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Silence your inner critic

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One of the biggest mistakes writers make is trying to do everything perfectly, immediately. Anne Lamott, author of Bird by Bird, writes,

“Perfectionism is the voice of the oppressor, the enemy of the people. Perfectionism will ruin your writing, blocking inventiveness, playfulness and life force.”

Most people discover that when they learn to turn off the inner critic, let go of the need to be perfect and begin to trust the process and the power of their imagination, magic happens on the page and in their stories.

According to writing teacher and author, Jerry Cleaver, people get into trouble and waste an awful lot of time because they don’t understand the rules of the creative process, which are very different from the way most of us tackle problems in life.

“Creativity involves an unusual and contrary set of laws. If you violate them, you will expend enormous amounts of energy and get nowhere.”

If you want to write you have to understand the following:

1. You will make a mess

Creating stories is never a neat, orderly or predictable process. Mess is inevitable. You make a mess. You clean it up. You lose your way. You find it again.

2. You must write badly first

Trying to get it perfect right away will only get you blocked. Writers write a number of drafts to get it right. You’ll do better if you lower your expectations.

3. Mistakes lead to discovery

This is a game of mistakes. Mistakes and uncertainty are good. They create a new combination of possibilities. Good and bad go hand in hand. Letting yourself be bad is the best way to become good.

I once met a man at a writing conference, who told me how he’d once managed a team of inventors. He said that what he tried to do with them was to accelerate the process of making mistakes. The reason he did this, was because making mistakes was the quickest route to the next breakthrough.

So don’t be put off by so-called mistakes. Mistakes are part of the creative process. Dare we say it, they are just opportunities in disguise. They invariably teach us something that will take us to the next level, if we’re open enough to let them.

Remember, a professional writer is an amateur who didn’t quit.

Roland Fishman created The Writers’ Studio in 1992. The Writers’ Studio runs live courses at their studio in Bronte, Sydney and online courses for all locations. Visit www.writerstudio.com.au for course information.

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Writing exercises – Part 2

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Writing fiction is not an intellectual exercise. One of the keys to creating powerful fiction is to evoke emotion in your writing. You want your writing to create an emotional response in the reader. It is the emotion that will connect the writer and the reader to your characters and your story.

So when you write, it is not about writing what actually happened, rather it is about connecting with the emotional truth of a situation.

Gustave Flaubert said this about the writing of Madame Bovary, “when I described how Emma Bovary poisoned herself, I had such a strong taste of arsenic in my mouth, I was so poisoned myself that I had two attacks of indigestion, one after the other, very real attacks, for I vomited my entire dinner.”

Perhaps you do not need to go quite as far as Flaubert in the following exercises, but you do need to connect with the emotion your character is feeling in a scene and get it on the page.

This will give your writing life and energy.

The Process

In the following four exercises, just focus on writing. Getting the words down onto the page. You will do this by following the three basic rules. Keep your pen moving, capture first thoughts and let yourself write junk.

Write for ten minutes

When doing these exercises, we recommend you write for at least ten minutes per exercise. Once you start, don’t stop until the time is up – even if you write, yuck, yuck, I’m stuck, stuck. Keep writing until the words start flowing again.

Keeping your pen moving and letting your pen do the thinking will cause your conscious mind to make way for your imagination. This will kick in when you least expect it and you will surprise yourself with what comes out of the writing.

The exercises

Come up with a character. Give them a first and second name, an age, a job description and a relationship status.

For example, Shirley Gilmore, 65, Carer, Widowed.

Try to get into your character’s mind, body and spirit and write the exercises below from their point of view. You can use different characters for different exercises or stick with the same one for all four. It is totally up to you.

Remember when you are writing there is no right or wrong. The only failure if you want to write is not writing.

Exercise 1

Think of a situation where your character feels anxious. It could be waking up in the middle of the night, in their bed, alone, feeling there is someone else in the room. Write that scene from your character’s perspective.

Exercise 2

Think of a situation where your character realises they’re in love. Write that scene from your character’s perspective.

Exercise 3

Start a piece with the phrase “Love hurts…” Write that scene from your character’s perspective.

Exercise 4

Start a piece with the phrase, “Welcome to my nightmare…” Write that scene from your character’s perspective.

Roland Fishman created The Writers’ Studio in 1992. The Writers’ Studio runs live courses at their studio in Bronte, Sydney and online courses for all locations. Visit www.writerstudio.com.au for course information.

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Gabrielle Lord’s writing tips

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Author Gabrielle Lord shares her top four writing tips:

Read books about writing, especially screenplay writing, or better still, do some courses in this area. To develop good knowledge of structure, pace and narrative, there’s nothing better than understanding how a story works and that’s what happens with screenplay writing.

Storyline your story – that is, write down in order, how the scenes will flow. You can always change them later, reorder them, etc, but how else will you know where you’re going? When people complain to me about writer’s block, it’s usually because they don’t know where their story is going because they haven’t undertaken this basic craft skill. Your plan is your map – you can always deviate from the map, but you need it to get started on the journey.

Research the areas you need to and you’ll find great treasures unearth themselves as you talk to the experts. You’ll get wonderful anecdotes that you can pinch and disguise for your book – gifts that you’d never dream about normally.

Remember that there isn’t The Muse who will descend with your story fully evolved for you. Well, very rarely! And as Bryce Courtney says, a writer needs lots of “bum glue”!

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Super foods — part 2

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One way to help assess the nutrition merits of a diet or eating plan, is to check out the number of super foods it contains. Super foods are better than others for your health. They can extend your “health span”, prevent disease and may even reverse the effects of aging.

So, if you’re dieting make sure that you include these foods to help you transform into a superman or woman.

Let’s take a closer look at five more of the best:

Nuts

Nuts contain healthy oils, fibre, vitamins and minerals, potent phytochemicals and the amino acid arginine. They’re no longer a dieter’s foe with research showing that regular nut eaters often maintain a healthy weight. There’s also compelling research linking nuts and heart health with findings that a serve of nuts (30-45g), five times a week, may cut the risk of coronary heart disease in half.

Soy beans

These beans are an excellent source of high quality protein, containing twice as much protein as any other legume. The active ingredients are the soy protein and plant phyto-oestrogens (isoflavones) which have positive benefits for heart disease and possibly diabetes control, cancer protection (breast, colon, prostate) and decreasing menopausal symptoms.

Broccoli

Belongs to the brassica or cruciferous family and is packed with nutrients like vitamins C and A, riboflavin, folate, calcium, and iron. It also contains indoles shown to block oestrogen receptors in breast cancer cells and sulforaphane, which also kills abnormal cells.

Tomato

These vibrant red fruits are packed with the anti-oxidant lycopene. Lycopene offers a host of benefits including heart health and protection against prostate cancer. Interestingly you can increase the absorption of the lycopene in tomatoes by cooking in a small amount of olive oil. What great news for pasta lovers!

Red meat

Of course, when you’re dieting, only lean meat will do. It may be lean but healthy red meat cuts still pack a mean punch of iron and zinc and also supply vitamin B12, protein and omega 3 fats. To reap the rewards you only need to factor in 3-4 serves a week, such as a palm-size serve of steak; beef strips in a stir-fry and Thai beef salad for lunch.

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Food safety at home

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When we think of food and its effect on health, we generally consider its nutritional value. However, the first point of call should be food safety. Australia produces some of the safest food in the world, yet it’s estimated 1.5 million Australians suffer a bout of food poisoning each year.

What is food poisoning?

Food poisoning results from eating food which is contaminated by bacteria or toxins from bacteria, natural toxins in foods, or excessive levels of pesticides or additives.

The most common bacteria that causes problems is Salmonella, found in meat, poultry, eggs and their by-products. They live and grow in human and animal intestines and are easily transmitted by excreta, flies and pets.

The body usually reacts quickly within 6-12 hours after eating the contaminated food. The most common symptoms of food poisoning are vomiting, diarrhoea, stomach cramps and fever, and in extreme cases, even death.

Food safety tips

This might all seem somewhat scary, but most cases can be prevented by safe food handling practices.

The key issue for food safety is to keep hot food hot and cold food cold. Bacteria multiply rapidly in temperatures between 5-60ºC (i.e. cool to under boiling temperature). For example, one bacterium can multiply to greater than two million in seven hours at these temperatures.

For most of us, safe food handling begins in the supermarket and continues in the home.

Shopping

  • Check the use-by or best-before date.

  • Choose hot foods (such as rotisserie chickens) and refrigerated and frozen foods last so that they don’t sit in your trolley for too long.

  • Do not leave groceries sitting in your car and keep a car fridge or cool pack in your car for frozen and refrigerated foods.

At home

  • Keep your fridge at 4°C or less and your freezer at approximately -18°C.

  • If you do not intend to eat meat or poultry within a couple of days, freeze it.

  • Thaw meat, poultry and fish in the fridge, not on the kitchen sink.

  • Cook thawed meats immediately, especially if thawed in the microwave. Do not re-freeze unless cooked first.

  • Anything that comes into contact with raw food should be washed before being used for cooked food, including hands, chopping boards and knives.

  • Refrigerate leftovers or cooked food within an hour (let them cool in the fridge, not on the bench and cover with plastic wrap).

  • When reheating foods, heat to very hot temperatures to kill any bacteria and stir regularly to ensure the food is very hot throughout.

  • Do not reheat anything twice and use leftovers within a day.

  • And don’t forget to wash your hands!

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Five minutes to firm abs

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Doing these simple Pilates exercises each morning will tone your core abdominal muscles and stimulate blood flow to the stomach area, which in turn improves digestion and boosts metabolism.

The hundred

Lie down, arms stretched out at hip level, palms down. Raise shoulders, head, and arms about six inches off the ground. Keeping legs straight, lift them about a foot off the ground, pressing your navel to your spine. Be careful not to arch the lower back.

Holding the position, inhale for a count of five, then exhale for a count of five, pumping arms up and down in a steady rhythm for 10 counts of 10, or 100 arm beats.

Single-leg stretch

Lie down, arms by your side and legs straight. Inhale, lift your head, and pull right knee to chest while keeping left leg stretched straight and about six inches off the floor. Hold for a count of five, then exhale and return legs to floor.

Repeat on the other side.

Criss-cross

Lie down with hands clasped behind your head. Inhale and pull both knees into your chest, keeping elbows flat.

Inhale as you extend your right leg about a foot off the floor. At the same time, reach toward your left knee with your right shoulder. Hold for a count of five, then exhale and release. Repeat on the other side; repeat five times.

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Top techniques for do-anywhere exercises

No matter if you're at home, work or travelling, it's pretty easy to find a desk and a chair and a few minutes to squeeze in these body firming exercises.
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No matter if you’re at home, work or travelling, it’s pretty easy to find a desk and a chair and a few minutes to squeeze in these body firming exercises.

Let us show you how with the right technique.

Smart chair squats

Pretend to sit down on a chair and just before sitting down stand up again.

Benefits: Ideal for strengthening and toning your thighs and buttocks and teaching you correct lifting technique to help your back. This exercise will also help you to get in and out of chairs without rocking backwards and forwards for years to come.

Top technique:

  • With this exercise it’s important to position a stable chair behind you that is knee height or a little lower for safety.

  • This exercise is similar to sitting down in a chair but just before your buttocks touch the chair, you stand back up again.

  • Before you start to sit down raise your arms parallel to the floor to assist your balance.

  • As you start to pretend to sit down, you will need to lean forward at your hips to maintain balance. Please note that it’s important to keep your back as straight as possible while completing the exercise, so you bend at the hips not the back.

  • Your knees at the bottom of the exercise (just before your buttocks touch the chair) should be in line with the middle of your foot, but not past the end of your toes. Your knees should also not be bent greater than 90 degrees.

  • Repeat the exercise until you are unable to return to standing position easily or approximately 10 times.

  • Breathe out on the way down and breathe in on the way up.

Desk push-ups

Just like a normal push-up, but done on a desk, you can make the exercise easier by completing it against a wall or harder by using a lower desk or chair then move to the floor.

Benefits: These will help those flabby arms to become strong and firm and strengthen the muscles in your chest.

Top technique:

  • Place your feet approximately one metre away from the desk about shoulder width apart.

  • Place your hands on the desk, again about shoulder width apart.

  • Use your feet as the axis and bend your arms and bring your chest down towards the desk.

  • When your chest reaches the desk your hands should be around shoulder height, if they are lower you will need to put your feet further away from the desk.

  • Now try and straighten your arms lifting yourself back to the starting point.

  • Repeat this 10 times if you can.

  • Breathing should be in on the way down and out on the way up.

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Lengthen and release

Keep your pelvis, lower back and hips healthy with daily hamstring stretches, especially if you spend much of your working day sitting. Try this intermediate hamstring stretch in the kneeling position.
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Keep your pelvis, lower back and hips healthy with daily hamstring stretches, especially if you spend much of your working day sitting. Try this intermediate hamstring stretch in the kneeling position.

  • Kneel upright behind the back of a chair, about an arm’s length away. Place your hands on the back of the chair. Find a neutral spinal alignment.

  • Extend your right leg forward in line with your sit bone in parallel alignment, resting your heel on the floor with a slightly flexed foot. Be careful not to press the back of extended knee down to the floor.

  • Do not twist your hips by allowing the right hip to come forward.

  • Hinge your body slightly forward from the hips without swinging the pelvis or the kneeling leg backwards. Bend your elbows slightly as your body moves forward.

  • Maintain neutral spine. Do not hunch over. Hold for 10 breaths or 60 seconds before moving to the other side.

Copyright: The Australian Ballet 2005

Extracted from Bodywise, discover a deeper connection with your body; ABC Books; RRP: $34.95; fully illustrated. Available from all good bookstores.

Bodywise is written by staff at The Australian Ballet. In 2005 The Australian Ballet is performing throughout Australia and internationally. Visit The Australian Ballet’s website, www.australianballet.com.au for details.

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Oily scalp advice

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Question

I’m a 30-year-old woman and my scalp is very oily. I colour my hair every 15 days to cover up the grey. My hair falls out a lot and has started to thin. What can I do to prevent this?

Kiran Benjamin, via e-mail.

Answer

“Stop what you’re doing right now!” says hairstylist Andrew Collinge. “Let’s start with the technique you use to shampoo your hair. Don’t vigorously rub your scalp, because that can over-stimulate the follicles that make the oil. Gently cleanse the hair to lessen the grease problem and then you should be able to get down to two or three days between shampoos.

“Colouring your hair every 15 days does seem a little excessive. If you’re putting a very dark colour in your hair, the grey regrowth will be more obvious. You could try coming down a few shades, so the grey isn’t so different to your natural colour, or try moving into highlights to make the grey less noticeable. Another option is to try a more semi-permanent colour, rather than a full tint, that’s kinder to your hair.

“Your hair loss problem could be down to various causes, including diet. If you don’t eat red meat, make sure you get enough vitamin B12 and iron. Spinach is great hair food, but avoid oily fish if you tend to have an oily scalp.”

The AWW Beauty Team

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Ingrown hairs

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Question

I have terrible ingrown hairs on my bikini line from waxing. They are very painful, not to mention unsightly. Are there any treatments to stop them?

Samantha Michelle, via e-mail.

Answer

If you’re prone to ingrown hairs, there’s nothing more frustrating than watching your beautiful, just-waxed bikini line erupting into a mass of red bumps a few days later. Emma Hobson, education manager, International Dermal Institute, explains what causes the bumps and how to minimise them.

“Ingrown hairs occur after waxing because the hair that grows back is restricted by a fine layer of skin that has grown over the hair follicle opening … so it becomes blocked! The hair then grows inside, causing the follicle to become irritated, resulting in a red spot.

The first step to stopping ingrown hairs is to ensure you go to a good therapist, as poor waxing methods can be a contributing factor. In between waxing treatments, exfoliate regularly with either a scrub or loofah or, if the area is sensitive, a hydroxyl-based exfoliant (salicylic acid is one of the best) that does not need friction to make it work. In addition, moisturise daily — the combination of exfoliation and moisturisation really reduces the chances of the follicles becoming blocked.”

If the bumps persist, consider laser hair removal for your bikini line, as this is a sure-fire way of eliminating ingrown hairs. Applying an anaesthetic cream will help to take the sting out of your first session and you’ll find the pain subsides with subsequent sessions, due to the lessening of hair. It may take up to six treatments to be totally hair free, depending on your particular pattern of hair growth.

The AWW Beauty Team

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