writing tips Archives - tiffanyprochera.com

What’s Working, What’s Not: Time to Change How or What You Create?

January 16, 2020 by tprochera Leave a Comment

Greetings and Salutations!

As we are enter a new year, we often take time to evaluate what has worked and not worked in our lives so we can dispense with what is ineffective to make space for things that might be more fruitful and fulfilling. You know, stop eating this, start eating that. Call some friends more, let other friendships go. It can be so easy to go on autopilot, doing the same things the same way day in and day out and, next thing you know, it’s years later and you feel like you’ve made no real progress. And, like I said in my last post, you can reinvent yourself any day of the year but a new year is kind of an appropriate time to do it, don’t you think?

Do you also apply this evaluation process to your creative journey? It can actually be a fun thing to do, even if there may be the occasional moments of sadness and regret – not that there is ever anything to regret, only lessons to learn from. J

Why not, right? You want to thrive. You want your work to be the best it can be and inspire the right people. Sometime adjustments need to be made. But you don’t have to change for change’s sake, although you certainly can. It can be exhilarating to switch it up just because but if something is going great, no need to reinvent the wheel.

So, there are various areas to look at when going through the reevaluation. There’s what you do and how you it.

What are your current creative pursuits? Do you still enjoy writing novels, sculpting? Does it still inspire you on some level? Do you enjoy composing classical music or would you like to try some jazz? I always look at the current projects I have in the works and see what still does it for me and what new ideas I might want to undertake during the year. It’s important, as well, to realize that there are some ideas that sound intriguing but you are not really ready to commit to. So, if you are maybe engaged in a project that excited you when you first thought of it but it’s just not doing it for you anymore or it’s not evolving the way you thought it would, it’s okay to set it aside for a while or do away with it altogether. Let it goooo! Let it goooo!

But I digress. Then, once you assess at your actual creative projects, look at your process. Does it allow you to do your best work? Is it time to rent some studio space rather than doing all your creating in your home? Do you find performing live unnecessarily stressful and would rather stick to being a recording artist? You can do that. Maybe the writing in the coffee shop routine provides you with more distraction than inspiration. Maybe you need to work at a different time of day for maximum effectiveness. There are plenty of books and resources with tips on the best way to engage your creativity and, while you can absolutely experiment, it’s ultimately about what works best for you. Take some time to reflect on when you thrived in your creation, when you were “in the zone”.

Finally, how have you been trying to reach people (a.k.a. promotion) up to this point? This makes sense to be the last area to assess as changing your creative focus will change your target market and how you access it. Do some reading on promotional techniques for artists, watch some videos. There are plenty of people offering programs on Facebook with introductory webinars – how helpful they might be is another question but they’re out there. Are you a big social media user? What platforms are getting you the most response? What new techniques can you try to get more traction? is it time to incorporate live videos or start a blog? If you are getting lots of “likes” and whatnot, do they translate into concrete benefits for your creative pursuits? If you are a career creative, hundreds of thousands of views and thumbs ups mean nothing if people aren’t then buying your stuff. Just sayin’. Maybe you’ve been overly focused on social media interaction and it hasn’t been working. What about a more direct contact approach? Some promotional things can be fun and having fun is important – some people love doing crazy behind-the-scenes videos and such – but this is also a time to look at whether your promotional strategies are worth the time you’re investing in them.

As you go through this process of analysis, remember that you probably won’t have the answers and that’s okay. Try not to think of it as wasted time if you don’t see things happen right away or if some new idea seems to fail. Been there, done that, bought the t-shirt. You can’t guarantee that you’ll become a resounding success if you go from writing travel books to YA novels. You don’t know if you’ll go from 100 to 1,000,000 followers on Twitter if you start sharing your band’s fashion tips. All you can do is try – explore some new ideas and see what happens. Think of it an as experiment and have some fun as the results come in!

And with that, I’ll sign off. Now, if you’re looking for some inspiration to help you start the year off right, might I humbly suggest my book, A Candle At Both Ends: Thoughts of Inspiration for the Beginning and End of the Day, full of poetry and prose to help you start the day inspired and go to sleep peaceful and resolved. Check out more info here http://tiffanyprochera.com/candle-at-both-ends/.

Make Time For Play In 2020!

January 7, 2020 by tprochera Leave a Comment

Happy New Year!

We’re only a few days in but I hope 2020 is treating you well so far. I had such a blast on New Year’s Eve with a new group of people, amazing food in a beautiful venue, and the band played all of my favourite songs. I’m hoping to keep the party going this year!

Now, while I certainly believe that we can reinvent ourselves at any point in time – really, you can wake up tomorrow and decide to do everything completely differently if you want – the start of a new year and a new decade seems like an appropriate time to reevaluate things, doesn’t it?

I’ve been looking at my creative journey and there are certainly things I plan on changing – getting more focused with my pursuits, learning how to market more effectively. But there is one particular item I became aware of the other day that I really need to put on the agenda, and maybe you do too.

I am committing myself to making more time to play with my creativity in 2020.

You see, I remember hearing about two aspects of the creative process – and I apologize that I can’t recall where it first came up. There’s a performance mode – where you’re practising for a specific gig or working on a project – and there’s an exploratory mode in which you have no particular objectives.

And while we are often feel the need to be in performance mode in the spirit of being productive, if we’re going to be well-rounded creatives, we have to make time for both work and play.

I have often found myself, say, sitting down to play piano just for fun, going through song books, and wondering whether it’s going to matter. Why am I doing this? Am I wasting my time? Shouldn’t I be working on something else?

But that time of exploration is important. It is where ideas come from. It’s how you get in touch with what you really want to be creating rather than just what you think you should be creating. It should not be dismissed as wasted time.

So, here in 2020, if you feel like writing a short story and catch yourself doubting it, saying but where is it going to get published? Shouldn’t I finish that xyz that’s actually important? Stop it, I say! Stop it! Let yourself play a bit. Try being in that space without expectations, without judgment. You never know where it’s going to lead and, really, it doesn’t have to lead anywhere to be beneficial.

This is a commitment I’m making to myself for the year ahead and I can’t wait to see what happens! Join me, won’t you?

With that, I’ll sign off wishing you an amazing year ahead with all of the fulfillment and creative joy you can hold. Let’s rock this thing!

And if you’re looking for some inspiration to help you start the year off right, might I humbly suggest my book, A Candle At Both Ends: Thoughts of Inspiration for the Beginning and End of the Day, full of poetry and prose to help you start the day inspired and go to sleep peaceful and resolved. Check out more info here http://tiffanyprochera.com/candle-at-both-ends/.

What Do You Want Your Audience To Feel?

July 23, 2019 by tprochera Leave a Comment

Image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay

I have heard that life is essentially about emotion. We do things and want things because we think we will feel happier in the doing or acquiring of those things. We jump off of cliffs because of the rush. We eat ice cream because it makes us feel comforted. We eat kale salad because it makes us feel, well, righteous for eating the kale salad. We work out because we either get a rush from it (I actually enjoy being physical active though you wouldn’t know it to look at me) or we think it will feel good to be more fit or to look “better”, whatever that means. Think about it. It’s all about emotion.

Right now, my city is holding its annual Fringe Festival – a time when theatre artists get to experiment with their craft and audiences get to enjoy their offerings in a fun-filled and low-risk environment (tickets for fringe shows are quite affordable so you’re willing to take a chance on something out of the ordinary) .

Now, I’ll try to make my point here without giving anything away about the show in case it comes to your town as fringe performers often travel from city to city. Anyway, I went to this one-man show that involved no speaking. There were sounds – grunts and “ohs” and such – but no actual words. And I was totally okay with that aspect of it.

But there was something that confused me about the whole thing. While the performer conveyed emotion, I as an audience member could not tell where it was originating from. I knew he was angry, but I didn’t know why. I knew he was excited but I didn’t know why. At least much of the time. So there may have been a narrative but it was essentially lost on me and I was left somewhat frustrated. And to be honest, the character was actually a little creepy, which is I’m sure not what the creator intended.

As artists, yes, we want to explore, to express, but we also have an audience to consider. I’ve thought about this in comparison to sports where the goal is simply to win. Sure, a basketball game may be exciting. But a player is not going to intentionally bounce the ball off of the rim for the sake of drama. They want it to go in and if an onslaught happens right at the beginning of the game and seals the deal early on, they’re okay with that. They aren’t striving for a dramatic ending or a photo finish. In the arts, we should be considering the emotions of the viewer. That’s why we are sharing our craft, after all, isn’t it?

When you are putting your work together, take the opportunity to get out of yourself a bit from time to time and see things from the audience’s perspective. What are they experiencing? Do they understand what you’re trying to say or have you at least given them enough to go on that they can create their own story? It’s fine to have some inside jokes but make sure that those who aren’t in on the joke will still enjoy.

It’s not about creating something of mass popularity and it’s not about catering to something that is not true to you. It’s about creating something meaningful that tells the story you want to tell. It’s about asking yourself, “What do I want the audience to experience with this work? What do I want them to feel?” and doing the research, getting the feedback to find out if it’s actually what is coming across so people don’t leaving the experience wondering, what was that? Unless that’s exactly what you’re going for. 😉

Happy creating!

When Do You Speak Up? Expressing Opinions on Professional Online Forums

June 25, 2019 by tprochera Leave a Comment

Hey all!

This post is going to be more about more about exploring a topic as opposed to offering any real insight or solutions. Of course, I’ll try to say something useful here but I’d love you to comment with your thoughts on the matter.

I’m a member of some industry-related Facebook groups for people looking for creative opportunities. You know, people will post jobs, questions, etc. and, if you’re interested, you can comment or send a message. I’m sure there are many other online forums and such that serve the same purpose.

Anyway, I’ve seen all sorts of posts of varying degrees of legitimacy offering varying pay scales, if you catch my drift. When something seems a little off, occasionally people will comment. Like, they’ll say, “Well, you’re clearly getting paid for the job so why can’t you pay your assistant?”, or “Yeah, sure, I can pay my rent with exposure” or they’ll advise readers not to work with the poster or, sometimes, it’s the poster who gets on to vent and warn about a person or company they’ve worked with.

And it got me wondering – when is it, or is it ever, appropriate to call somebody out in a supposedly professional environment like these online forums?

I have seen people respond to these dissenting or cynical comments suggesting they should just not apply for the job if they don’t like the terms – I don’t particularly agree but fair enough, I suppose. When job seekers questioned the terms of a potential opportunity, the poster even commented back accusing they cynics of racism. I thought that was a rather creative interpretation of the situation and I wonder how many people are going to want to work with him after that.

So, when does the voice of reason become the whiner? And when can being outspoken have an effect on your career? Is it worth it?

I’m almost inclined to say it might be.

I mean, I’m all in favour of making sure people get paid unless there’s a really good reason why everyone should be volunteering their services – like it’s for charity. “I feel like making a movie and I have no money so everyone involved should do it for free” is not really a good enough reason in my eyes. And if the vast majority of opportunities you see are volunteer or you know the person posting is making money off of it, you can get frustrated if you’re trying to make a living at your craft. Isn’t it in the industry’s best interest for someone to point these things out? As I’ve said before, getting paid means we can further our skills and become better at what we do, after all, and if people are always willing to do jobs for nothing, then eventually no one will be able make a living. And maybe if more people speak up, someone will get the hint. Just today I saw a posting for an unpaid voice artist to narrate promotional videos for a known creative post-secondary school. And it didn’t look like it was for a class project. I was this close to writing, “Come on. Really?”

And there are situations where safety is a concern. If a potential employer has acted in an abusive manner in the past, shouldn’t those considering their opportunity know about it before they get in too deep? There was a post from someone the other day saying they would discuss payment “in person”. While some commenters were concerned that they would then be roped into doing the job for free, my mind went to kidnapping and being sold into a trafficking situation.

It has happened. A job posting for a make-up artist, for example, will promise a great opportunity with a well-known movie production company, the new hire travels to the city to meet them and they end up at an abandoned building. You can take the story from there. Wouldn’t you want to be warned of a situation like that? Wouldn’t you want to warn someone of a situation like that, even if it made you look like a complainer? I know I would. By the way, just be aware of opportunities that look good to be true. They might very well be.

You see, you can state these things in ways that are less inflammatory than an outright accusation. For example, asking why a project might be volunteer is more a request for clarification than a commentary on the pay scale, wouldn’t you say?

How can these comments affect our professional status? Well, it depends I suppose. I, for one, think it’s hugely important to be courteous, polite and well-spoken in any professional situation, online or offline. I have seen horrendous grammar, spelling and just general tackiness from people even posting job opportunities, seemingly unaware that they too are being judged. So, comments should refrain from profanity or personal attacks and do check your spelling. But, if you do it right, isn’t is possible that you might be closing one door but opening a bunch of others? I mean, people could witness your passion, eloquence and all round awesomeness and be dying to work with you! Right? I don’t really know but I suppose anything can happen.

All that being considered, remember that potentially thousands of people will be exposed to your comments so:

1) You need to walk the walk and stand by what you say. People will find out if you’re being hypocritical, like if you rant about an employer treating you badly and then stories come out about how you’ve been nasty and difficult to work with. That’ll come back to bite ya in the tukus!

2) Keep it to the subject at hand and don’t go on and on about every time an employer has done you wrong or whatever. Nobody cares and that’s the straight up definition of a whiner.

2) Realize that certain ideas expressed may limit some opportunities for you and you need to be okay with that. I applaud those who comment that artists should be getting paid for their services. I do. And when a really cool job comes up that you would do for nothing (good thing because that’s what they’re offering) don’t be surprised if the poster responds. “Saw your other posts and you don’t like doing things for free so no.” That’s what comes with taking a stand so you have to be ready for it.

So, what do you think? Is expressing your opinions on professional online forums a worthwhile thing to do – if you do it tactfully, of course? Or should you keep your comments to yourself and let everyone else deal with their own stuff? Let your voice be heard!

What To Do When You Don’t Feel Like Creating

April 30, 2019 by tprochera Leave a Comment

Have you ever had times when you didn’t feel like being creative? They may last for a day or two, a week, or even months. It’s perfectly normal and okay. But do you ever think about what’s behind it and how to get out of that state if you wanted to?

There are periods in our lives that are simply busier than others. We have family responsibilities. We’re more occupied promoting our existing material than taking on a new project. In these periods of activity our energy can be drained, depleting our motivation to attend to non-essential tasks. It can be hard to make time for our creative pursuits without running ourselves ragged, despite the advice of those who claim we need to make room for everything at all costs to our well-being.

Perhaps you can’t spend hours in the studio or your writing room but what about bringing a notebook to draw or write in when you’re visiting your loved one in the hospital? What about installing a keyboard app on your phone to play with some melodic lines while you’re heading from one place to another on the bus? You know, just to keep that spark alive while you’re tending to other things. You don’t even have to use these tools necessarily, but just having them around may remind you that there is inspiration to be found everywhere.

If you discover you have the time to create but not the will, have a look at what is lying underneath.

I honestly can’t say I’ve ever been in a situation where I have not wanted to create something or other when the opportunity presented itself. I am an idea factory after all and it’s hard not to act when inspiration strikes on the daily. But I will say I have consciously hesitated out of fear – usually fear that what I’m working on won’t be good or that it won’t get out there and all my effort will have been for nothing. True, it’s easier to relax and experience someone else’s masterpiece than to try to create your own but it’s not nearly as rewarding and usually not as fun, but I have been able to get to the point where I can tell myself that it’s a work in progress until it’s done. What I’m recording or writing doesn’t have to be amazing in this exact moment. I’m going to see what comes out and keep making it better until it’s of an appropriate standard. If it really turns out to be a gong show, there’s still probably something I’ve gained in the process – learning a new skill, acquiring new information – so it’s not wasted time. And I know my best work happens when I’m enjoying myself, when I’m having fun, so approaching every note or word with dread is not going to serve me or the project.

Maybe it’s time to switch things up a bit. If you’ve been writing children’s songs for twenty years and it doesn’t excite you any more, perhaps you would be reenergized writing for a more mature audience. Maybe you’ve been working with oils forever and you just need to try some watercolours. It’s not about stopping all together – it’s taking a different approach to what you’re already doing and seeing how that feels.

And, honestly, maybe you just need to take a break or move on to something else entirely. Yes, creating can be joyous, freeing, life-affirming – all that. But it’s also work. It still uses up our time as well as our mental and physical energy. And maybe that time and energy needs to be put towards other things – not necessarily forever but at least for a while.

So, don’t be hard on yourself if you feel you need to shift gears. It’s easy to become overly attached to things like labels and the idea of no longer being an “artist” can keep us in an unsatisfying situation for longer than necessary. Remember – your value is not determined by labels and status. The best thing you can do for yourself and the world is living a life that is fulfilling and meaningful for you and part of that is having the courage to head out in new direction when you are inspired to do so.

Are Your Extra-Curriculars Serving You?

April 15, 2019 by tprochera Leave a Comment

Now, before I begin, I realize that extra-curricular usually refers to those activities outside of school hours but let’s just say that, for the purposes of this discussion, I’m talking about those things that we do, other than the necessities like grocery shopping etc., that lie outside the scope of our work. Wow – that was a long sentence! But I’m kind of the run-on queen so I’m running with it. Ha! Get it?

We can begin engaging in an activity for many reasons. We think it will be fun. We can see the skills we’d learn as being useful. We have the opportunity to contribute to our communities. We like the people we’d be working with. A friend or family member thought it would be a good idea. I’ve done it for all of these reasons and probably more.

As the months and years go by, however, we need to take to the time to evaluate whether these activities are honestly advancing our lives or our work. We start something for one reason and we can stay in it for another and, if we don’t reflect periodically, we can find ourselves more involved in these other efforts than we are with our own process of creation.

I had someone challenge me recently. She asked me about the things that I really loved. And then she asked why only one of my extra-curricular activities had anything to do with those things. Why was I still engaging in activities that, while fun and beneficial in the beginning, had perhaps run their course and weren’t serving me anymore? And why wasn’t I connecting with more people and organizations that could actually help my career?

There is certainly room for diversity in life. If you are a writer, it doesn’t mean that every single club you belong to or contribution you make has to be about writing. If nothing else, we need to have a rich experience to fuel our creative inspiration.

But there are only so many hours in the day and we only have so much energy to expend so it behooves us to use that time and energy as effectively as possible.

So, I invite you to look at your extra-curriculars and decide what’s actually working for you and what isn’t and consider that it might be time to let something go. Here are a few questions you might want to ask yourself.

Do I still enjoy this activity? You might just be doing it out of habit or obligation.
Does this activity assist me in my career or life purpose? Does it further what I’m here to do?
What I am I getting out of this activity? Sometimes we can continue doing something because we receive validation or we like the people even though the activity itself doesn’t appeal anymore. Is there a better way to get the benefits? If you’re in the club because you like the people, for example, you might want to just get together for coffee once in a while rather than have a structured regular event that you have to plan and prepare for.
What would I be doing with my time if I wasn’t involved with this activity? Would you be spending more time on you craft? Is there another activity you’ve been interested in that takes place at the same time that would work better for you? If you find yourself thinking, dang, if I wasn’t doing this, I would be able to do that,that might be a clue for you.

Our time is precious. As creators, we have so much to offer. We need to ensure that the way we spend our time and energy allows us to bring the best of ourselves to the world and having our attention scattered in too many directions in not in anyone’s best interest. Make no mistake, it can be scary to say no or good-bye, particularly when we’ve been a part of something for a long time. But there a saying that people (and I’m extrapolating to things and opportunities) come into our lives for a season, a reason, or a lifetime. And if you can give yourself permission to let go of the things that no longer work, you can then fill your hours with what truly delights and inspires you. You’ll only be the better for it!

So Many Projects! When You’re Swamped With Creative Inspiration

January 8, 2019 by tprochera Leave a Comment

Sometimes we can get creatively blocked – our current projects have been completed we have no ideas for new projects to undertake. That’s alright. We don’t have to be “on” all the time.

But sometimes – at least I hope you’ve experienced this – there are so many ideas going through your head – so much inspiration – that you don’t know what do with it all and you can’t decide what project to actually focus on. That’s not a bad problem to have. J I’m actually in the process of releasing an ebook about how to keep those creative juices flowing – I regularly have several ideas a day and I want to help others have the same type of flow -so keep tuned for that.

Anyway, realize that you can be working on more than one project at a time. You don’t have to spend eight or ten hours a day on one book – it’s alright to spend the morning on one story and the afternoon on another. You may think you won’t make as much progress but your attention can only be sustained for so long. There comes a point when you think you’re working but what you’re putting out is, well, how shall I say it – gobbleygook. So it’s probably a good idea to split your time up a bit to keep things fresh.

Understand that all of your ideas may not come to fruition – perhaps they were never meant to – and those that do won’t necessarily happen at the same time. Some projects may have to be put on the back burner for a while. You have to trust that the projects you chose to undertake are the right projects for you for some reason or another.

Alright – enough with the preamble. Here are some tips to help you decide what to work on and when.

First of all, you can narrow down the projects that actually inspire you. Some ideas are just random passing fancy – you see a butterfly and you think you should do an art installation about butterflies. And maybe you should. Maybe it’s going to be your signature piece. You can certainly keep all ideas on tap, but some things hit you in the gut and keep coming back to you. Those are the ones to go for because they will keep you working. Keep in mind, however, that this is a creative industry so, if you do want to make a living at it, some projects may be more marketable than others. But , even if it doesn’t make you millions of dollars, you can still be learning something from the process – maybe it’s a new technique, maybe it connects you will something that can help you in the future.

Is there a deadline of some kind? Even if you’re not hired to work on a project with an expected turnaround time, there can still be better or worse times to put something out there. For example, if you are interested in composing some Christmas music with the hopes of having them licensed for holiday movies, you’re not going to start the process in November and expect to hear your handiwork on your TV screen in December. I mean, the following December maybe but these things are set in motion months ahead of time. Books discussing trending topics need to be finished rather quickly or they will no longer be relevant by the time they are published. If you’re writing a play for a specific situation, like a fringe festival, it has to be completed before the start of rehearsals, not before the start of the festival. Kind of obvious, I know, but it had to be said. 😉

While we’re on the topic of deadlines, if you are interested in obtaining grants to fund your projects – something many artists do – you have to be mindful of deadlines for applications and when you are allowed to actually begin the project. If you have an idea for a grant-worthy project, you will likely need to do preliminary preparation well ahead of time so you can submit your plan before their deadlines – depending on the funding organization, some programs are always open to submissions, others accept a couple of times a year. And, even when you are accepted – which would be awesome – you may not be allowed to begin your project for another several months, according to the agreement. So, with the long-term preplanning involved, you want to get started on it as soon as possible while having other projects to fulfill you in the meantime.

In fact, it may not be a bad idea to always having one short -term and one long-term project on the go. That way, you can scratch that itch that wants the immediate satisfaction of completing something – and might make you some money in the process – and still have that magnum opus, that masterpiece they will be talking about for generations to come. You can be submitting articles to your favourite magazines while you’ve got your epic novel on the go.

So, those are some tips if you are in the blessed situation of finding yourself overwhelmed with inspiration. Have a fabulous day and keep on creating!

Tiffany

Write What You Know or Leave It All To The Imagination? Points To Ponder Courtesy of John Irving

January 14, 2016 by tprochera 2 Comments

So, I was recently listening to an interview with the celebrated writer, John Irving, author of The World According To Garp among many other great novels.

Near the end of the interview he said something that intrigued me greatly. He said that he has essentially led a boring life, one free of any serious traumatic events, and this has given him the freedom to imagine things much more horrific that have ever happened, or could ever happen, to him in real life.

Isn’t this an interesting concept? I’m sure we’ve all, at some point or another, been encouraged to work from our own experiences somehow, to “write what we know”. Irving seems to counter that idea, suggesting that, if “what you know” is too intense, you can become stuck in those moments and unable to venture outside of them. But if your reality is, well, dull and unremarkable then you have a blank slate and all possibilities are open to you. At least that’s how I’m interpreting his comments and I apologize to Mr. Irving if I am mistaken.

What do you think? Work from imagination or work from experience?

I think I get what he’s saying. If you have been through something worthy of building a piece of art around it (well, anything can really be seen in a creative light but we’re talking epic events here) I imagine it would be tempting to recreate everything as it happened from your recollection. And, coming from reality, the images would certainly be vivid. But the whole story might not make for the best piece of art in the long run. Maybe the essence of the event is fascinating but it would be even more so if x character were added or it took place in a different location or a different point in history.

It makes me think of The Silver Linings Playbook. I was absolutely mesmerized by the book – couldn’t put it down – but there were just enough details changed in the movie version to demote it from amazing to pretty good in my mind. It’s not the same thing but it is. Anyway, I get his point that, when you feel confined by reality, you might not be able to make the most compelling story possible.

What is your take on this theory? I’d love to hear your thoughts so put them in the comments section below!

Have a great day!