Pep Talk for Writers

Writing is mostly editing, but editing doesn't need to be dry and lifeless. It's actually where a lot of sparks and innovations can occur. You just have to be willing to break apart what you think is precious. Write to peptalkforwriters@gmail.com Visit www.nickjaina.com

I didn't grow up praying, but I've found it to be a great way to reconnect to what I'm grateful about, and ease some of my fears and worries. Music by Nick Jaina Workshops, books, and albums at www.nickjaina.com

It's okay to write about the good times. I give you permission. You will write plenty about the bad times. But give the good times a try today. Music by Nick Jaina Workshops, books, albums at www.nickjaina.com

Here's a fun way to approach tension in your writing. Start with the MOST tension you can imagine and then ground that tension at an appropriate lever for your characters and your world. I'll explain. Email peptalkforwriters@gmail.com My new album CREDO is available for pre-sale now. Books, music, workshops at www.nickjaina.com

How can we make connections between disparate things? That skill is really important in writing and it's actually something we can work on and improve. Let's try a fun exercise, based on a non-sequitur from the Mad Hatter. Email peptalkforwriters@gmail.com My new album CREDO goes on pre-sale on March 12, 2021 Books, music, workshops at www.nickjaina.com

I want my writing to be strong and multi-dimensional. I want it to face difficult truths. Can I do all that and also remove judgment from my writing? Why should I try to do that? Let's explore. For my writing workshops, my books, and my music, go to: www.nickjaina.com My new album CREDO goes on pre-sale on March 12, 2021 The music in this episode is by Nick Jaina

We can learn something from every TV show and film we watch, and every book we read. Some quality that our writing doesn't have, that we can perhaps carry over to our work. It just takes switching on a part of our brain to consider what is drawing us in to a particular work, and try to dissect the mechanics of how the writer has done this. Write to Nick at peptalkforwriters@gmail.com More about Nick Jaina and his books and workshops at www.nickjaina.com Music by Holland Andrews www.hollandandrews.com

So many times with writing, we got lost in language and cleverness and wanting to sound smart. How can we get back to the point? Often I give myself a simple prompt to re-set myself. Write to Nick at peptalkforwriters@gmail.com More about Nick Jaina's book Hitomi, his workshops and his music at www.nickjaina.com Music by Nick Jaina

Containers can help us to focus our writing. When I was faced with the big expanse of writing a novel, the first step was to start dividing things in half. Even though I didn't know what journey the characters would go on, I at least knew there would be a before and an after, and I could start filling those containers. Write to Nick at peptalkforwriters@gmail.com Learn more about Nick Jaina, the books he writes, and the workshops he teaches at www.nickjaina.com Music in this episode by Dustin Hamman. His band is Run On Sentence. www.patreaon.com/dustinhamman

What if we think of dialogue not as something we add to our story, but as a tool of divination, a way that we learn to understand ourselves and our characters? Writing is a relationship, and we need to prove ourselves reliable and serious by showing up regularly and listening. Writing can be about quieting our world so that we can receive ideas from wherever ideas come from. Learn about Nick's books and classes at www.nickjaina.com Music in this episode by Nick Jaina

One asset we always have when we sit down to write is our current emotional state. Whatever it is—even if it feels annoying or negative—it has power, and we can potentially use that power to generate some writing. Good luck. Learn about Nick's books and classes at www.nickjaina.com Music in this episode by Nick Jaina

How do you write on those days when you don't feel like writing? Here is a way to start. Just write about something that is too small to mention. Shrink the frame of engagement to something so tiny that there is no pressure in getting in right. Let go of any other obligations you feel with writing, and just tell us about this small thing. Good luck. Learn about Nick's books and classes at www.nickjaina.com Music in this episode by Nick Jaina