I’m currently re-reading Dan Pink’s A Whole New Mind for a class I am teaching, and it has reminded me of this short inspirational video based on his book Drive:
[vimeo=8480171]
Note: The embed code has been glitchy, so if you can’t see the video above, click here.
This morning I realized that Pink’s two question can be reworded slightly for writers (my changes are in red):
“If you want to find your true motivation for your novel/story/character/work-in-progress, ask yourself this question: What’s my story’s/character’s sentence?” [another way of thinking about an elevator pitch]
“Think about your sentence, then use it to navigate your writing.”
And this one is particularly powerful, especially when we feel overwhelmed by a large writing project that is several months from completion:
“Each night, before you go to sleep, ask yourself: Am I further along on my writing project today than yesterday? Keep asking yourself that question, because that’s how we really improve and finish, day by day, step by step, over and over for a very long time.”
This is great advice, both for one’s self and for your novel/characters! Wonderful post!
Kelsey, thank you! I’m a huge Dan Pink fan. 😀
I sure wish I could enjoy one of your classes. I can imagine you are inspirational in person, because your blog posts are so engaging.
“Libby’s life of sacrifice and tesponsibility changes when fates’ whirlwind takes her places she never dreamed, directly into the arms of the love of her life.”
Now…creating one for me–that’s a tough one!
Wonderful sentence, DiDi! Yes, creating one for me is hard, too. 🙂 Thank you so much for the kind words. They mean a lot to me.
All of your writing advice is fantastic! I would love to take a writing class someday soon.
Michi, what a generous comment! Thank you. (and best of luck with finding a writing class)