Category: Pen to Paper 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 the being story creatures today.

A Thought

“Without story there would not be life.” 

– Austin Alford

A Quote

“We are story creatures.”

– John Mark Comer (Author and Pastor)

An Excerpt 

From Practicing the Way by John Mark Comer…

“The screenwriter Bobette Buster argues that human beings are narrative animals. Our central nervous system is wired by God to search for meaning, to make what neurologists call ‘mental maps’ of reality.

In the same way that we have mental maps for how to get from our homes to work or the grocery store or our favorite coffee spot, we have mental maps for all of life—sex, relationships, money, work, God, etc. Stories about what the good life is and how to find it.

The stories we come to believe give shape to a thousand daily decisions, they give shape to what we do (or don’t do) and who we become. As my friend Pete Hughes of King’s Cross Church in London likes to say, ‘the story you live in is the story you live out.'”

A Discipline/Habit to Implement

Let’s take a moment today to reflect on the narratives that shape our lives and consider the stories we choose to share. This introspection could spark a brilliant new concept whether song, story or beyond. 

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 the phrase “Tie it in a Bow and Let it Go” today.

A Thought

“There comes a point with every project, following the writing, editing, and additional editing, where you simply need to tie it in a bow and let it go.” 

– Austin Alford

A Quote

“There is no real ending. It’s just the place where you stop the story.” 

– Frank Herbert (Author of DUNE)

An Excerpt 

From DUNE by Frank Herbert…

“Grave this on your memory, lad: A world is supported by four things…” she held up four big-knuckled fingers. “…the learning of the wise, the justice of the great, the prayers of the righteous and the valor of the brave. But all of these things are as nothing…” She closed her fingers into a fist. “…without a ruler who knows the art of ruling. Make that the science of your tradition!”

A Discipline/Habit to Implement

This is a discipline worth incorporating into your writing routine.

After completing the research, writing, editing, receiving feedback, and making necessary changes, take a short break before further editing.

Instead of aiming for perfection, strive for excellence. Each of these steps contributes to achieving excellence and giving your best effort.

Once you have completed these phases, tie it in a bow and let it go. If it is meant to succeed, it will take off on its own.

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 the scoreboard today.

A Thought

“If I were at a baseball game and the scoreboard wasn’t working or didn’t exist, my interest would quickly fade. The same applies to my writing journey – without keeping track of completed projects, unfinished songs, desired co-writes, or weekly word count goals, my motivation would gradually dwindle.” 

– Austin Alford

A Quote

“A compelling scoreboard creates engagement and ownership.” 

– Chris McChesney, Jim Huling, and Sean Covey (Authors & Speakers)

An Excerpt 

From The 4 Disciplines of Execution by Chris McChesney, Jim Huling, and Sean Covey…

“Great teams [writers] know at every moment whether or not they are winning. They must know, otherwise, they don’t know what they have to do to win the game [or write the book]. A compelling scoreboard tells the team where they are and where they should be, information essential to team problem solving and decision making.”

A Discipline/Habit to Implement

I am rededicating to tracking the number of words I write weekly and the songs I complete monthly.

I want to ensure that I am progressing towards my goals. This isn’t just about achieving a goal, but about continuously writing more and more.

So, what does it mean to have a writing scoreboard? It’s simple – keep a sheet of paper where you can see it daily, whether it’s on your closet wall, bathroom mirror, or workspace. Display your goal and the specific number of words or songs needed to reach it.

By keeping this visible and updating it weekly, you naturally hold yourself accountable and can easily see if you are making progress. It’s a powerful tool for motivation and success.

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 committing to greatness today.

A Thought

“It is in the unseen, the woodshed, where no one is watching or witnessing the hours of writing and hard work, that produces the greatness in us, and in our stories.”

– Austin Alford

A Quote

“Every great novelist, has written, millions of words that will never be read.”

– Erwin McManus (Author & Speaker)

An Excerpt 

From Mind Shift by Erwin McManus…

“I’ve learned that you don’t need an audience to prepare for the biggest moments of your life. Commit to greatness when you have no audience. Discipline yourself and prepare yourself to be the best at what you do. 

Live as if today you may be given the greatest opportunity of your life. Be ready to step up when the call comes.

A Discipline/Habit to Implement

Let’s commit to an hour long writing session this week.

Whether you are working on a song, book, script, poem or other form of storytelling. Book a time in your calendar, a one hour session, to get in the woodshed and create!

Commit to greatness in the unseen. 

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

We are changing it up this week!

Presented below is a thought from me on writing, a quote from someone else on writing, a discipline/habit to implement…

We will be focusing on organization today.

A Thought

“When our thoughts are organized and readily accessible, our writing sessions will be free from the burden of searching for ideas, allowing us to delve deeper into the concepts we have already saved.”

– Austin Alford

A Quote

“Effective systems promotes consistency.”

– John C. Maxwell (Author & Speaker)

A Discipline/Habit to Implement

How do you organize your ideas?

I highly value the importance of having a well-structured system to organize ideas. Without a readily accessible archiving system, we risk losing out on capturing the continuous flow of ideas that come our way.

I’ll share with you how I’ve been organizing my ideas… 

Apple notes is what I use because it is…

• FREE 
• Easily accessible both on my phone, laptop, and computer
• User friendly

I have 4 MAIN folders that organize everything:

1. PROJECTS – This folder contains all the projects I am currently working on.
2.  AREAS – This is where I store files related to different aspects of my life, such as finances, healthcare, vehicles, etc.
3.  RESOURCES – In this folder, I keep all the resources I have collected on various subjects that interest me, such as leadership, habits, marriage, etc.
4.  ARCHIVE – This is where I store all the ideas that are not currently in progress.

Now, whenever I find myself in a public setting and a spontaneous book idea arises, I am able to swiftly record it within a mere 10 seconds. With a simple tap on my notes page application, I select ‘ARCHIVE’, then proceed to choose ‘Book Ideas’, allowing me to promptly jot down the concept.

This method has proven to be highly effective for me, regardless of my current location or activity. Whether I am working, taking a break, or out in public for various reasons, I am able to gather valuable ideas.

Let me know what your system is! If you don’t have one, try adopting this one and make it your own. 

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 consistency today, the anthem of 2024.

A Thought

“Begin with small steps and maintain a consistent approach. The ultimate objective should be consistency in putting pen to paper.”

– Austin Alford

A Quote

“Almost anybody can accomplish almost anything if they work at it long enough, hard enough, and smart enough.”

– Mark Patterson (Author of Win the Day)

An Excerpt

An excerpt from Win the Day by Mark Patterson

“Winning the day isn’t about getting it right the first time. It’s about getting it right eventually. It’s about getting back up no matter how many times you’ve fallen down. It’s living to fight another day.

If you keep eating frogs, you’ll eventually get there! Those two pages will eventually turn into a book. Those six hundred swings will eventually turn into a home run. Those 650 compositions will eventually turn into an all-time classic. Those twenty thousand miles of laps will eventually turn into a gold medal.

‘People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are,’ said a character in one of George Bernard Shaw’s plays. ‘I don’t believe in circumstances.’ Me either! ‘The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and, if they can’t find them, make them’.

The way you make circumstances is by making time for the habits that will create those circumstances. Its called the mundanity of excellence, and it’s all about eating the frog. Well-begun is half-done–that’s true. But the game never ends. You’ve got to keep swimming. Why? Slow and steady wins the race.”

A Discipline/Habit to Implement

What is the biggest challenge when it comes to writing? Finding consistency.

How can you maintain consistency in your writing?

What is the most practical location, time of day, and duration that you can dedicate to writing every day?

Let’s focus on these two questions and develop our own habits and discipline to consistently put pen to paper! 

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 simplicity today.

A Thought

“Maintaining a delicate balance of simplicity and complexity in your songs, stories, or art pieces is both challenging and incredibly rewarding. It allows your audience to comprehend and appreciate your work while still leaving them in awe.”

– Austin Alford

A Quote

“To conclude–you must translate every bit of your [subject matter] into the vernacular. This is very troublesome and it means you can say very little in half an hour, but it is essential. It is also of the greatest service to your own thought. I have come to the conviction that if you cannot translate your thoughts into uneducated language, then your thoughts are confused. Power to translate is the test of having really understood one’s own meaning.”

– C.S Lewis

An Excerpt

An excerpt from the The Screwtape Letters by C.S Lewis

You can make him do nothing at all for long periods. You can keep him up late at night, not roistering, but staring at a dead fire in a cold room. All the healthy and outgoing activities which we want him to avoid can be inhibited and nothing given in return, so that at last he may say, as one of my own patients said on his arrival down here, “I now see that I spent most of my life in doing neither what I ought nor what I liked”.

The Christians describe the Enemy as one “without whom Nothing is strong”. And Nothing is very strong: strong enough to steal away a man’s best years not in sweet sins but in a dreary flickering of the mind over it knows not what and knows not why, in the gratification of curiosities so feeble that the man is only half aware of them, in drumming of fingers and kicking of heels, in whistling tunes that he does not like, or in the long, dim labyrinth of reveries that have not even lust or ambition to give them a relish, but which, once chance association has started them, the creature is too weak and fuddled to shake off.

You will say that these are very small sins; and doubtless, like all young tempters, you are anxious to be able to report spectacular wickedness. But do remember, the only thing that matters is the extent to which you separate the man from the Enemy. It does not matter how small the sins are provided that their cumulative effect is to edge the man away from the Light and out into the Nothing.

Murder is no better than cards if cards can do the trick. Indeed the safest road to Hell is the gradual one—the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts,

Your affectionate uncle
Screwtape

A Discipline/Habit to Implement

A challenge I currently face in my writing is how to create lyrics and stories that are both appealing and comprehensible to an 8th grader, while still incorporating the complexities that can captivate a young adult.

After we feel like we have finished something, let’s ask the question: would this make sense if I was an 8th grader? 

If so, we are on the right track! 

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 CONSUMING today.

A Thought

“What we put down on paper often springs from the seeds of inspiration sown by others.” 

– Austin Alford

A Quote

“We aren’t writers, but gleeful rearrangers of words whose meanings we can’t begin to know.”

– Andrew Peterson (Author of the Wing Feather Saga) 

An Excerpt

An excerpt from the Wing Feather Saga: Monster in the Hollows by Andrew Peterson

“Kalmar nodded. “I’m sorry, Papa. I wasn’t strong enough.”
“None of us are, lad. Me least of all.” Esben smiled and took a rattling breath. “But it’s weakness that the Maker turns to strength. Your fur is why you alone loved a dying cloven. You alone in all the world knew my need and ministered to my wounds.” Esben pulled Kalmar closer and kissed him on the head. “And in my weakness, I alone know your need. Hear me, son. I loved you when you were born. I loved you when I wept in the Deeps of Throg. I loved you even as you sang the song that broke you. And I love you now in the glory of your humility. You’re more fit to be the king than I ever was. Do you understand?”
Kalmar shook his head.
Esben smiled and shuddered with pain. “A good answer, my boy. Then do you believe that I love you?”
“Yes, sir. I believe you.” Kalmar buried his face in his father’s fur.
“Remember that in the days to come. Nia, Janner, Leeli – help him to remember.”

A Discipline/Habit to Implement

Consume! What does that mean, you ask?

As writers, we’ll keep expanding our knowledge by devouring the works of others.

We’ll discover what not to do, what resonates with readers, and even uncover new writing techniques we never even dreamt of.

In the upcoming year, I’m challenging myself to devour 32 books. Who’s up for a reading goal? 

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 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