Month: November 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 taking action today.

A Thought

“The act of putting pen to paper is the sole method through which our thoughts can manifest into reality.”

– Austin Alford

A Quote

“There is no proof of creativity without action.”

– Erwin Raphael McManus (Author of The Artisan Soul: Crafting Your Life into a Work of Art)

An Excerpt

An excerpt from The Artisan Soul: Crafting Your Life into a Work of Art by Erwin McManus

“My present dentist, who sings to the music playing over the intercom while performing oral surgery, is as careful to minimize your pain as he is to maximize the aesthetic quality of his work. On my last visit, he informed me that he also designs bow ties. Suddenly it all made sense. My dentist is an artist; for him, dentistry is simply the context for him to express his artisan soul.”

A Discipline/Habit to Implement

One effective practice to consider and incorporate into your routine is to establish a daily 5-minute writing session at the same time and in the same location.

By dedicating just a few minutes each day to this activity, you will witness the fulfillment of the projects you have always aspired to complete.

Here is a simple formula to follow:

“I commit to writing for 5 minutes every day at [TIME] in [PLACE].”

Let’s take ACTION! 

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 winning & learning today.

A Thought

“There’s absolutely no way you can lose when you embrace every setback as an opportunity to learn and propel yourself even further.”

– Austin Alford

A Quote

“Sometimes you win, and sometimes you learn.”

– John Maxwell (Author of Developing the Leader Within You & many more)

An Excerpt

A small excerpt for today. One sentence in fact. Let it settle in.

John Maxwell, Developing the Leader Within You

“Failure should be our teacher, not our undertaker.”

A Discipline/Habit to Implement

How can we writers learn from our mistakes or losses? Well, let me tell you a practical step you can take this week to level up your learning game.

First things first, you gotta have a place to jot down those blunders and the valuable lessons you’ve learned from them. Whether it’s on your phone, in a journal, or even on a napkin, just make sure you’ve got a spot to document your epiphanies.

Back in 2018, I embarked on a wild adventure of shooting my very first short film. At the tender age of 19, I was bursting with excitement to bring one of my scripts to life on the big screen.

As the co-director and co-writer with Simeon Neese, it was a massive undertaking for us, and to make matters even more challenging, our director of photography was also doubling as the editor. With a total budget of $550, you won’t believe what we spent it on – food! Yep, we thought it would be a nice gesture to provide everyone with meals and drinks throughout the four days of shooting.

But here’s the plot twist – after the shooting was done, the post-production turned into a nightmare. Editing turned out to be the most mind-numbing task ever, and our DP couldn’t handle the workload for free, so he quit halfway through. As a result, the film remained incomplete, and I was left feeling like a failure. However, I refused to let those negative thoughts consume me. Instead, I decided to focus on the silver lining and jot down all the valuable lessons I learned throughout the entire process – from pre-production to filming and post-production.

Fast forward just one year later, and another one of my scripts was brought to life and premiered in front of a whopping 200 people! How did I achieve this? Well, I simply took all those learnings I had written down and put them into action. It goes to show that mistakes and losses can be the stepping stones to success if we’re willing to learn and grow from them!

It’s time to unleash your inner writer and embark on a journey of growth and improvement. Let those mistakes be the fuel that ignites your creativity and propels you towards success. You’ve got this!

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 finisher today.

A Thought

“Once we embrace the practice of initiating brilliant ideas and seeing them through to completion with our utmost abilities, we can genuinely become the writers we aspire to be.”

– Austin Alford

A Quote

“Beginners are many; finishers are few.”

– Stephen Covey (Author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People)

An Excerpt

An excerpt from Chapter 2 of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey

“To achieve the life you want, you must start with the end in mind. This means identifying the big picture — the life you want to lead, the character traits you want to embody, the impact you want to have on those around you — and then ensuring each daily action is in line with your ultimate goals.”

(The writer you want to be.)

A Discipline/Habit to Implement

How do we get into the habit of finishing the projects we start?

Great question! Here are a few tips I’ve implemented to be a finisher.

1. Schedule dedicated sessions on your calendar to ensure project completion.

Trust me, when you make it official, things actually happen! For instance, I block off 3-4:30pm on a Friday and label it as “Songwriting Session for ‘Along the Way'”.

2. Establish a clear deadline for your song, script, poem, etc. (creative project)

This deadline will serve as a guide to help you effectively plan and complete your project. 

3. Realize that the end result won’t be flawless.

If we strive for absolute perfection, we’ll never complete anything. I’m not advocating for mediocrity, but rather acknowledging that after putting in hard work and meeting the deadline, it’s time to wrap it up. Move forward and apply the lessons learned to your next endeavor.

Wrap it in a bow and let it go! 

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