We’ve all heard of writer’s block, but most (all?) artists face times when their creative juices just aren’t flowing.

This week I had the opportunity to hear an interview with the queen of creativity, Julia Cameron, author of The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity – and the quintessential guide to moving through anything that’s blocking your artistic (or any other) genius. In addition to the Artist’s Way, Cameron has written 30 other books. Wow.

When asked what’s at the heart of her ‘brand’ Cameron replied “optimism and compassion.”The Artist’s Way emerged from her desire to help others, and is grounded in her own experience of how to overcome her own blocks and connect to what she calls “that holy place,” where creativity and spirituality fuse as one.

Here are a few tips and tools, from Cameron and others, on how you can reconnect to your creativity and let the magic begin.

1)  Write morning pages.
Writing three pages, by hand, in free flow form every morning is one of Cameron’s key tools to fueling creativity. In what could be considered a “divine download,” morning pages are a potent form of prayer and meditation. Says Cameron, “Hand-writing puts us in touch with our emotions. We learn how we feel about what we say. Writing by computer is a more shallow practice. It yields us speed and distance, but not the depth.”
 
2)  Make “artist’s dates.” 
This is another of Cameron’s keys to unlocking – and unleashing – creativity. Once a week, take a solo excursion to pursue something that interests you. I call these “Inspiration days.” It could be a trip to an art gallery, checking out a new restaurant or just taking photos in the park. These short journeys of the soul don’t have to be expensive or complicated, but they can foster conscious connect with a higher power.
 
3)  Go for a walk or take a break. 
Walking integrates our creative thoughts and helps us make conscious connections to new ideas and possibilities.
 
4)  Be present. Focus on one project. 
Multi-tasking adds confusion and distraction, and interferes with the creative channels. Choose a project that inspires or motivates you, and work on just that one. Even small amounts of progress add to a sense of accomplishment. And small victories make us happy… and want to continue creating.
 
5)  Trust in yourself, and the process.
In order to create, you have to trust in the authenticity of your own impulses and originality. When you set out to create something, have faith and believe in what you’re doing. Step away from any inner censors or critics. If you listen to them, they’ll stop you in your tracks.
 
6)   Embrace imperfection. 
There is great power in taking action, even imperfect action. Perfectionism is the kiss of death for creativity. Begin by taking small steps, cooperate your creative impulses, and be open to whatever happens. Be willing to be bad.
 
7)  Pursue it and do it.
In the end, in order to create anything we have to be willing to make a good attempt… to persevere… and to send it out there. As Tim O’Reilly so brilliantly says: “Pursue something so important that even if you fail, the world is better off with you having tried.”
 
How do you fuel your creativity or overcome blocks? 

February is the month we (officially) celebrate love.

As Valentine’s Day approaches, we are awash with ideas – for dates, dinners and destinations – to amp up the romance and find the lo-o-o-ve.

This week I read that Winnipeg placed No. 15 among Canada’s 20 most romantic cities, in an annual list compiled by Amazon.ca.  According to the report, Amazon ranks the cities by comparing sales figures (since Jan. 1) of romance novels, sex and relationship books, rom-com movies and Michael Bublé discs. Seriously?

Apparently just reading (watching or listening to) all things romantic can put you in the mood… and your city on the love map.

Which got me thinking… novelists, screenwriters and songwriters all know how to turn up the heat with a few good lines. So this week here are a few hot tips to instill a little more passion in your writing.

Consider it the joy of text.

“When genuine passion moves you, say what you’ve got and say it hot.”

– D. H. Lawrence

5 Ways to Write with Passion

1) Add some emotional rescue.

People everywhere, from your loved ones to friends and colleagues, are wanting to embrace emotion. Give it to them.  Speak it with words, paint it with pictures and say it like you feel it. Injecting emotion into your story, letter or speech, connects you and your passion to your audience –- whether it’s an audience of one… or thousands.

2) Open with your best line (s).

In journalism, after the headline, the most important line is the first sentence. From the top, you have to engage the audience and let them know why they should keep reading. Experts say you have three seconds to make a first, and often lasting, impression. That’s three seconds to connect and make them fall in love with what you have to say.

Literary agent Noah Lukeman says that what you say in the first five pages of a book is critical. The same can be said for your first five lines… of a love letter, business letter or cover letter.

3) Tap into the senses.

Use sight, sound, smell, touch and taste to enliven any copy. Writing is a form of visual art. Describing what you see (or sense) pulls the reader into the story. Good writing doesn’t talk “about” feelings; it uses words and imagination to connect with the reader and “bring him to his senses.”

4) Keep it real.

Recall, tell and retell true tales, hilarious anecdotes or life-changing testimonials. Passionate writing is infused with evocative, powerful stories — whether it’s about your business, adventures or life’s great moments. Good storytelling adds luster, meaning and connection. Few things are more inspiring than real stories (quips or quotes) from real people. As writer Kelly Diels says, “To write great dialogue, steal from your life. And the lips of everyone around you.”

5) Involve the reader.

Will you still read me tomorrow? Authors and readers are partners in the experience.  By involving the reader, writers show that they care about the content, storyline or information they are delivering.

In short, good writing is like good sex; technique matters but emotion, connection and attention to detail are what make it unforgettable.

So here’s to adding a little passion to your pen… and sharing the love.

It’s a brand new year of writing projects and possibilities, and whether wrapping up old assignments, editing ongoing ones or creating something new – blogs, books, scripts and more, every writer can use a little inspiration. And this week I stumbled upon some of the best writing tips I’ve seen in a while: “Belief and Technique for Modern Prose” by none other than Jack Kerouac.

Perhaps best known for his classic novel “On the Road,” Kerouac was an author, Beat poet and bit of a wild man, who lived – and wrote – on his own terms. So here are a few of Jack’s ‘essentials’ for better writing, in his unique spelling and grammatical style.

I particularly like points # 1, 4, 25 and 29.

1. Scribbled secret notebooks, and wild typewritten pages, for yr own joy

2. Submissive to everything, open, listening

3. Try never get drunk outside yr own house

4. Be in love with yr life

5. Something that you feel will find its own form

6. Be crazy dumbsaint of the mind

7. Blow as deep as you want to blow

8. Write what you want bottomless from bottom of the mind

9. The unspeakable visions of the individual

10. No time for poetry but exactly what is

11. Visionary tics shivering in the chest

12. In tranced fixation dreaming upon object before you

13. Remove literary, grammatical and syntactical inhibition

14. Like Proust be an old teahead of time

15. Telling the true story of the world in interior monolog

16. The jewel center of interest is the eye within the eye

17. Write in recollection and amazement for yourself

18. Work from pithy middle eye out, swimming in language sea

19. Accept loss forever

20. Believe in the holy contour of life

21. Struggle to sketch the flow that already exists intact in mind

22. Dont think of words when you stop but to see picture better

23. Keep track of every day the date emblazoned in yr morning

24. No fear or shame in the dignity of yr experience, language & knowledge

25. Write for the world to read and see yr exact pictures of it

26. Bookmovie is the movie in words, the visual American form

27. In praise of Character in the Bleak inhuman Loneliness

28. Composing wild, undisciplined, pure, coming in from under, crazier the better

29. You’re a Genius all the time

30. Writer-Director of Earthly movies Sponsored & Angeled in Heaven

As ever, 
Jack [Kerouac]

[Jack Kerouac. "Belief & Technique For Modern Prose: List of Essentials" from a 1958 letter to Don Allen, in Heaven & Other Poems, Grey Fox Press, 1958, 1977, 1983.]

Wow. After a long fall, and not much snow on the ground it’s hard to believe Christmas is only 10 days away, and another year is drawing to a close.

I love this time of year because as I look back over the past 12 months, it’s the perfect time for reflection, celebration and appreciation of for all that was, is, and is yet to be. As one year departs another arrives, with excited anticipation and fresh possibilities.

The holidays are also a great time to connect – or reconnect – with family, friends, colleagues and clients.

So, in the spirit of the season and in the spirit of connecting, I’d like to send you a holiday e-gift – an ebook I created called “12 gifts for 2012.” In it 12 entrepreneurs of purpose and passion (including myself) offer a gift we feel the world could use in 2012. And in my opinion, they are the best kind of gifts …gifts of insight, images and inspiration.

I hope you enjoy the gift package…and are inspired to think about your own gift(s) to bring forth in the new year.

Happy holidays … of both giving and receiving!

To download your “12 gifts for 2012” ebook click here.

Happy season’s readings.

Happy December! With winter and the holidays upon us, it’s the perfect time to curl up with a good book, hunt for the next bestseller (or something more obscure) or find the perfect literary gift. Lately, one of my favourite distractions has been surfing the Internet for fun and unusual websites for book lovers, word nerds and people who read too much. So forget Amazon, Indigo, Chapters and the other big bookselling sites for a while and check out a few new online spots to expand your digital literary experience.

1)    Book Crossing: www.bookcrossing.com

If you love your books set them free. This site lets you to share and send your books “out in the wild” with a special identification label that tracks the book, sometimes around the world, and lets you know who’s reading it. The site has a system to follow a book’s journey and the lives it touches, as well as a way to add journal entries, reviews and searches for books that have been “released.” It’s been described as a “modern day message in a bottle.”

2)   Bookslut: www.bookslut.com

Ok, this one made the list just for its name. For those of us who’ll read anything anywhere, Bookslut is a daily blog of insightful features, reviews, and outrageous commentary, including regular columns such as Cookbook Slut, Latin Lit Lover, and UnAmerican. The blog itself is a good read, not just its passionate book recommendations.

3)    Bookninja: www.bookninja.com

This one also gets points for its name. Bookninja is a Canadian literary site and according to its homepage one of the top literary sites in the world, and nexus for news, opinion and discussion about fiction and poetry. Also part of the site, Bookninja Magazine contains original articles and reviews.

4)    The Book Bench: www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/books

If you love The New Yorker magazine (and I do) this blog is “loose leafs from the New Yorker Books Department.” That includes reviews, clever commentary and all the NY buzz about what’s popular, hot and happening on the literary scene.

5)    The Believer: www.believermag.com

The monthly online magazine, by its own admission, “covers book reviews that are not necessarily timely and are often very long, and interviews that are also very long.”  That said, the current issue has a weirdly entertaining interview with actor/writer James Franco in conversation with an artist called “Carter.” I also like that the magazine states outright: “We will focus on writers and books we like.

6)    Narrative Magazine: narrativemagazine.com

As its tagline reads, Narrative Magazine is “a non-profit organization dedicated to storytelling in the digital age,” sometime described as the PBS of literature. All content (which is a lot – stories, poetry, novel excerpts, articles and writing contests) is free to readers. The site acts as a virtual bridge to connect readers and writers around the globe, and celebrates work by established authors as well as emerging ones. There’s a “Story of the Week” and “Poem of the Week” as well as my favourite find, “Six-word stories.”

Of course, this is just a smattering of the many fun and fabulous literary sites online. Let me know about some of your new and wonderful finds in the digital literary world, and leave a comment below.

I do a lot of writing for CancerCare Manitoba, an organization doing life-saving work, research and health care in our community, and the writing includes many stories about people who are dealing with cancer every day. Recently, I wrote a piece about an inspiring two year old, diagnosed with leukemia, who is leading his family through the whole experience with his high-energy and positive attitude… sometimes it’s the children who teach the adults.

On both sides of the story – from the perspective of those who give (individuals, groups or organizations) and those who receive – these tales of transformation can inspire and inform, and it’s important to tell them.

To read more about the story I wrote for CancerCare Manitoba click here

What a powerful story can achieve…

Stories capture moments that define a life, or a lifetime.
Stories inspire, challenge and sustain us.
Stories test our imaginations, and our truths.

Stories illuminate our world and our hearts.
Stories mirror what we fear and what we love.
Stories expose our vulnerability, and our strength.

Stories create space for the light to get in.
Stories build connection, community and creativity.
Stories take us on roads of the earth and roads of the spirit.

Stories are merchants of ideas and agents of possibility.
Stories transmit beauty and transformation.
Stories offer deep diving for the soul.

Stories change lives.

This past week I’ve received a few important messages – not by email, phone or letter – but by the passing, or changes in the lives, of some noteworthy leaders, and who reminded me of a favourite story about Mahatma Gandhi.

Once while Mahatma Gandhi’s train was pulling slowly out of the station, a reporter ran up to his compartment window. ‘Do you have a message I can take back to my people?’ he asked. It was Gandhi’s day of silence, respite from his demanding speaking schedule, so he didn’t reply. Instead, he scrawled a few words on a scrap of paper and passed it to the reporter: ‘My life is my message.’

Gandhi worked throughout India attempting to be the change in the world that he hoped to see. A man of compassion and service to others, Gandhi lived his truth.

So this week, I’d like to pay tribute to a few other leaders, in the world of politics, business and community, who lived (or are living) their message.

Last week, politician Jack Layton, leader of the NDP and of the Opposition, lost his life to cancer. Just days before his death he wrote this in a letter to Canadians: “My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we’ll change the world.”

An inspiring man and politician, Layton died just months after leading his party to a historic election victory, but his optimism and hope for change live on.

Leaving the world stage in another way  but still living, iconic business leader, innovator and creative genius Steve Jobs, just resigned as CEO of Apple.

In an address to Stanford graduates a few years ago Jobs gave this message: “You have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust something – your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life… Stay hungry. Stay foolish.”

I don’t think anyone would call Jobs “foolish” but with courage and phenomenal innovation he has “connected the dots” to create one of the greatest computer companies of the modern era.

This week also marks the (13^th) anniversary of the death of my mother, a generous community leader and activist whose life touched many – most certainly, her five children’s. My mother’s message (engraved on her gravestone) was simple: “Love one another.”

When we live what we believe – when we walk the talk – our life becomes our message, and one that can inspire or motivate others.

Perhaps Shakespeare said it best: “This above all, to thine own self be true.” By being true to ourselves – our words, actions and intentions — we liberate others to do the same.

From authenticity flows honour… and truly inspired action.

The best way to spread your message is to live it.

Jack Layton was a different kind of politician who lived, and acted on, his message of love, hope and optimism for a better country; Steve Jobs is stepping down as CEO of Apple but leaves a legacy of unbridled ingenuity and vision; and my mom’s message – well, what greater force is there than love, for a better world and an unlimited future?

In my life (while I’m here and upon my exit), I’d like to leave an equally simple message: Live well. Love deeply. Inspire and be inspired.

Thanks for being here.

Please leave a message.

Every life has a story; and every story can change a life.

This week I helped a client write her signature story, something I think is important for every leader, businessperson or organization to do.

Your  “signature story” reveals WHY you do what you do. And as Simon Sinek succinctly puts it: “People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.”

People connect far more to the essence or reason behind your work – your mission, vision or raison d’être — than to your expertise.

A signature story may or may not be dramatic, but it tells the tale of what happened to change, define or alter the course of your life and/or work. These are the moments or experiences that helped shape who you are, tested your imagination, strength or will, or fueled your passion. (You can read my signature story at the end of this post.)

Signature stories serve as models of possibility, examples of inspired action or new beginnings. They help your audience, clients or ‘tribe’ connect with you, as they illuminate the purpose, cause or belief that moves you to do great work, which in turn can inspire others.

Common signature story themes:

Signature stories may include an event that became a catalyst for change, a tale of transformation, or a time of deep diving for the soul. However, the ‘defining moment’ that alters the course of a life may not be dramatic. It could be as simple as making a decision… and acting on it.

Here a few possible themes:

1)    From corporate to conscious: For example, perhaps you left the frantic corporate world to pursue a calmer, more authentic life in work that feeds your spirit and soul.

2)    From the fall to the call: Perhaps a life of drug and alcohol addiction led to a moment of  ‘enlightenment’ when you decided to get sober and pursue a path of helping or counseling others.

3)    From the test to the testimony: Maybe your “test in life” (a weight problem, eating disorder, or severe illness) has led to your “testimony” of recovery, healing and health.

4)    From driven to deliberate: Maybe you were simply looking to change and re-focus your life from one of being driven to one of being deliberate – in your choices and actions.

5)    From victim to victor: For example, a loss of a job, relationship or home caused you to stop depending on (or blaming) others for your situation, and then take personal responsibility for your life and success.

6)    From the shadows to the light: This may be a period of despair, depression or a ‘dark night of the soul’ that ultimately led to an awakening or heightened self-awareness that revealed your own light. In other words, a time in your life when it was the darkest before the dawn.

Your signature story may or may not relate to one of these themes, but they might spark some ideas. Your signature story, like your written signature, is unique. So tell it your way.

Here’s my signature story (an edited version of a previous post), and why I believe the time to do what you love is always NOW.

Someday Is Not on the Calendar

You could say 1988 was the year that I lived like there was no tomorrow.

It had nothing to do reckless spending, learning to sky dive or being diagnosed with a rare, intractable disease; it had everything to do with making my self available… for life at full speed and spending time with those I loved, doing the things I loved.

We hear a lot about living in the present, embracing the moment and the power of now, yet often neglect to put the theory into practice; 1988 was my opportunity to change that …forever. The events of that year brought home the “power of now” with all the subtlety of a car accident—more accurately, two car accidents.

In February, a close encounter with a moving car brought life’s fragility to my attention. I was hit at a pedestrian crosswalk by a 16-year-old driver who passed a van, which had stopped to allow me to cross the wide boulevard of Portage Avenue. I bounced off the hood of her car like a bad dismount from a trampoline, was thrown about 15 feet from the point of impact and landed, smashing my right knee on the pavement. I was conscious throughout the entire “flight” and miraculously had no head injury or other fractures.

The ER doctor told me I could have been killed … I knew that. But a last minute action-hero-inspired-instinct to leap on the car’s hood probably saved my life, and certainly my legs.

Shaken but awakened by the incident, I didn’t let a battered knee and some crushed cartilage keep me from a winter escape to California with my 23 year-old sister and my sixty-something father.

That was my second winter escape with my sister, after a thrilling week in New York City where I took her (for the first time) as a belated Christmas gift.

Later in the fall, she and I rendezvoused with some of her friends in Montreal for an Amnesty International concert and a few days of old-world charm in Vieux Montreal. There’s a photo of all of us overlooking the city from Mount Royal, looking like college kids filled with optimism and standing at the top of the world. That scene is forever etched in my mind.

My adventures that year with my younger sister in New York City, California and Quebec marked 1988 as a year to remember – the months imbued with a feeling of endless celebration and joie de vivre. We were living large, living in the moment, and enjoying the languorous luxury of time without taking it for granted.

In November, we took a weekend road trip to visit our older sister Elaine for a quiet family celebration with a rural setting and home cooking.

On the highway home, in a pitch-black November night, my sporty Toyota Celica was hit head-on, and crushed, by a drunk driver. I survived; my younger sister did not. She died instantly, six inches from my side, in the passenger seat.

Looking back, I realized that I seized every opportunity that year to celebrate life, and all its opportunities. It was as if I had some advanced notice, if only subconsciously, that 1988 would be the best year available to live flat-out, laugh loudly, travel widely, and cherish each moment with loved ones… like they might be my last.

Nineteen eighty-eight was the year that my younger sister and I made ourselves available for the people, places and things that we loved.

We didn’t just read about being in the present, we lived it.

We said “Yes!” to everything the universe sent our way; we set dates, booked the time and, most importantly, showed up.

“Someday” was not on our calendar.

—————————–

Why do you do what you do?

I’d love to hear your signature story.

Today Oprah Winfrey bids us farewell on the last show of her epic 25 seasons. And while she has inspired and influenced millions around the globe to “live their best life,” her love of the written word and her legendary book club has ignited careers, launched bestsellers and encouraged a more educated, caring world.

In Oprah’s honour, and word lovers everywhere, here are 15 things writers know for sure:

1)  Writers know how to roll out a great story; it’s part of their creative DNA, their toolbox of talents, their raison d’être – not everyone can tell a tale with power, panache and pacing. Think of the last time your friend told a joke and forgot the punchline.

2)  Writers know the true meaning and proper usage of raison d’être. (See above)

3)   Writers know how to help you tell your story in your voice – about your life, your achievements or your dog.

4)  Writers know how to reflect, review and respond… and make others do the same. Think of the last movie, play, song or book that had an impact on you… it probably had an engaging storyline, fabulous lyrics or a killer narrative created by someone who knew how to string a few perfect words together.

5)  Writers know how to move people to tears, or to action. Powerful stories tap into our dreams, myths, hopes and fears. They can be catalysts for ordinary people to do extraordinary things.

6)  Writers know that best-selling copy is far more than the sum of its grammar, accurate spelling and proper use of the subjunctive.

7)  Writers know that good writing is sensual writing. They have uncanny descriptive powers that can imbue a story with all the senses – sight, sound, smell, touch and taste. Good writing puts you in the moment… your pulse quickening, eyes widening, mouth watering. You get the picture.

8)  Writers know that compelling words and high-impact speeches can change the course of history. Think Winston Churchill, John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela.

9)  Writers know that good content trumps everything – substance wins over style – and good writing has the power to inform, entertain and enlighten.

10)              Writers know that good writing is like good sex; technique matters but emotion, connection and attention to detail are what make it unforgettable.

11)              Writers know how to reach multiple… formats, and tell a story in print, broadcast, online or on screen.

12)              Writers know how to say more with less.  Just do it. Think differently. Yes, we can.

13)              Writers know how to add wit, charm and personality to a story – from a stellar business profile that will increase your sales to an alluring personal ad that will get you a date.

14)              Writers know how to reveal the truth about humanity… who we are, what we love (or hate) and what we care about – deeply.

15)              Like Oprah, writers know that well-chosen words and well-told stories have the power to change lives… and sometimes change the world. Writers know that the pen really is mightier than the sword, and they know how to use it. (The pen, that is.)

What do you know for sure – about words, writing or writers?

I’d love to hear from you.

It’s the first week into the new year and many people are already overwhelmed with new projects, goals, business schedules and life in the fast track. How do we get all (or any) of it done in a world of constant demands and distractions? In a word – Focus. That’s also the title of a great new e-book/manifesto by zen blogger Leo Babauta.

While Leo writes about all kinds of helpful Zen Habits to get focused, I love his simple approach to “getting amazing things done.” Lately, it’s how I start, and prioritize, my work everyday… and my productivity is way up.

Here’s my edited version of his 3 easy steps to focus… and finish.

Step 1: Find something amazing to work on

First things first, find something amazing that you want to work on today… choose something exciting or fun. It can be a work project, business idea, learning a new skill, taking photos, writing a song… or writing a blog!

But it should be something that excites you, and compels you to work on it because you’re inspired, excited, motivated.  It doesn’t have to be huge, just “amazing” by your definition – it could be a novel, a screenplay, a garden, a new craft or a new recipe.

Step 2: Clear away everything else

This may be the hardest step: clearing away distractions.

But in order to focus, you’ll need to clear your desk, clear your computer (close all programs, including your browser, that you don’t absolutely need for this task), and clear (turn off) your techno-interruptions, such your phone, Blackberry, iPhone, and anything else that might distract you from your Something Amazing.

Step 3: Focus on that something amazing

OK, all clear. Now just focus on that Something Amazing — that one task you chose that you’re excited about, that’s going to change your life in some small way. Do this as soon as you can in the day — not after lunch or late in the day. Again, this step, like clearing all the distractions, can be a challenge. The great urge to respond to email, Twitter, Facebook, that phone call or anything else, can be unrelenting. If that happens: Stop, take a deep breath, and remember why you chose this task. Feel that excitement, and focus.

Of course, big Amazing projects may take days, months or years, but just by focusing on ONE task for an hour or two each day, you’ll be able to complete great, exciting, and possibly life-changing things.

And then, all that’s left to focus on is celebrating your accomplishment.

Note: Leo Babauta has waived the copyright on the content from his book Focus and encourages sharing it. See his simplicity manifesto.