Month: August 2023

Presented below is a thought from me on writing, a quote from someone else on writing, an excerpt from that writer, and a discipline/habit to implement… 

We will be focusing on the abundance mentality today.

A Thought

There is an abundance of songs, scripts, poems, and book ideas available for every writer. The extent of our search and our determination to find them, rather than settling for less, is what truly matters.

– Austin Alford

A Quote

“I don’t actually tend to do a lot of research when I’m writing. I do know because I think a lot of what I find you want to do with research is just confirming things you want to do. If the research contradicts what you want to do, you tend to go ahead and do it anyway.”

– Christopher Nolan (Writer & Director of Interstellar, The Dark Night Trilogy, Inception, Dunkirk…)

An Excerpt

Christopher & Jonathan Nolan (excerpt from the movie script Interstellar)

EXT. MILLER’S PLANET – MOMENTS LATER (DAY)

Case climbs quickly from the craft, knee deep in the water. Brand and Doyle follow. Case TRACKS the beacon.

CASE: This way, about two hundred meters.

Brand and Doyle peer into the distance. Smooth, ankle-deep water to the horizon, where a distant MOUNTAIN RANGE LOOMS. They start splashing towards it in their heavy spacesuits …

DOYLE: (panting) The gravity’s punishing …

BRAND: Floating through space too long?

CASE: One hundred and thirty percent Earth gravity.

INT. COCKPIT, RANGER – CONTINUOUS

Cooper listens to their chatter, IMPATIENT.

COOPER: (under his breath) Come on …

EXT. MILLER’S PLANET – CONTINUOUS

Doyle falls behind. Brand pushes on. Ahead, Case stops.

CASE: Should be here.

Brand joins him, searching the shallows for some sign of Miller’s mission. She looks up, confused.

BRAND: If the signal’s coming from here –

Case DROPS to his knees THRASHING under the water, like a bear fishing. Doyle arrives –

DOYLE: What’s he doing?

INT. COCKPIT, LANDER – CONTINUOUS

Cooper notices something. In the distance. The mountains –

EXT. MILLER’S PLANET – CONTINUOUS

Case WRENCHES a piece of DAMAGED EQUIPMENT from the sea bed.

BRAND: Her beacon …

Case starts lugging the beacon to the Ranger.

DOYLE: Wreckage. Where’s the rest …?

BRAND: Towards the mountains!

She starts moving fast towards some FLOATING OBJECTS.

INT. COCKPIT, RANGER – CONTINUOUS

Cooper is staring out at the horizon –

COOPER: Those aren’t mountains …

EXT. MILLER’S PLANET – CONTINUOUS

Brand pauses –

COOPER: (over radio) They’re waves –

Brand looks closer – the ’mountains’ are moving, tiny lines of white sea spray are blowing from the tops …

A Discipline/Habit to Implement

This week, I challenge you to explore new ideas.

Instead of settling for the first idea that comes to mind, let’s push ourselves to delve deeper. Take a fresh perspective or approach to it.

Let’s use research to validate and enhance our story or song. There is an abundance of ideas out there waiting to be discovered and explored.

Put Pen to Paper this week and have fun!

If you want to share this with other fellow writers, just copy and paste this link:

www.austinalford.com/Newsletter

Presented below is a thought from me on writing, a quote from someone else on writing, an excerpt from that writer, and a discipline/habit to implement… 

We will be focusing on being a collector today.

A Thought

We should always be collecting ideas from the world around us. From what we hear, see, taste, smell, and touch. It is then, we will have a deep well to draw from when putting pen to paper. 

– Austin Alford

A Quote

“The artist is a collector. Not a hoarder, mind you, there’s a difference: Hoarders collect indiscriminately, artists collect selectively. They only collect things that they really love.”

– Austin Kleon (Author of Steal Like an Artist, Show Your Work, and Keep Going)

An Excerpt

Austin Kleon (Page 13-14 of ‘Steal Like an Artist’)

“There’s an economic theory out there that if you take the incomes of your five closest friends and average them, the resulting number will be pretty close to your own income.

I think the same thing is true of our idea incomes. You’re only going to be as good as the stuff you surround yourself with. My mom used to say to me, ‘Garbage in, garbage out.’ It used to drive me nuts. But now I know what she meant.

Your job is to collect good ideas. The more good ideas you collect, the more you can choose from to be influenced by.”

A Discipline/Habit to Implement

Do you have a place or system to collect ideas?

A virtual notes page? 

An analog note book? 

The palm of your hand? (Don’t do that, not enough space!)

Choose your method and stick to it! Use it as your second brain, your external hard drive.

Don’t burden your brain to remember all the ideas that come to you. Have a method of collecting! And if you have one and it hasn’t worked, change it… switch it up…

Remember, your job is to collect ideas!

Put Pen to Paper this week and have fun!

If you want to share this with other fellow writers, just copy and paste this link:

www.austinalford.com/Newsletter

Presented below is a thought from me on writing, a quote from someone else on writing, an excerpt from that writer, and a discipline/habit to implement… 

We will be focusing on collaboration today.

A Thought

Finding a healthy balance between writing on your own and collaborating with others is key. Sometimes, we stumble upon deep gems in our own secret place, but they truly come to life when we let others breathe their magic on it.

– Austin Alford

A Quote

“You find a song with the door shut. But then you develop it with the door open.”

– Matt Redman (Worship Leader, Song-Writer)

An Excerpt

Matt Redman & Steve Angrisano (Collaboration!), ‘10,000 Reasons (Bless the Lord)’ part of the song…

[Verse 1]
The sun comes up, it’s a new day dawning
It’s time to sing Your song again
Whatever may pass and whatever lies before me
Let me be singing when the evening comes

[Chorus]
Bless the Lord, O my soul, O my soul
Worship His holy name
Sing like never before, O my soul
I’ll worship Your holy name

[Verse 2]
You’re rich in love and You’re slow to anger
Your name is great and Your heart is kind
For all Your goodness, I will keep on singing
Ten thousand reasons for my heart to find

A Discipline/Habit to Implement

Here’s a writing habit I’m currently working on, and you’re invited to join me!

Block out some time in your week for a solo writing session.

Plan a writing session with others during the same week.

Let’s aim for two writing sessions this week – one where you can dive deep into your own thoughts, and another where you can collaborate and bounce ideas off others! If you enjoy this rhythm, stick with it or share any other suggestions for finding the right balance.

Put Pen to Paper this week and have fun!

If you want to share this with other fellow writers, just copy and paste this link:

www.austinalford.com/Newsletter

Presented below is a thought from me on writing, a quote from someone else on writing, an excerpt from that writer, and a discipline/habit to implement… 

We will be focusing on being fascinated today.

A Thought

It’s crucial to always keep in mind the sheer beauty that surrounds us and resides within us. Embracing fascination paves the way for profound significance in everything you create.

– Austin Alford

A Quote

“Life is miraculous. Even when it’s disastrous, it’s still incredible. I’m fascinated with everything, life is fascinating. I’m fascinated by trees and dogs, but no one wants to hear me talk about it.”

– Chris Martin (Front man for Coldplay)

An Excerpt

Coldplay, lyrics of “Amazing Day”

We sat on a roof | Named every star

Shared every bruise and | Showed every scar

Hope has its proof | Your hand in mine, singing

Life has a beautiful, crazy design

And time seemed to say | Forget the world and its weight

And here I just want to stay | Amazing day, Amazing day

We sat on a roof | Named every star and

You showed me a place | Where you can be what you are

And the view | The whole Milky Way

In your eyes | I drifted away

And in your arms | I just want to sway

Amazing day, Amazing day | Amazing day, Amazing day

And I asked can the birds in poetry chime?

Can there be breaks in the chaos of the times?

Oh, thanks God

Must have heard when I prayed

‘Cause now I always want to feel this way

A Discipline/Habit to Implement

This is going to be more of a challenge than a discipline or habit.

I challenge you, including myself, to take a breather and get totally captivated by something for a few minutes.

It could be a majestic tree, a tiny bug on the ground, a sparkling star in the sky, a stunning painting, an interesting sound in a song, or anything that catches your senses.

Take a moment to really appreciate it and let yourself be fascinated. And then, ask yourself why? What made it so darn fascinating?

Leave a comment and let me know what it was and why!

Put Pen to Paper this week and have fun!

If you want to share this with other fellow writers, just copy and paste this link:

www.austinalford.com/Newsletter

Presented below is a thought from me on writing, a quote from someone else on writing, an excerpt from that writer, and a discipline/habit to implement… 

We will be focusing on creative margins today.

A Thought

We must fiercely defend our creative margin in today’s fast-paced world. Without it, we risk leaving behind a trail of unfinished projects, never truly achieving completion.

– Austin Alford

A Quote

“The key is in not spending time, but in investing it.”

– Stephen R. Covey (author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, First Things First, Begin with the End in Mind)

An Excerpt

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey pg 76

“While the word proactivity is now fairly common in management literature, it is a word you won’t find in most dictionaries. It means more than merely taking initiative.

It means that as human beings, we are responsible for our own lives. Our behavior is a function of our decisions, not our conditions. We can subordinate feelings to values. We have the initiative and the responsibility to make things happen.

Look at the word responsibility—“response-ability”—the ability to choose your response. Highly proactive people recognize that responsibility. They do not blame circumstances, conditions, or conditioning for their behavior.

Their behavior is a product of their own conscious choice, based on values, rather than a product of their conditions, based on feeling. Because we are, by nature, proactive, if our lives are a function of conditioning and conditions, it is because we have, by conscious decision or by default, chosen to empower those things to control us. In making such a choice, we become reactive.

Reactive people are often affected by their physical environment. If the weather is good, they feel good. If it isn’t, it affects their attitude and their performance.

Proactive people can carry their own weather with them. Whether it rains or shines makes no difference to them. They are value driven; and if their value is to produce good quality work, it isn’t a function of whether the weather is conducive to it or not.”

A Discipline/Habit to Implement

How is your time and energy invested?

I constantly find myself pondering how I invest my time and energy. It’s an ongoing struggle to strike the right balance.

To tackle this challenge, I started scheduling at least 2 “deep focused work” sessions in my calendar each week for my creative pursuits. I’d do this right at the beginning of the week, so I’d have a clear plan and actually look forward to these sessions!

Let’s make this a simple and practical discipline to incorporate into your life. Before the start of each week, on Sunday night, plan 2 “Deep Focused Work” creative sessions. During these sessions, set a timer for 60-90 minutes on your phone (put the phone on the other side of the room), and let your creativity flow.

I assure you, you’ll witness amazing results! Hopefully, you’ll even have a finished story, song, poem, or script after several of these planned sessions.

Plan these creative margins and remember:

“The key is in not spending time, but in investing it.” (Stephen Covey)

Put Pen to Paper this week and have fun!

If you want to share this with other fellow writers, just copy and paste this link:

www.austinalford.com/Newsletter