion. Never underestimate the power of emotion.

I believe that the above principles can be applied to our writing journey. For example, at some point or another, most writers fear rejection. Who wants to spend hours writing a short story or article or novel only to receive a rejection slip? However, rejection is probably the one thing that any writer can count on. Even the best writers receive rejections simply because there are fewer markets than there are writers.

I am certain that fear of rejection centers around a basic belief that once rejected, always rejected. Perhaps we feel our writing is not good enough, or that we do not have what it takes to succeed. However, my belief on fear: False Evidence Appearing Real. Do not give into it.

In writing, it is always important to open our minds to the many changes in the writing world. While devising your plan for publication, whether you choose the traditional or self-publishing avenue, never close your mind to other possibilities. Listen to other writers. Learn from what works and what does not. Always keep an open mind.

While keeping an open mind, find out what your goals are for publication. Create a plan. Build a network of writers—join a writer’s club, hook up with other writers online. Make it a point to learn from those who are more experienced, and share what you learn with other writers. Do whatever it takes to make your journey worthwhile!

Finally, I really love taking the action of using emotion to inspire. When working with a team, shared emotion is important in reaching a goal. However, as writers know, the actual act of creating a written work is a lonely job. Even if you form a group and write together, you must put the words onto paper. However, I think that igniting that emotion within oneself is what drives us as writers. If we do not feel that drive to write, treat our creation as if we are already succeeding, then we are selling ourselves short. I believe success means sitting down and writing whether we feel like it or not.

Happy writing all!

Left Meets Right- The Journey Begins

When I was working on my B.A. in Liberal Studies a few years back, we chose our senior projects. We were to research a subject and present it in both oral and written form. I decided my research would be on workplace spirituality, my written presentation a Novella. I did not know how I would present this to my group of cohorts.

My mentor advised that my presentation be on my creative process. I was instructed to keep a journal as well. I had approximately sixteen weeks to research my subject, keep a substantive journal of my research and write a novella. I started writing my novella about twelve weeks before the final project was due.

As I look over my journal on this creative process, I cannot believe how much I did in so little time. At the time, I was trying to find a way to bring my best self into an unhealthy work environment. I did not realize how much of my own self worth I put into my work. It was an interesting experience to see how my creative writing during this time helped me to work through some of my own work issues.

On March 6, 2005, I wrote this in my journal regarding my creative process:

I have written six pages and 1531 words on my story since last night- and it is not coming out at all the way I planned. My synopsis and character profiles are specific enough to where I thought I had a pretty good plot: arrogant associate attorney comes on the scene and doesn't want to be a team player but Ms. Spirituality-at-work-paralegal teaches him about looking within for work validation instead of grasping outside of himself. Ha! As I wrote, the story began to take on a life of its own, as if I, the writer, were not in control! How can this be? Well, it is what it is, and my protagonist is still Lana the paralegal but she is the corporate money hungry monger who does not realize she is walking into a spiritual environment. We will experience through her eyes what it is like to come from a corporate mindset to just the opposite. Thus, my title Left (corporate left-brain thinker) Meets Right (spiritual right brain thinker). Does this make sense? Yes Left Meets Right.

Meanwhile, I continue to work very hard on writing my novel. I have reached the 17,000 mile mark, which means I am approximately a quarter of the way into my story. My protagonist is acting and reacting in ways I never imagined. The story truly seems to have taken on a life of its own. Who is in control—my characters or me?

Over the next several weeks, or however long it takes, I plan to post journal entries on my creative process while writing my novella. Next time, I may share some insights about The Ant and the Elephant by Vincent Poscente, and how to apply those principles to writing!

Happy writing!