Skip to main content

Breaking Free from Indecision in the New Year!

Indecision
by Shery Ma Belle Arrieta-Russ 
 
Indecision often times hinders us from achieving goals we have set for ourselves. Indecision 
can cause regrets. How many times have you said to yourself, "If only I..." or "I wish I had..." 
or "If I only did it another way, then..."
 
Where there is indecision, there is no resolution. Instead of being convicted to a decision, a 
stand or a principle, indecision causes us to 'swing' from one side to the other; to take one 
step forward only to take two steps back.
 
Indecision breeds reluctance. And where there is reluctance, there is a certain fear -- fear 
of trying, fear of doing, fear of failing and yes, even fear of succeeding.
 
This week, you will come face to face with your indecision.
 
Freewrite for ten to fifteen minutes. Based on your freewrite, go on and craft an essay, 
story or poem.
 
~ Monday: Think of something you wanted to do last week but did not do. 
 
    What was it? 
    Why did you not act on it? 
    What hindered you from doing it? 
    How do you feel about not being able to do what you wanted?
 
 
~ Tuesday: Now think of something you wanted to do last week and you went ahead and did it. 
 
    What was it? 
    Why did you act on it?
    How did you feel after doing it?
 
 
~ Wednesday and Thursday: Freewrite using any or all of these prompts:
 
    1. I remember ten years ago when I ___________, and if I can do it all over again, I would...
    2. One of the things I regret not doing is...
    3. One of the best decisions I've made is...
 
 
~ Friday: Brainstorm and list at least five situations you hope you never have to find yourself in. 
Then, write the courses of action you would take if you do find yourself in those situations.
 
 
 
Copyright 2004 Shery Ma Belle Arrieta-Russ
 
This article is excerpted from Shery's book, Weekly Writes: 52 Weeks of Writing Bliss! 
(http://weeklywrites.com). Shery created WriteSparks! - a software that generates over 10 *million* Story 
Sparkers for Writers. Download WriteSparks! Lite for free - http://writesparks.com

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The Time to Start Writing is Now! (1st published on Utah Children's Writers)

I teach writing for my local college's continuing educational program. I love meeting with beginning writers each week and sharing the basics. However, I'm always surprised to find many of them haven't even sat down to write the story building inside them or at least log the ideas they have for story lines. So my advice to you today if you want to start down the road of becoming a writer...The Time to Start Writing is Now! Some Idea Starters For beginning writers (and something I learned when I studied at the Institute of Children's Literature), I have found using visual aids to spark an idea is always a great way to begin the process of writing. You can do this to draft an actually short story or book for submission to just using it as a writing exercise.  Study the pictures I have below or pick one of your own from a magazine, old photo album, etc. Study the pictures and select one that appeals to you most.  Also, keep in mind your target readership with pi...

The Multiplied Benefits of Journaling

Do you keep or have you kept a journal or diary? If so, you probably already know some of the benefits of journaling because you've experienced them. You know that your journal helps you make sense of the senseless side of your life. A journal can be an emotional lifesaver when you go through a hard time. But did you know that scientists believe journaling can even keep you physically healthy? The release of pent-up emotions you pour into your journal every day actually helps reduce the symptoms of arthritis and asthma, and strengthens your immune system. This really makes sense if you consider that much illness is exacerbated by stress, and a journal is one of the best stress reducers out there. Journaling gives you a record of your emotional growth like no other. While it can be useful at times to be able to look back and see just when your neighbor moved in or when you started suffering from headaches, the intangible changes in you can be even more fascinating to look back...

Is Research Really Important in Fiction Writing?

In a lot of the writing groups and conferences I've been to the topic of research has come up from time to time. There are many different opinions on the subject, and many will tell you research is only necessary when you are writing about something you know very little to nothing about. But is this really the case and if it is, does your writing suffer from not doing research all the time? After writing many short stories and picture books for young readers, my opinion on doing research might be very different from yours. I have always felt research is critical no matter how much I know or don't know about a certain subject. There is always something I learn each time, even on topics I know a lot about as things are always changing, and changing fast sometimes these days. However, I thought I was just one of the weird writers out there feeling this way until I took a research workshop with James Patterson, who had this to say about research. "Research really he...