Welcome to your best writing life. I'm your host Linda Goldfarb. Each week you'll receive tips and strategies from experts in the writing and publishing industry to help boost your best writing life. Let's get started. Today's topic is simplify your writing life. My guest is a familiar voice in our writing community, co director of the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian writers conference, Edie Melson. Find your voice live your story. This is Edie's core message. Her blog, The Write Conversation reaches thousands and has consistently been named a Writer's Digest top 100 sites for writers. As the author of numerous award-winning books. She's quick to remind those she writes to about the practical and personal applications of God's infinite love. Edie's book, Soul Care for Writers helps you tap into your creativity as you reconnect with God. And you can connect with her at ediemelson.com. Welcome to Your Best Writing Life, Edie!
Thank you, I'm so excited to be here.
Well, it is a joy! And my favorite part of, Your Best Writing Life is this section we're going to go into right now before we jump into the writing content for today. Let's take a quick look at the inside the life of our writing expert. So Edie, share something with our listeners that most of them probably have no idea about.
Well, one thing that a lot of people don't know about me is that I am an experienced needle woman. So I do a lot of needlework crafts. And one of the things that I'm loving is the fact that I am a master level lacemaker. And right now I am in the process of designing and tatting a bridal garter for my youngest son's bride-to-be, to wear in the wedding. So I do tatting, which is done with a shuttle. And I have actually taught that craft for almost 30 years.
I will tell you, this is amazing. It is not one of the things that I would go, Oh, I know Edie Melson, and she's a tatting teacher. This is fabulous. And it just makes me smile, because I am thinking of your soon to be daughter in love. And for her to be able to place that garter and know that you have spent all this time. Tatting is so intricate, it is such a fabulous art
I love it so much. Because I was able to do that for my other two daughters-in-law. So all three of them now will have been able to wear a hand tatted garter that I designed and executed myself. So it just makes me smile to think about it. And as I'm spending these hours making this, I also spend the time praying for them and praying for their marriage.
Isn't that beautiful? I think you know, the Lord tells us as we go about our day to day,we are to lift others in prayer, think about others, to draw them close to him. And as you are working with your hands, you're also working in prayer over these beautiful women that are becoming or have become a part of your family. That's just so good. Yay. Thank you. Thank you for sharing that. Thank you. Thank you, for giving us a tiny look behind the curtain. So now what we're going to help simplify the life of writers. you're sharing with us today. 10 tips our listeners can utilize to accomplish a simpler life as a writer. So let's start off with the first two tips. What do you have?
Well, the first one I have is to take time to evaluate your goals. It's really important that as a writer, we have goals. And more than that it's important to write them down. It's very easy to just float along and take things as we come. But when we do that, it's hard to get any kind of forward momentum and it's even harder to evaluate if we're making progress. And beyond that there is something almost supernatural about writing down your goals. When I write something down It gives it weight. And it makes it easier for me to make it a priority. So that's my first one is to evaluate your goals. My second one is to track how much time you spend on social media. For me, I try to keep it at 30-minutes a day or less. If you are doing more than that on social media, then it's time to re-evaluate what exactly you are doing. Because after 30-minutes, your return on investment on the time you're spending takes a severe nosedive, and you are losing any kind of momentum.
All right. Well, on tracking how much time you spend on social media, Edie. Are you talking about the social aspect or the social activity that's going on in social media, or doing business on social media?
Well, social media is essentially social. But a lot of what I'm doing on social media has a business focus. It is connecting with my readers or with potential readers, or it is doing ministry, which is also business for me. So that 30-minutes a day is is everything to do with that. Now, if I decide I want to hang out at night and catch up on all my church friends and comment on their Facebook posts, then that's not part of that 30-minutes a day. But I really tried to limit even that, simply because I can waste hours on social media if I'm not careful.
Absolutely. I know you have several groups and pages that you're involved in, I see posts come up all the time. So for me, I'm like she's always on there. But you have a way of getting posts out there, that doesn't necessarily mean that you're active, right? That moment on the page or in the group, right?
That's exactly true. What I do, particularly with my Blue Ridge Conference Writers group, which is our writing group, I get up every morning, and I spend about 20-minutes scheduling posts to go out every hour on the hour for the whole day. And then I shut that page down, I turn it off. I check my Facebook updates, maybe a couple of minutes at noon, and again at five o'clock so that I can answer comments and see if anybody asked a question. But I am not on there. And that's why I'm such a big fan of scheduling posts to go out in advance simply because I don't need to be tied to my computer or to my phone, I have other things I have to be working on.
And the post that you schedule, a lot of them are links. So you're not having to rewrite content, you know what you're going to use ahead of time, and you can put that out there. We can do that ourselves where we're creating the content we want to have. And then place it up there, kind of a cut and paste and put content out there with a meme of choice or however we we prefer to put our posts and schedule them directly on the page or in the group, it saves a lot of time.
Yes, you cannot schedule posts for your personal profile, your personal profile is where people friend you. But if you're but if you own a group, or if you have a professional page, then you can schedule that. You only want to do your scheduling on Facebook, you don't want to use a third party app to schedule to Facebook, because Facebook doesn't like that. So they will demote or show to less people any post that is scheduled through anything other than Facebook.
Good to know. You're telling us that we need to spend 30-minutes or less so, because we're talking about simple tips here or how to simplify our writing in life, is there a simple way to track our time?
Yes, for years, I used an egg timer. One of those we have in the kitchen where you twist the dial and it goes to 10-minutes or 30-minutes or whatever, I would use that. Now I use my phone. I just set a timer or I set my stopwatch on my iPhone so that I know how much time I am spending
I do the same on my iPhone right now. It asks me which social media I want to track to see how long I'm spending time on it. And so I know for Instagram, I have it set for 15-minutes max throughout the day. And it will say you have reached your 15 minute limit. And so I'm like going, well then there we are, you know, so there are ways to do it. It's just seeing what is going to be the best fit for you? What's handy? What's available? Don't make it difficult, because if you make it difficult, it's never going to work. All right, great. The two tips, first one we had evaluate your goals. The second one track how much time on social media. All right, now we're gonna go to the third tip, let go of your expectations. Okay, well, Edie, I'm gonna tell you right now, it really seems like tip number three kind of contradicts tip number one.
Actually, it is not a contradiction, there is a huge difference between goals and expectations. And I bet if our listeners are honest with themselves, they will realize they have quite a few expectations. I know I do. I expect certain things from myself, I expect certain things from others. And for me, when I take a hard look, a lot of those expectations are totally unreasonable. And so I have found that if I spend a little bit of time, and I look hard at my expectations, then the ones that are reasonable I can make into goals and priorities. And the rest of them... I need to throw away and let go of, because they're dragging me down and complicating my life.
I can relate to that so much right now, I seem to be spending more time tossing these days. But it feels really good. I'm, you know, decluttering, tossing things out. I'm like, what is getting in the way of me accomplishing what it is that I need to be looking at. And the difference between goals and expectations. That's a perfect way of looking at it and identifying this expectation is unreasonable. There's no way I can meet this expectation. So I'm going to have to do what I can with what I can and release the others. So yay. All right, so walk us through the next two tips that you have, Edie.
The first one is number four, which is determine your most creative time of the day. Everybody has a different rhythm and a different time that makes the most sense for them to work. Some people are night people, some of us are morning people, and some people work best in the afternoon. But we each have a specific time when words and ideas tend to flow easier. So take a little bit of time, look at when you are the most creative. And then guard that time, I have mornings set aside on my bullet journal as writing time, because I can get infinitely more words written in the morning, because I'm at my creative best than I ever can in the afternoon when all I want to do is take a nap. So we figure out what time works best for creative work. And then we guard that time. The next one is number five, which is to schedule your time, and it kind of goes along with after you find this creative time, then you need to take a look at your day. And you need to figure out how to have a schedule that works for you. I know that not everyone can have a detailed schedule. That's actually what runs my life because it helps me work more efficiently and get more done. But truthfully, if you're trying to carve out time to write and who isn't, then you need to schedule that time. And there are a lot of different methods that can help with time management, from an old fashioned spreadsheet to one that I love, which is the Pomodoro Technique. And so I recommend that you do some research and find something that works best for you. I use a combination of the Pomodoro technique, which is doing things in 20-minute batches, and tracking everything that I'm doing in my bullet journal. And that works for me.
That's good, because if it's untracked, it's kind of like you have expectation for your children to accomplish something. But if you have expectations without inspecting, then it's not going to be accomplished. So you have to be able to track it. You have to be able to say yes, I did get this done. I got this done. This is another thing that I got done. And I think there's many of us that have little tiny things that we think well. Oh, that's only going to take five minutes. I'll just work it in. And then those five minutes go to something else. And we totally forget that, oh, that's right. I was going to send that email today. So I have to kind of make my list out in those little chunks of time. And that really helps me
And beyond that you have to not despise those five and 10-minute snippets of time that you have. I once wrote an entire book in 10-minute snippets of time, simply because I didn't have any other time it was. It was at the end of my dad's journey with Alzeimers, and I had a book due but I couldn't leave the hospital or leave hospice or leave the assisted living for hours and days on end. Instead, I had to write it in those 10 and 15 minute times. And you know what, that's the book that Cracker Barrel chose as their military book back in 2017. So God can do amazing things with those five and 10-minute pieces of time.
In essence, we're not to beat ourselves up, if we're not writing like someone else. We hear so many people that will say, you know, use this length of time or spend the whole morning, yet we have to do what we can do. And one of the things that occurs is we start treating ourselves poorly when we're not accomplishing what it is that we believe we're supposed to be doing. And this kind of falls right into your tip number six. You say that we need to stop the negative self talk, talk about that, and then go ahead and segue into number seven.
Number six is one that I have been guilty of, for so many years, I can't even think about it. Negative self-talk, I think, is one of the biggest problems that any writer faces. Now, think about it. When anybody bashes our ability, or even critiques our ability or our manuscript, we take it to heart, and it takes time to recover. We've all been in a situation where we were talking to somebody and looking for a critique. And instead, we got something that just ripped us to the heart. But the truth of the matter is, the same sort of injury can happen when we talk negatively to ourselves. When I am sitting here and I am typing along on my book, and I'm saying to myself, this is junk. I don't know why I'm even bothering. This is horrible. Nobody's going to buy this, nobody's going to read this. I am actually exercising negative self talk, I am saying things to myself that I wouldn't say to anybody else. And so what I'm learning to do, and what I have learned to do is instead to rehearse the positive things that God says about me, I will equip you, I will walk beside you, I will give you the words to say when you need them. God loves me. And He has given me this gift of writing. And He has given me the things He wants me to do with that writing. Of course, He's going to equip me, it's His ability that I need to concentrate on, not whether or not I am living up to my own expectations. So I think negative self-talk is really important to acknowledge and then to get rid off, and the number seven, which is take care of yourself physically. Yes, we have to take care of ourselves mentally. But we also need to care for ourselves physically, this means getting enough sleep, drinking enough water eating well, getting up regularly and moving our round. Writers live a sedentary lifestyle. And that can take a toll on us physically and mentally. And sometimes it feels counterproductive to get up in a four hour stretch of writing and go take a walk. But the fact of the matter is it will make those four hours more productive if we don't spend the entire time sitting in our chair. And instead we get up.
I've started doing that. And it has been fabulous. Because I am the one who's on a writing roll, and I'll just keep going, keep going, keep going. And I don't want to be that person. I need to be flexible. I need to move, I need to go. So I have started going out walking and taking time with the dogs if Sam is at work, and I'm like, no I need to see creation I need to be out there which kind of leads into your tip number eight where you say I need to build in regular breaks.
Absolutely. And those regular breaks are those 10-minute breaks every hour. It is also a Sabbath rest. You know God designed us for a rhythm of work and rest. And if we deny that then we are actually hurting ourselves and making us less productive and less able to do what God has called us to do. I love what a good friend and a spiritual mentor of ours, Kent Pate, used to say he said divert daily, withdraw weekly, and abandon annually. And I just I have that on a post-it-note above my desk to remind me that we were designed for this kind of ebb and flow, and that we need to have this rhythm in our lives.
Easy. That's exactly what I do. I utilize, post-it-note with Scripture references. When you mentioned the number six, stop the negative self talk, I have scripture that is posted where I can look at it. I even have it in my car on the rearview mirror mirrors in the house, where I look at that, and I go, "No, this is what God says is truth about me." So using these quotes, using words of wisdom from someone, I really like that. I'm actually going to take this quote from Pate, and I'm going to make that into a post-it-note as well, because it just it works with me divert daily, withdrawal weekly, abandon annually, I can do that I can resonate with that. So yay. Number nine, you say that it's important for us to surround ourselves with encouraging writers. I like that you referenced encouraging writers. So it's going to be interesting to me to see how you define this?
Well, I think it's great if we have encouraging friends, friends who encourage us in our writing. But the fact of the matter is, writers are kind of an odd lot. And we need others around us who understand our thought processes, our struggles and our quirky joys. I'm sorry, not a lot of people get how exciting it is to actually hold a conversation out loud with one of your characters. Most people think that that's a reason to take you to see a doctor. And one thing I've noticed, my husband is a huge encourager, but he is not a writer. And so he tends on occasion, to give me a swift kick in the pants when I need a hug. And to give me a hug when I need a swift kick in the pants simply because he's not a writer. But you have to be careful about the encouraging writers that you surround yourself with. There are a lot of people out there who call themselves writers because they like to talk about writing, they don't actually write. So the encouraging writers that you need around you are ones who are actively practicing the craft of writing. Are they putting in the hours writing, if they're just talking about writing, then you probably need to put a little distance between you and that particular person.
So beyond the encouraging portion, they're also equipping us because they're on the journey that we want to stay on. They're heading towards the goal line that we want to accomplish in our writing as well. And they truly get us as writers.
Absolutely.
Perfect. That brings us to tip number 10 to simplify your writing life. What is number 10.
Number 10 is actually foundational. And that is wherever you are, engage a prayer team to pray for you. This may seem like an odd piece of advice to include in this list, especially if you're new to calling yourself a writer or if you don't have anything published. But the truth is the writing life is hard. Any time we step out and answer God's call to share his message, we're going to encounter spiritual warfare. And because of that, we need people to pray for us. You're also building a ministry, even if you are writing for the secular world, you are still doing it from a Christian worldview. And you are going to be called on to minister to people that you come into contact with. And so if that's even more of a reason to surround yourself with prayer, now the people that you engage for your prayer team don't have to be other writers, but they should be people who are connected to you. I have had my prayer team for years and years and and I actually go to them now and say okay, I have this opportunity. Would you pray about it? And would you tell me what you think God is saying? And they know, they have watched me on my journey and they have watched what God has done. A lot of them have really good insight. into what God would have me do, and into helping me figure out, is this an opportunity that I want to do? Because I want to do it? Or is this an opportunity that I want to do because God is calling me to do it. So we need that kind of wisdom and prayer support around us.
We do. I've always had my prayer team pray, what is God's will, His way and His timing? If He opens a door, we certainly want to walk through it, if He closes the door, we don't want to go searching for a key. And every opportunity is not His next best for me in my writing, and my speaking, and that's what we want. We want His next best. And having that prayer team support, where they're not coming from their own self saying, Oh, this would be really good, you'll get a high profile, you'll have this. They're really seeking the Lord and saying, Father, what is Your next best? What is Your desire for Edie, for this ministry, for our listener, without that, it's very difficult to stay on the path that God has in front of us, because we can get distracted by so many shiny things. And if we chase after those, we're actually going to be leaving the path that is lit by wisdom. So I appreciate this. Alright, we're looking at all ten. We've got number one, evaluate your goals. Number two, track how much time you spend on social media. Number three, let go of your expectations. Four, determine your most creative time of the day. And this is your most creative time. Number five, schedule your time. Six, stop the negative self talk, seven, take care of yourself physically. Eight, build in regular breaks, nine, surround yourself with encouraging writers and ten engage a prayer team. And everyone, you're going to be very happy about this, because in the show notes, is a link to a PDF that covers all of these. So if you're sitting there trying to write everything down, no worries, we have it covered for you. And we also have the link to The Write Conversation, which is the w-r-i-t-e conversation.com. There's more information on Edie in the show notes as well. Edie, this has been fabulous. These are great tips. Thank you so very much for what you've given us today. This is, this is so good.
Well, I have loved being here. And these are things that I am constantly applying to my own life. It's not a list that goes up on the wall, and then you glance at it every now and then. I have to actively work this list so that I can stay focused on what God has for me.
And what's real fun is that you can actually even cut out the segments of the different tips and place them in your writing area and ask yourself, am I doing this? Have I accomplished this? Am I integrating this into my daily life. Because, knowing something without application is a great idea, but it doesn't move you down the road. We have to do what it is, that we're given wisdom to do. We've got to apply it. Now we also have something brand new that's up today, the fresh off the press October writing tips and soul care for riders download. First time it's available so you need to be sure to go to the show notes download that specifically written for the month of October. If you're new to the podcast, go back and listen to the earlier ones in September. And there is a link to the September writing tips and soul care for writers as well. Please take the time to to join us on our Facebook group. Our guests will be on our Facebook group live at 12 noon eastern time, every Tuesday for Let's Talk Tuesdays. And if you're listening to this podcast before 12 noon eastern time on Tuesday, the day that it comes out. Join us for Facebook Live where you can talk with Edie and find out more about her and get other questions answered. Edie, thank you again for being here with us. It has been fabulous.
I have loved every minute of it. Thank you very much for having me.
And thank you friends for joining us. Please take just a moment if you would to subscribe, rate, and review. Rating means you mark a number of stars and review means you actually write out some words, your thoughts, about Your Best Writing Life. Maybe about this particular episode or other episodes, ways to encourage others to take a listen to what we have to offer you, because what you have to say matters as much as what you have to write. This is Linda Goldfarb, and I look forward to being with you here next time on your best writing life.