Thinking Write: Affirmation Index Cards

Thinking Write by Kelly L. Stone is a book geared toward writers and secrets to freeing their creative mind. The book addresses everything from relaxation techniques and dream analysis to hypnagogic states and subconscious programming. Mary gave me the book as a present, knowing the types of things that seem to work for me and she really hit the nail on the head with this purchase. It would be better named A Book All About the Process of Stephanie, it's that right for me. This work strikes me as one that might not outright appeal to everyone simply for the fact that it's a bit more outside the box. The techniques mentioned aren't in the usual realm of things we hear about as writers. That's why I've decided to do a series of posts about various techniques proposed in the book. Through my review of the techniques, I hope you'll be able to see how the book could work for to you too.

Do you use affirmations as part of your daily writing routine? One recommended practice from Thinking Write is to write positive, affirming statements on index cards and review those index cards every time my Anti-Writer rears its ugly head or just before I get started writing. The idea is for the statements to counteract the Anti-Writer thoughts and help you feel motivated to write.

I used a small notebook that I kept in my purse and on my bedside table to record any negative thoughts about my abilities as a writer at any point that they came to me. Do you know how often those thoughts can come to you? I had them while writing, while doing the dishes, in the middle of a work meeting, mid-cheeseburger bite, and so-on. The process took two weeks and at the end of it, I had quite the list. Some thoughts seemed like they would be common to a lot of aspiring writers while others were very uniquely me and there were often many repeating thoughts. At the end of two weeks, I created a table listing Anti-Writer thoughts on one side and Writer thoughts on the other. I used the positive and counteracting Writer side of the table to develop a few index cards:

• I know how to be disciplined and dedicated.
• My process is unique and different but it is not fake.
• I deserve to have the same writing success as others.
• I have a voice that is unique and interesting.
• I can put a lot of words on the page. I'm not limited by lack of ability.
• I WILL FINISH THIS NOVEL.

Some of the statements might sound odd to others (process that isn't fake? what?) but they speak to very specific limiting thoughts that I often create for myself. I also limited the number of index cards created and tried to come up with a few statements that addressed several of my negative thoughts on one card.

Give it a try -- I think you'll like it!