It has been a long, busy week. Lots of work, and more than a few late nights and early mornings has left my batteries low. During the week I take a break every 52 minutes, but you can only sustain the pace for so long. What I need now less work and more time doing nothing.

I have learned downtime is just as important as working hard. You know work hard, play hard. It is time for a relaxing cup of tea, a blazing fire in the fireplace, a good book and perhaps a nap. No, I am sure there will be a nap. Then I know I can return to my work and be productive.

How often do you take breaks and recharge?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Another new month presents another chance to renew my vigor for the year’s goals. March is roaring in with winter refusing to relinquish its cold grip to make way for spring. I am fighting back, refusing to relinquish my desire to reach my goals.

We have 31 days to move 31 steps closer to success. I dusted off the goal list, evaluated my progress to date and identified the areas of focus. I plotted and planned every day in March. It only remains to execute the daily plan.

Have you planned your month?
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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

We are at the end of 2019s second month. Time to examine the goal list we made sixty days ago and determine how we are doing. January starts strong, with shiny new goals, and good intentions. By mid-January, we realize keeping our resolution is work and we power through.

Then February hits. The calendar may say it’s only 28 days, but February is the longest month of the year. Winter’s cold, gray, gloomy weather saps our strength, and it’s difficult to get through the day. Our spirits drop.

It’s time to renew our resolve, lift our hopes, and rediscover the deep meaning we need to fuel our motivation. Remember the dream from the beginning of the year and the promise of a brighter future. Time to March.

How are your 2019 goals progressing?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

I am not ready to join Christian and say editing is my favorite part, but I appreciate the results. Words and thoughts flow smoothly from idea to idea. There are no excess words, no bumps jarring the reader’s enjoyment of the piece.

Those jarring bumps are my pet peeves. It is like driving a convertible on the open road, wind blowing your hair, sun shining on a brilliant blue summer’s day and BLAM you hit a pothole. You’re immediately snapped from your reverie and left wondering if you’ve bent a rim. Editing fills those nasty potholes and any distractions, so you can enjoy the scenery, and live in the moment.

What is your favorite part of the writing process?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Editing is an arduous process and reading the draft I wonder who wrote the words. It makes my headache and my stomach churn. Each occupation has a process which is unpleasant or uncomfortable and oh so very un-glamorous, and I consider editing to be a nasty piece of business. I push forward, deleting, rearranging and tweaking the piece.

Editing, I realize is an integral part of the writer’s job. It makes the words shine and flow. Done well, editing renders the words a secondary consideration. They become the tools used to tell the story. It is the story which moves the reader, transporting them to the world of the writer’s imagination.

How do you know when your editing work is complete?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Next item on my schedule is rewriting/editing a piece I hate. I consider it a fail. Surprise, surprise, it has been languishing in my short story draft file. I don’t hate the premise, but the story’s execution is weak. There are words, sentences, ideas I may salvage. It requires me to roll up my shirt sleeves, prepare for construction dust, and do Atlas style weight lifting.

I have several of these projects. A few stories have merit, good ideas, a likable character, conflict, the stuff you want in a story.  But they lack the spit and polish needed to shine, and for me to declare the tale good enough for prime time. While I may like these stories the prospect of dissecting, cutting reworking and rehashing them, is unpleasant. However, I want them finished, which leaves me little choice on what I must do.

How do you approach a rewrite or edit?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

There is a mystical realm, I know exists. I have visited, and I cherish any time I am granted in my favorite spot.  But I can’t always find my way there. It seems time spent searching for the entrance is inversely proportional to my success rate at arriving. You know the place. Real-time slows, flames fly from your fingertips, and nothing matters except converting ideas, giving physical form to the floating ephemera in your mind.

Call it the writing zone, speaking with the muse, entering the flow, they have similar qualities and the desired results. I am considering creating a sign for my writing space, declaring it a designated muse sanctuary.

How do you find your optimal writing zone?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Have you heard of art therapy?  According to Art Therapy Blog, art therapy is “a form of expressive therapy that uses the creative process of making art to improve a person’s physical, mental, and emotional well-being.”

People normally think of drawing, painting, sculpture as the “art” portion of the therapy. But I don’t see why it can’t apply to the writing process. Writing is a creative process after all.  So why wouldn’t it provide the same type of benefits as other art forms?

Does writing leave you feeling restored?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Going out for dinner on Friday night is a pleasure.  I look forward to the ritual of meeting friends, having a wonderful meal and catching up on the week’s happenings. We laugh, have fun and celebrate the highs and lows life throws at us.

But I don’t consider it a sacrifice to write on Friday night. There is something decadent about ordering in, kicking back, and writing.

Do you write on Friday night?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

For those who don’t know, Deming was an engineer, professor, statistician, author, lecturer, and management consultant. He is credited with leading the Japanese in their post-war recovery with his management principles. The adoption of Deming’s work in the 1950s and ’60s propelled Japan to the second largest economy of the time.

His principles strive to increase quality while simultaneously reducing costs and increasing customer loyalty. In the 1980s Motorola expanded on the Japanese Kaizen method. Further development lead to what we today know as Lean Six Sigma. Lean principles focus on the elimination of eight types of waste. Six Sigma pertains to variation reduction. Combined we talk about continuous improvement.

I am a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt and I am versed in Lean tools and the application of Lean principals. Yes, I am a geek. But I am also interested in productivity studies and how I can apply Lean Six Sigma principles to my writing. Enter the Rule of 52 and 17. You can read more about it here. Basically, the Rules states that the top 10% of productive workers use a 52-minute work sprint, followed by a 17-minute break.

The key concept is that during the 52-minute work sprint you are 100% dedicated to the task. While during the 17-minute break, you do anything except the task you are trying to complete. So, I have been trying to adopt the Rule of 52 and 17 into my writing sessions. It takes planning, I must know what I am writing, and I need a notification to remind me it is break time. I am seeing positive results.

How long do you write before taking a break?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer