Each day for the 15 days leading up to the WAW Open House (October 7, 2012, 2-5 p.m.), we’re going to feature a current or former participant who’s completed a major project (book, film, album, academic credential). We’ll find out what they learned that helped them with their work.
Sage Bennet, Crafting the Story, One-on-One Consultations
Project: Wisdom Walk: Nine Practices for Creating Peace and Balance From the World’s Spiritual Traditions
Although there are many things I learned and still use today from both working with Terry Wolverton privately and in a weekly group, the one thing that stands out is PERSEVERANCE:
* I set a personal goal of writing a chapter a month then offer it up for critique.
* I mostly take the feedback badly, but limit emotional wallowing to 24 hours (“Ouch, poor me!” “Well, that was harsh!” “Instead of writing, I’m going to the movies!”)
* Soon after, I listen to the critique (which I record) again and find it extremely helpful.
* I make changes to the chapter under discussion and/or go on to the next chapter.
* I repeat these steps until the project is finished — or I’m dead.
Writers At Work 