Month: June 2010

If you have never read Stephen Pressfield Book, ‘The War of Art’ stop reading, go and read it, then come back.
My friend Tara recommend this book to me, and I am eternally grateful for that, I have read the book at least five times, and is a great testament of the War we constantly have with what Pressfield called ‘Resistance’ with capital ‘R’
We all suffer from Resistance, the difference is how we confront and act in front of this Resistance, you can act as an Amateur or as a Professional. I am a writer, I am also a Sales Person, on my day job, I act as a Sales Manager.
I have been a Professional Sales Person for the last seven years, I make sales regarding of the economy, how difficult it is, regardless if it is saturday, sunday or holiday, I learn my product, I observe my competitors, and I try to get the most out of every opportunity, and honestly, I am good at it, I am a professional and my hard work over years has bring me here. Until recently, I was an Amateur Writer, I want it to be a Writer, but I had not turn Pro, the Resistance and the fear was getting the best out of me.
I have join a MasterMind Group, as well as work in this issue for over a year, and I begin writing, and then stop, and begin again and stop.
Recently, I happen to listen to the War of Art while driving to work, and for the first time I got the change from Amateur to Professional, and I turn the switch. I am now, also a Professional Writer. At the same time I decide to begin publishing in Twitter my daily count, even if I don’t write, I need then to Tweet Zero Words Down Today.
What has change from the amateur to the professional is that I am showing up everyday, regardless of weekends, holidays, or any other type of excuse, i am showing up to write regardless of any excuse I have, I am investing on improve my craft, in the same way I continue learning business and sales books, I am trying to be patient with the art as well as my self, and I am acting in face of fear, regardless how terrified I am on this, I am writing everyday. Finally, I am not afraid to failure, but I will finish this novel.
I had over the years begin three novels and two business books, and the fear of failure, and starvation has always stop me. This time “The Novel” will be finished and revised. If it is terrible too bad, we will write another one, and if that one is also bad we will write a third one.
Around the same idea of this novel, I had wrote two manuscripts, this is the third one, and I think I make the mistake of not work hard enough on revise the two I had wrote before, and the Resistance is telling me to go back and revise them, and we will (me and the Resistance) but not know, in the next months we will write everyday “The Novel”, after that, my dear friend Resistance, you will be more than welcome to revise the other ones.

Just before I wrote this post, I went ahead and print what I have write on the first draft of my novel. The Pages file so far is 8,786 words, or 26 pages.
One of the things I notice on this draft is that I am having much more fun than the previous two, and I think that has been actually really cool.
Also you may have notice if you follow my twitter, that I am posting my daily word count. I have never done this on the past, and I am doing it in a way of motivate myself. Stephen Pressfield on his great book ‘The war of Art’ talkes about the difference between an Amateur Writer and a Professional one. I have been an amateur writer for more than twenty years, and is now that I have grow to be a professional, and for that reason I am posting my progress, and talking about it, and doing it even when the Resistance (with capital R) play against me.
So far, all that I can say of my novel and character is that we are running out of Los Angeles and are at this time in Denver, Colorado, trying to make sure we are alive long enough.

I took a month off this blog, almost a month off, my last post was May 25th, and Today is June 14th.
As I share on my last post, I was beginning with the third first draft, and is working fine so far. I had wrote 8,000 words in the last days, after two weeks totally off.
I need it to get back in the groove, I need it to reinforce the writing, toss that second draft was extremely frustrating, so I want it to have fire on this third draft idea, and I think I have it.
So Starting Tomorrow, I am back in the blog, and I will be sharing about my Novel, and the process of writing and the other stuff I share and write about.