Throwback Thursday: Legendary Singer Paul Carrack

Mark Cawley and Paul Carrack

I know Throwback Thursday on social media is supposed to feature a picture from way back but I thought it might be fun to find a picture and a story to blog about on the odd Thursday. I have plenty to choose from but the one that popped to mind first was Paul Carrack.

If you don’t know Paul you’ve definitely heard his voice. If not the radio then in every grocery  store or mall you’ve ever been in. Thats him singing “How Long” with Ace, “Tempted” with Squeeze, “Living Years” with Mike and the Mechanics, and so many more.

As a member of those bands, as a prolific solo artist and a touring member of Eric Clapton’s current band, Paul’s a classic and a survivor.

In 1995 Paul was signed to IRS, Miles Copeland’s label. My buddy Torquil Creevy was running Bugle Songs and asked if I might be interested in writing with Paul. 

At the time Brenda Russell and I had been writing a bunch as a team so I set up camp at the Ma Maison Hotel in LA complete with laptop, loops, keyboard and guitar. Brenda and I wanted to get a bit of a head start which is always a good idea with an artist. 

Paul Carrack album "Blue Moves" featuring 2 of Marks songs

I had a start on a keyboard riff and a bit of melody, Brenda jumped in with a title and more melody and by the time we heard a knock on the door we had something we hoped Paul would like. He came in and it was like three people who had known each other for years. No egos, no role playing, just three kids going “wow, what’s that?” “How about This?” It was so fun and then there was the fact that that voice was coming out, singing words that we were getting down as fast as we could. We went on to write two songs for his upcoming album called “Blue Views”. That day we wrote “Always Have, Always Will” and later after we all met up in England we wrote one called “Only A Breath Away”. Brenda and I ended up at Paul's house to get the final demo and his vocal on it. Two of my favorite co-writes ever. 

Aside from the songs, there was something else I always remembered about the experience in LA.  After working with Paul for a couple of days I answered the door to find Paul standing there kind of sheepishly. He asked if I would mind going shopping with him. The Beverly Center was across from our hotel and he needed a few things.. We went into some sort of ultra hip clothing store both feeling a little intimidated when suddenly “Tempted” comes over the pre-set music . I couldn’t resist and looked at our previously too cool clerk and said… “Hear that”? She said “I love THAT”..I said “THAT’S him”! That started a love fest in the store. Same thing happened in a coffee shop later in the day. It’s good to be Paul. It was good to be WITH Paul ;-)

Mark

Photo: Mark and Paul in Chorleywood, England '95

P.S. Dedicating all my blogs this year to the memory of John Braheny. I still ask every songwriter or artist I coach to pick up his book before we start talking. 

There is also a college scholarship in John's name, through the California Copyright Conference (John was a past president)...here's the link:

http://www.theccc.org/scholarship

The Introverted Songwriter

Most of us songwriters are introverts. Let’s face it. If you’re working in solitude, collecting your thoughts, and trying to channel that perfect melody, you’re not doing it in an office surrounded by people. OK…if you’re on Music Row in Nashville maybe. The same but different. I don’t think of writing as a group effort, but I do think of the music business as a team sport.

This is where being an introvert, the stuff that allows you to dig deep, goes from being an asset to a detriment. We write in a vacuum, but the aim is to show your baby to the whole wide world. We need someone to sing our praises. Hell, we need someone to sing our songs! How are they gonna hear 'em?

Here’s the problem: it’s getting harder and harder to be an introvert. There was a time when a songwriter worked his or her magic, passed the song over to a publisher, the publisher played it for a label, producer, or artist, they record it. The songwriter only has to get dressed to go to the mailbox to pick up the P.R.S. check or to an award ceremony to get the whatever you call the thing you take home.

 Revel and repeat.

Perfect job for the Howard Hughes in us. Just don’t think the model exists anymore!

Us introverts tend to close our eyes and click our heels 3 times when we hear the term “network”. Take me anywhere but there! My stuff is personal, they won’t get it…don’t want to hear a critique, don’t want to hear words like ‘nice’…I just want a YES. Preferably via text!

But it takes a village to raise a single. A good publisher gives you the space you need to do what you do and not have to do the things you don’t. Unfortunately these publishers are few and far between. Really far between! These days (and rightly so) they want to see a writer who can bring more. Can they play live? Can they self-promote? Can they make contacts on their own? Can they work social media? Can they discover other writers to write with? Can they forge a friendship with a producer/artist/manager? Can they bring their own funding? What can the introvert bring to the table? 

Network…or no work.

The good news? I think you can still be introverted and succeed. The Internet is the first step. You can create a platform, presence, fanpage, and fanbase all the time wearing the same old shorts and ball cap you wore when you wrote the song. You can reach out and not leave home. You can network that way.  But...

From personal experience (and it’s a bunch ‘cause I’m old!) There's just no substitute for ‘old school’ networking. Going out to hear live music, connecting with other songwriters and artists. Touching base with everyone you know in the business, keeping your name in front of someone even when it seems sort of creepy by an introvert’s standards. Self-promotion is hard for most. In my career I’ve always had sort of a grudging respect for the networking writers. Some were more networker than songwriter, some a hybrid; those are the ones that seemed to get incredibly successful in the music business.

I will share with you that I fell somewhere in between over a long career. I networked as much as I was comfortable with, but probably was too precious with my gift. Didn’t like to attend dinners, parties, or events…unless I was getting one of those things I mentioned earlier. In the end, I missed out on lots of opportunities by not ‘putting myself out there’, but at the same time I felt I could only do what I do well on my own terms. I was lucky to find a good team before the era of free agency!

In the end I think us introverts need to work social media while also valuing the friendships made in the course of a career. They can still pay off!

If you're still with me on this check out this video about introverts, funny stuff. 

-Mark

Photos: Goggle Images

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About: 

Mark Cawley's songs have appeared on more than 15 million records. Over a career based in LA, London, and Nashville his songs have been recorded by an incredibly diverse range of artists. From Tina Turner, Joe Cocker, Wynonna, Diana Ross and Chaka Khan to The Spice Girls, Tom Scott, Kathy Mattea, Paul Carrack, Will Downing and Pop Idol winners in the UK. He has had #1 records in the UK and throughout Europe as well as cuts in Country, Jazz & R & B. His groundbreaking website Song Journey created with Hall of Fame writer Kye Fleming was the first to mentor writers from around the world one-on-one online. He is currently writing and publishing as well as helping writers and artists worldwide with a one-on-one co-active coaching service, iDoCoach.

10 Truths For Every Songwriter

This is a guest post by Nick Battle. He is a publisher, producer, songwriter, artist, radio host , author and speaker as well as a great friend. At present he runs a small music publishing company, manages the record producer Kipper (Sting's Brand New Day, Sacred Love, etc.) as well as the actress Elizabeth McGovern’s band, Sadie & The Hotheads, known to US audiences as Cora Crawley of the hugely successful series Downton Abbey. He has also just had a #1 on the U.K. charts with Ant & Dec. Nick Is based in the U.K..

UK Music industry veteran Nick Battle

1. The best songs come snaking out of the air, and we are the happy vessels through which they flow.
2. Sure you can sit right down to try and craft a song-dress it up for the artist you have in mind...a little like a tailor with some silk...but the best songs are gifts. Simple as that.
3. Never contrive. Always seek to innovate and not replicate.
4. And be honest with yourself.
5. Don't let the good blind you from the great. 
6. Be intuitive both with your music but also with the people you work with.
7. Don't give away a share of a song unless someone has really earned the right to participate.
8. The old adage, 'add a word, take a third,' is not only anachronistic, but plain theft.
9. Always remember whoever owns the rights to your songs also controls what happens to them and where the money goes.
10. Be smart. Get sound advice. Work hard and stay humble.

-Nick Battle (Chorleywood, England)

P.S. Nick and I both share a need to reach out to our respective communities (call it an age thing), and we each have organizations close to our hearts. Nick started the Gravel Road Trust to help the bereaved after the death of his first wife Lynn. I have been serving on the board and as a client service volunteer at Graceworks in my adopted home of Franklin, Tennessee. Hope you'll check them both out. Thanks! 

Mark

Songwriter...Who Are You? Who Who Who Who?

I was coaching a new songwriting client this week and on  e of the first things I try and ask is where they are now as a writer. Her story was one I've heard many times and shared some of the same details myself over the years.

Here's how it goes. You work hard at your craft and you have a gift. Let's pray the gift part is true cause you're gonna need this one! So...you pay some dues and you get in front of the people who can actually get you to the next step. Publisher, manager, whatever that connection looks like. For the sake of our discussion lets call him your publisher. Chances are you wrote your songs on your own. Most of us did because it's hard to find a co-writer if you don't already know a little something about putting a song together.

Here's where it gets a little stickier. To up the odds of your song getting cut (and recouping their investment) your new publisher is going to hook you up with another writer. Just good business . Double the odds if two people are working your song. If you're reading this, I'm thinking you know this reality of the songwriting world. The best case scenario is that your publisher is good. Let me stop for a minute on this point. If you're like me when I started out, just having a publisher give you money to do what you'd be doing anyway is enough. You're now a writer! This one's debatable but we'll push on.

The good publisher is concerned with longevity. Catalog. Sure you've  written one good song but can you do it again? Did you luck out and show up for a writing appointment with the guy who had been saving the 'money' idea? Will you suffer from sophomore jinx? If this guy's company is investing in you they want to see you turn water into wine. More than once.

The good publisher considers every writing appointment as a step. Hopefully you get to "write up", meaning learning from someone better. Your good publisher has made these life connections with other writers and those writers trust that you are worth it. The good publisher is grooming you for the long run. You learn, they earn.

Then there's the bad publisher. These are the ones who come in two forms. One is the one disgruntled writers talk about: "My publisher didn't do crap for me.  Gave me a check and when nothing happened, dropped me and kept my copyrights!" Well, this does happen and that's what it looks like. The other is the one who gives you enough rope.

Here's why I'm quoting The Who. Who are you? Who who? Who who?

What kind of writer are you? What are your strengths? Are you strong enough to keep strengthening the weaknesses in your game? Co-writing can take a toll here. You might end up (with a bad publisher) just ignoring what you don't do well because someone   else does it better. We all want the best songs at the end of the day but the good publisher wants you to be a complete writer. Obviously, you want this as well. But do you know your own strengths and do you have at least a passing knowledge of the music business?

In a lifetime of working on all sorts of projects and being called to come up with everything from a title to a groove, it always helps me to be well-rounded and well versed in as much as possible when it comes to music. It also helps to pick your network of people, with the long run in mind. I didn't always do that. But I can encourage writers and artists to do better.

The songwriter I'm working with has come out on the other side of the business, without bitterness, and is looking to write songs on her own to remember why she started doing this in the first place. I LOVE this part of my job.

Work at finding who you are before you turn that over to the Business of music!

Tell me your stories...I really wanna know.

-Mark Cawley

Photos: Google Images

How To Write A Song You Can Love

You can write to be clever.

You can write for money

You can write for fame, recognition, affirmation. 

You can write a thousand songs that sound like what's on the radio this week.

But if you really want to feel like this is your calling, write something you love.

Let's face it: the odds are not in your favor when it comes to getting a song heard by the masses. We all know there are countless ways to be heard these days, and the non-traditional is quickly becoming traditional. Create a Facebook page, Twitter, YouTube, Kickstarter, PledgeMusic. All great ways to share your work...but just because it's out there does it deserve to be successful? Just because you've written a song should it be heard? Does it deserve to stand out? Will it?

I think there's one pretty simple place to start...do YOU love it? I mean not love the potential for it to make your day gig go away, or any of the things I've listed at the top. I mean is it the kind of song you can't stop playing? In the car, by yourself? Is it the kind of song you have to play for everyone you know without a disclaimer or explanation? Is it stuck in your head? Does it give you chills and make you say things like, ‘Did that come out of me’?

Success in this day and age is so difficult, the model has changed. But what hasn't is that for your song to have a chance, for you to have a hope of doing this for a career, YOU have to love it first. Write something from your heart and it stands a chance of being something more than a clone of the radio hit or artist of the day. This is how the artists we all love got there…and stayed there. 

If you're writing songs you love rejection will have less sting. Songwriting contests, song critiques, songwriting workshops, (NSAI and West Coast Songwriters are great ) songwriting lessons, coaching...these can all help with the basics and get you equipped for the music business. But your heart is gonna play a huge part in your success as a songwriter or artist and you have to love what you do. You HAVE to!

So how do you write a song you can love? Learn the craft then apply the heart.

Write what you love and love what you write. Odds are so will someone else. 

Check out The Lefsetz letter from time to time. His blogs can be tough love but a great reality check.

Mark 

Image: Goggle Images

When The Songwriters Well Runs Dry

Mark Cawley iDoCoach.com

I don’t believe in writers’ block so much. I do think you’re gonna have dry spells; periods of being uninspired from time to time. If it goes on long enough, self doubt can creep in until you wonder how you ever wrote a song in the first place. So how do you do your best to keep the well full?

You prepare. One definition of prepare is to “make ready beforehand for some purpose”. Nothing beats that moment of divine inspiration…but if you’re writing songs for a career you know you can’t conjure up these things every time. Sometimes it helps to have done some homework and stockpiled ideas for those days when you need something to get you going.

Keeping a list of ideas/titles has always been my favorite. I can’t tell you how many times these lines that I heard, read, or found have worked their way into a song on a day when I had nothing. I’m not the first to come up with things you can do to be creative when you’re not actually writing; there are some tried and true ways to use your time wisely: writing down bits of conversation, walking down the aisles of a bookstore and jotting down titles that catch your eye, watching movies and television with your paper and pen close by. You can highlight lines in newspapers, magazines, and books until all these things make their way onto a list of ideas for the future. Being intentional in your search for ideas can really pay off in the long run.

One of the secrets for me has been to make sure I get these lines all in one place. Doesn’t matter if they seem disconnected, I found them at all different times so there’s no thread anyway. Keeping them handy has been the key. Being able to throw out lines to a co-writer or just pore over the list while I’m playing guitar/keys or looking for a drum groove has gotten me unstuck more times than I can count. Some of these never turn into anything but can spark something else, some of them become titles, and lots of them find their way into verses or bridges.

If you write music, switching instruments is another lifesaver. Write on something you’re not familiar with and you’re bound to eventually come up with something different and inspiring.

Lastly, just taking a break can help. Give it a rest for awhile and do whatever lets you replenish your mind and body. I’ve taken breaks that range from just taking a quick walk to going weeks without touching an instrument. 

Refresh, replenish, and refill the well... before it runs dry!

Mark Cawley

Nashville, Tennessee

3/6/13

About Mark Cawley

Mark Cawley is a hit U.S. songwriter and musician who coaches other writers and artists to reach their creative and professional goals through iDoCoach.com. During his decades in the music business he has procured a long list of cuts with legendary artists ranging from Tina Turner, Joe Cocker, Chaka Khan and Diana Ross to Wynonna Judd, Kathy Mattea, Russ Taff, Paul Carrack, Will Downing, Tom Scott, Billie Piper, Pop Idol winners and The Spice Girls. To date his songs have been on more than 16 million records. . He is also a judge for Nashville Rising Star, a contributing author to  USA Songwriting Competition, Songwriter Magazine, sponsor for the Australian Songwriting Association, judge for Belmont University's Commercial Music program and West Coast Songwriter events , Mentor for The Songwriting Academy UK, a popular blogger and, from time to time, conducts his own workshops including ASCAP, BMI and Sweetwater Sound. Born and raised in Syracuse, NY, Mark has also lived in Boston, L.A., Indianapolis, London, and the last 20 years in Nashville, TN.

Inside A Songwriters Toolbox

If you’ve been writing lyrics long enough, you’ve been working with some basic things like color and detail, language, and painting a picture for a listener. Things like moving the action forward throughout the lyric and especially object writing become tools in your toolbox.Pat Pattison writes about object writing much better than I can, worth brushing up on).

The better you get and the longer you write, the more these tools become instinctive and the better your lyrics become. The idea has always been to make a listener see and feel what you do while still giving them room to make it their own.

In coaching and speaking at workshops the past few years, I’ve sometimes used my own songs to illustrate a few important points. The elements of good storytelling and some of the other practices I teach come into play with one song in particular.

A quick history: I love to walk down book aisles and see if titles stick in my head. I usually don’t open the books during these trips, just see what catches my eye and write it down for later. On this day I did open a book about British film, flipped the pages and a few things stuck out. One was the title of a 1985 film, Dance With A Stranger. I wrote it down and moved on.

I keep all these thoughts, lines, and potential titles on one long list and keep it close during writing sessions just in case something inspires me. It was the early 90’s and I was writing on my own for a few days, just trying to come up with a groove. My publisher had mentioned Tina Turner was looking for a couple of new songs to go on her upcoming greatest hits album. With no solid idea yet, I started playing feels that reminded me of her. A rough melody was working its way in there…but no more than that for awhile. 

I kept going back to my list of lines; and on a new day I sat down at the keyboard, let a loop play, and stared at the lines I’d collected. Dance With A Stranger just fell in there and began to turn into a story. I started to envision a woman, probably from the South, wanting to get away from a bad relationship. Maybe she’d go somewhere she could just get lost, listen to the sounds of a foreign city, stay in a hotel, go out at night and dance. Not looking to replace the guy or to have an affair…just human touch to help her get through the pain.

I was thinking New Orleans in the summer with those big old windows you could leave open and hear the sounds in the street. Along with adding color words and action phrases, I tried to paint a picture of the freedom in being alone and the need we all have for a human touch with no strings sometimes. Below, I’ve added some notes in a few places within the lyric that illustrate some songwriting basics; use of imagery and action, places I tried to use a common phrase a bit differently, and even a line in the pre-chorus to ground the lyric (in case the listener isn’t sure exactly what’s been going on).

Most of these tools were not ones I was conscious of at the time, but when I became more aware of them I tried to go back and be objective with my lyrics (and make sure I was really showing and not telling). I hope to get to the point someday where it’s just second nature like some unbelievable writers I’ve worked with who are true storytellers. Until that time I’m keeping my ‘toolbox’ handy! 

Torquil and Sting

P.S.  My buddy Torquil Creevy (with Bugle Songs at the time) was a real champion of this song, and we did get it on hold for Tina’s greatest hits. Went out to lunch that day and celebrated...too early. At the last minute they didn’t record it. A few days later we got a call that Taylor Dayne loved it, wanted to record it, and would be calling me to change one line. Back in the game! The album was released in 1992—my first gold. Thanks Torquil!

Mark Cawley
Nashville, Tennessee
3/12/13

Top Image: Goggle Images

Dance with a Stranger
(words and music by Mark Cawley)

On a warm summer evening  (detail)

I'm dancing to the radio alone (makes you wonder, ‘who’s singing’?)

Don't need no conversation  (language, this is how the subject speaks)

Just the sound of a lonely saxophone (object writing, imagery)

Throw the window open (action)

Let the breeze take me away (action)

Ya see I gotta lose this ol' heartache  (keeping the language the same, staying in character)

Before the sun comes back to stay (different way of saying ‘before sunrise’)

I've been doin' my best to forget you (lead-in, grounds the lyric to draw listener in)

But I can't do it on my own

CHORUS:

I need to dance with a stranger

Hold him in my arms

Close my eyes, make believe he's you

I need to dance with a stranger

To take my hurt away

Before I'm over you

Hear the city hummin' (object writing, language)

Grab my shoes and go downtown (action)

Won't need no invitation  (language, staying in character)

Just to hear the sweet, sweet sound (object writing)

And I don't want no man to ask me (language)

"Where you been all my lonely life?"  (twisting a common pickup line) 

Just wanna move real slow  (action)

And have somebody hold me tight

I've been doin' my best to forget you

But I can't do it on my own

CHORUS 

BRIDGE: I hear the heart is a lonely hunter (mix in a more poetic phrase, introduce something different)

And I believe it to be true

This heart is learning to forget

I ever fell in love with you

CHORUS  

Songwriters..Nashville Skyline Time?

Watching the Grammys the other week, you had to notice the Nashville flavor. The coolest thing was that we’re finally talking 31 flavors–not just country, but music and artists of every variety .

I’m proud to be living here in this community and it got me thinking about some of the writers and artists I’ve coached over the past few years, and the inevitable question: Should I Move to Nashville?

Black Keys, Jack White, Civil Wars…even Kelly Clarkson call it home these days. It really is a melting pot. But is it the place to be if you’re just getting started? If you write Americana, Pop, Rock or R&B?

Now some of the folks I talk with are based in Europe, The UK, West Coast, East Coast. In the past Nashville might not have been the best fit. Have to think it is right now.

I still think it’s a great idea to homeschool your skills wherever you live. Make your mistakes on the small stage and get encouragement from the people who love you! Push yourself, get a fanbase, foothold, footprint and then take the giant step. Show the world whatcha got in the biggest town that’s open to you.

When I was starting out I couldn’t wait to test myself as a writer and artist and was impatient to “get out there”. First to explore NYC from my hometown of Binghamton whenever someone had a car. Moving on; to playing in Boston, joining a band in Indiana with a record deal, moving to L.A., London, and finally…Nashville, about 16 years ago.

I have to say no other city offered what this one does right now: diversity. Has to be the last stand for the pure songwriter who’s looking to be heard and get cuts based on a song, and not just the incestuous nature of “the business”. Still long odds…but you can get a song cut that wasn’t written with the producers team or having to give up your firstborn to get on a record.

Back to my point. Should you move to Nashville (or London, L.A., or N.Y.C.)?

Do your homework. Do a gut check, reality check, be willing to deliver the check, (as in waiter gigs!) and the goods . Give  it a shot! Maybe that looks more like a few trips a year from whenever you live. Make it a couple of weeks each trip, since appointments are gonna fall through and people are gonna wanna know you’re serious about this. Come as often as you can and make some connections.

When it comes to coaching clients, I’m beginning to not think twice and just say yes…to Nashville.

P.S. I came across this interview with Nashville writer Randy Houser after I had published this blog so.. adding on!

What are your impressions of Nashville these days?

Adding this update on 9/3/13. Check out the best place to live and work in music! 

Songwriting Victories…Celebrate And Recreate!

I was talking with one of my coaching clients who had won a West Coast Songwriting event last week about the experiance. This event involved a panel of industry judges and among the rewards was some free recording time. She was also asked to submit some songs for an established artist through someone who attended the songwriters night. Good stuff!

I’ve judged plenty of these in the past, large and small and I have mixed feelings. I always hope the writers who don’t win, place or show still go away encouraged. What I do love about these events is the affirmation the writers receive. We all know this career choice can be a path of constant rejection with very few payoffs and pay days along the way. Especially while you’re learning your craft. All the more reason to remember,reflect and celebrate whenever you can.

What I asked my client to do was to document everything about the process leading up to and through the event. Not only ask herself why the song worked so well but to be able to go back, maybe on a day when it seems too hard, and remember it can work! It can come together, you can move people and you can be heard!

My wife asked me years ago why I had awards and records on the wall of my studio. I thought hard about it. In the end,what I love about seeing them is that I can be reassured that this thing I’m trying to do, on any given day, really can work. Can’t coast on that feeling but it sure helps to remember , on that day, with that idea…I earned it.

Retrace your steps once in a while. I think that’s  a bit  of why so many writers rely on ritual. If something works, stay with it awhile and from time to time try to recreate whatever magic you conjured up that day. Celebrate the victories , big and small and remember to affirm yourself from time to time, in whatever form that takes. We all need it  and most of the time it’s going to have to come from within. Take time to celebrate your hard work and remember to praise someone else’s when get the chance.

I want to dedicate this blog to John Braheny who passed away last week. He spent years lifting up writers, encouraging, and teaching. Although I didn’t meet him at the time, I went to one of his workshops in LA at the Roosevelt Hotel many years ago. I went away feeling less alone in this work. As recently as last year he took the time to comment on a blog or article of mine and always, always… encourage. People with Johns gift are so needed in this business and he will be missed big time. 

Top photo: Google Images
Bottom right photo: JoAnn Braheny, John, Kye Fleming, Ian Crombie and myself

2013 Is Here And I’m Already Hittin’ The Wall!

Pressure. Doesn’t matter if you turn up the heat on your own or you have

help, the new year can really bring it on. Clean slate, blank canvas
and…you got…nothin’.

Telling people you’re a songwriter is always entertaining. Doesn’t
matter if you’ve had zero success (check out this past blog) or a house
full of awards, people always have one of three comments when you open
that door:

“Have you written anything I know”?
“I’ve always had this title that I know could be a hit”
“What I wouldn’t give to have your job, no pressure, regular hours…go
to work in my sweats”…. lots of variations of this one.

You know songwriting IS a great job or “calling” but it carries the same
pressure as any other one. Get better, more productive, have some
measurable success and the new year is always a tempting time to raise
the bar. The problem is songwriting is such a different job and progress
is so hard to measure by the world’s standards that you can easily
stress yourself out of any creative space you’ve earned.

Over the years I’ve learned to try and avoid the songwriter’s version of
a New Year’s resolution in favor of staying the course. Keep doing what
you’ve been doing and remember the simple things you can do to ease the
pressure you might be feeling.

Find ways to affirm your path, different ways to be creative, bring that
energy back to your writing and take a break when you hit the wall. Do
something else!! Read, walk, watch a movie, anything but stare at a
blank page titled “2013″.

What do you do when you’re geared up to start  and you hit the wall
at the first turn?

Photo: Google Images