Take the 250 Words a Day Challenge!

Hello Writers and Those Who Love Them:

In recent weeks, I’ve had a couple of amazing experiences with writing clients that can be summed up in three digits: 250. I used to proselytize about the benefits of the old Graham Greene method of writing 500 words a day (see my video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQjCbm2wN8Q), but let’s face it, writers have lost a lot of focus and mojo with our iPhones and Facebook posts since the days of G-Squared. (Yes, I just gave the author of The Third Man a rap name). So in the spirit of spreading the love, I throw down this velvet glove and say:

Take the 250 words a day challenge!
250 words = one page. If you can write a few chatty emails, tweet a couple of ironic observations, or write a three page note to your cat sitter (guilty!) then you can certainly bang out a page a day. As you mathematicians have already concluded, that could get you a whole 365 page manuscript within a year. But realistically you will probably end up with many more pages, because we all know the hardest thing is often to just get started. And as for going Greene, here’s what one of my clients said after I suggested trying for more words:

“I think 250 words a day works well for me because it's so no pressure on days that I feel super busy or distracted, and I've doubled or even tripled it so many times on lighter days that I think I will strike a good average without raising the absolute daily minimum. If I find I start to just scrape by, we can re-negotiate! For now this feels good: slow but very steady.”

So there you have it: in 278 words!
Please drop me a line and let me know how it's going for you.

Now, some quick biz:

My next Bang the Keys writing workshop starts on April 11.
It runs Wed. nights in Brooklyn
April 11, 18, 25, May 2, 9 & 16. $275.

Small group. Big love.
Contact: JillDearman@gmail.com
www.bangthekeys.com


This six-week workshop is meant for you if you’re a writer who has …
•A hard time balancing your own writing time with your fabulous New York life
•Too many clients, bosses and loved ones demanding a piece of you
•Too many negative voices in your head (you know, the ones who scream: It's too late, you'll fail miserably and why bother)?
•Have written yourself into a corner and need some innovative and practical help with the craft of writing and the art of editing
And if your goals are to …
•create a writing routine/schedule that allows you to "show up" for your own ideas
•develop methods for writing regularly and productively rather than just when the muse strikes.
•develop strategies to create and meet your own self-imposed deadlines.
•complete one short work in six weeks or come up with an ironclad outline for a longer project.
• connect with supportive and dedicated fellow writers

Each week we will also focus on an aspect of revision, as well as other aspects of the craft of writing. All genres welcome.


THE BOOK
If you don’t live in the vicinity, I hope you will check out the book
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/bang-the-keys-jill-dearman/1100310722


THE APP
And my APP, chock full of writing exercises
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/bang-the-keys/id412669850?mt=8

FREE WRITING EXERCISE AS FEATURED IN THE WRITER
http://www.writermag.com/en/Writing%20Resources/Prompts/2012/01/Writing%20prompt%20No,-d-,%2029.aspx


And if your work needs editing …

SPRING EDITING SPECIAL:
Whether you are working on a short story, novel, nonfiction book, essay, book proposal, screenplay, memoir, play, book of poetry, or a genre bending cookbook/political thriller, please feel free to contact me to get precise info on a package for you.

I offer two options:
Option One) Analysis
Option Two) Analysis plus Line Editing
I also analyze/edit dissertations for those who are all but disgusted with their theses!
Contact info: JillDearman@gmail.com

For everything else: www.bangthekeys.com


Thanks and happy writing!

Writers: Choose Art Over Idiocy!! Get Help Meeting 2012 Deadlines

Hello Friends,


Hope you are enjoying the holiday season. A few announcements and updates, and then back to overeating in the spirit of Festivus.



1. NEW EDITING SERVICE: Ph.D. Dissertations and MFA Theses

(in addition to regular fiction, nonfiction, script and poetry editing).



Ph.D. Students:

Are you “All But Disgusted” with writing ABD after your name and credentials? Are you struggling to complete your dissertation and fear you will overlook problems your advisor will pounce upon like a puma on its prey (especially if said advisor detests ubiquitous alliteration)?



MFA Students:

Are you panicking now that you are finished workshopping small sections of your book to your fellow MFA in Creative Writing classmates? You actually have to write, edit and finish your thesis on your own and are feeling the sudden urge to overeat and watch an endless stream of YouTube videos?


I will provide an in depth analysis––with an eye towards publication––and line editing, as well as prevent you from having a garden variety nervous breakdown that sadly won’t lead to a bestselling memoir.

Contact: JillDearman@gmail.com



2. HOLIDAY DISCOUNT ON EDITING SERVICES

And for the rest of you non-Schoolies:

I will be offering a HOLIDAY DISCOUNT on my regular editing services. Whether you are working on a short story, novel, nonfiction book, essay, book proposal, screenplay, memoir, play, poetry collection, or experimental legal thriller based on the secret memoirs of a Pomeranian princess…

I offer two options:

Option One) Analysis

Option Two) Analysis plus Line Editing.

Contact: JillDearman@gmail.com



3. NEW YEARS WRITING WORKSHOP – Dates and Deets



2 hours per week. Wed. nights at 6:15 in Brooklyn / Jan 11, 18, 25, Feb 1, 8 & 15.

$275 Please contact:JillDearman@gmail.com. Individual writing coach sessions also available by phone or in person. Watch the Bang the Keys video and check out the vibe before you imbibe:



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MqjCbm2wN8Q



4. NEED WRITING EXERCISES NOW? Download the BANG THE KEYS APP as featured in The Writer Magazine:

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/bang-the-keys/id412669850?mt=8

The Bang the Keys APP will be available for Androids soon!

And look for free writing exercises in early 2012 in The Writer Magazine.

To order my book, “Bang the Keys” (Penguin):

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/bang-the-keys-jill-dearman/1100310722?ean=9781592579143&itm=1&usri=bang+the+keys



5. HOLIDAY CHART READINGS

Wearing my other hat (the one with the funky symbols on it) … I will also be offering very limited astrological chart / and tarot readings at a 10% discount for the holidays. For more: http://www.jilldearman.com/services.html

Contact me at JillDearman@gmail.com.



For more on everything: www.bangthekeys.com

Top Five Inner Monologues of Paranoid Writers (Plus Fall Wkshp, Editing Special, APP & More)

Greetings and Happy Fall!

Recent studies (CNN via Twitter via some random blogger from Duluth) show that writers are more prone to paranoia than politicians, plumbers or petty thieves. In that spirit, I recently wrote up this piece on writerly paranoia for my weekly Barnes and Noble.com column. (Read when no one is looking.)
http://bookclubs.barnesandnoble.com/t5/Unabashedly-Bookish-The-BN/Writerly-Paranoia-The-Top-5-Inner-Monologues/ba-p/1141060?nobounce

NEXT WORKSHOP – Dates and Deets

Bang the Keys six-week writing workshop dates and deets:
Park Slope, Brooklyn. Two hours per week. Wed. nights at 6:15 October 5, 12, 19, 26, Nov 2 & 9. $275. Please contact: JillDearman@gmail.com
Check out the vibe before you imbibe:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQjCbm2wN8Q

NEED WRITING EXERCISES NOW? DOWNLOAD THE BANG THE KEYS APP as featured in The Writer Magazine:
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/bang-the-keys/id412669850?mt=8

AUTUMN EDITING SPECIAL:
In honor of the ongoing recession, I will be offering a discount on my editing services this fall. Whether you are working on a short story, novel, nonfiction book, essay, book proposal, screenplay, memoir, play, book of poetry, or a genre bending cookbook/political thriller, please feel free to contact me to get precise info on a package for you.
I offer two options:
Option One) Analysis
Option Two) Analysis plus Line Editing
Contact info: JillDearman@gmail.com

Bio: Jill Dearman is an editor, writing coach and author of Bang the Keys: Four Steps to a Lifelong Writing Practice (Penguin 2009). Her editing clients include authors published by Harper Collins, Norton, Penguin, and numerous other houses; New York Times journalists and award-winning scriptwriters. For more on her editing philosophy, and blurbs from her clients go to: http://www.jilldearman.com/services.html and click on “Editor”. She is also a part-time Professor of Journalism at New York University and holds an MFA in Creative Writing from The New School. An award-winning fiction writer, her prose has been published in numerous publications including North Atlantic Review, The Portland Review, Lilith, New York Stories, and Mr. Beller's Neighborhood. As a journalist, she has written for The Writer, New York Daily News, Time Out New York, and other publications. She writes a weekly interview column for Barnes & Noble.com called “Writer to Writer.”

For more: www.bangthekeys.com

Fire Up Your Writing As the Heat Rises: Bang the Keys Summer Writing Seminars!

Greetings!

The unofficial summer season has begun and it’s time to enjoy some outdoor play, a sweet vacay and the overall decadent vibe in the air. To writers, however, I must say this: Have fun and block out the sun, but not your commitment to your projects. Lather up with sunscreen, but don’t forget your screenplay! (novel, memoir, stories, essay, play, poems, what have you …) Okay you get the point. Unless you are lucky enough to be able to afford a three month writing retreat (including child care, and a rich, non-smoking subletter for your fab pad), why not sign up to experience a brief, intense infusion of energy into your writing – smack dab in the middle of summer? In addition to some tasty guacamole, a tall glass of pomegranate juice, and a chance to develop supportive relationships with fellow writers, I offer you this:

Bang the Keys Summer Writing Seminars, located in Chelsea, NY.

Tues. July 13 One Night Only /6:30 to 9:30pm $95
“BANG UP YOUR STRUCTURE SKILLS”
Character is destiny, but if your plot is slack you may be destined for disappointment when you submit your work in the real world. Similarly, spontaneity is grand, but not for serious scribes who want to complete a meaningful piece of writing in this lifetime.
Main Plot: You will learn and practice techniques for developing and tightening the structure of your writing, so that your readers/viewers will experience a pleasurable sense of suspense and engagement, not a desire to skim through in search of the good parts.
Subplot: You will fight your inner procrastinator and get a quick and dirty lesson in organizing your work, your life, and the more adolescent “I’ll do it later” voices in your head.Open to writers of all levels and genres. Costumes optional.

Sat. July 17 / All Day 10am to 4pm $185
“BANG ON THROUGH TO THE END OF THE YEAR”
The temperature is rising and New Year’s Rockin’ Eve seems so far away. But you know how much time it takes to develop and refine your ideas, to make your characters (whether fictional, or real) into compelling creations on the page, to build narrative momentum, to revise and polish so that your work stands out from the crowd …Geez! That’s a lot of work. And TIME. Don’t just tone up your calves by running on the beach this summer, tone up your craftsmanship and come up with a plan that will get your project done by the time we ring in the New Year.
In This One Day Seminar You Will:
• Immerse yourself in inventive and eternal narrative techniques
• Reconnect to your writing, and commit or re-commit to the project you care most deeply about.
• Do writing exercises that help you to up the ante in your prose or plays, and push past previous limits in your craftsmanship. Become a better writer. For yourself and for your readers/viewers.
• Create and commit to a “no b.s.” writing schedule and six month writing plan that will take you to the end of the year, so that you can enjoy a fabulous New Year’s party on December 31, not another pity party for you and your unfinished book or script!
Open to writers of all levels and genres.

Location for both: Broadway near 25th Street, Manhattan.
SPECIAL DISCOUNT:
Sign up for both by June 30 and pay only $250 (save $30)
Contact: JillDearman@gmail.com or 212.841.0177

--Have a Finished Draft in need of analysis and polish? Write me for details on a “Recession Special” Editing package.
--Curious about what effect Jupiter and Uranus transiting through Aries this year will have on you? Drop me a note for more deets!

INSTRUCTOR BIO:
Writing Coach and editor Jill Dearman is the author of Bang the Keys: Four Steps to a Lifelong Writing Practice (Penguin/2009). She has been teaching her Bang the Keys philosophy of writing to new scribes and published professionals since 2003. She is a part-time Professor of Journalism at New York University and holds an MFA in Creative Writing from The New School. An award-winning fiction writer, her prose has been published in numerous publications including North Atlantic Review, The Portland Review, Lilith, New York Stories, and Mr. Beller's Neighborhood. As a journalist, she has written for The
Writer, New York Daily News, Time Out New York, and other
publications. She writes a weekly interview column for Barnes & Noble.com called “Writer to Writer.” She is also a Jungian Astrologist whose books Queer Astrology for Men and Queer Astrology for Women were published by St. Martins. For more:



To Get a Feel for Bang the Keys check out the YouTube video.

Need a quick but miraculous tip for your writing? Read on.

Read the Red Room Article.



Praise for Bang the Keys by Jill Dearman (Penguin/August, 2009). Foreward by John Leland, Staff Reporter, New York Times ...

“Few writing guides prove as thoughtful and intimate as Jill Dearman’s, and fewer still dare to be so insistently sensible and efficacious. Part anthology, part manual, part scourge, Bang the Keys distills the know-how of a gifted writer and teacher.”--Robert Polito, Director of the New School Graduate Writing Program, author, Savage Art: A Biography of Jim Thompson (Vintage), winner of the National Book Critics Award for Biography."

A beloved Renaissance chick with wit and passion enough to warm a biodome, Dearman proselytizes to Struggling Writer Nation with utter pragmatism and inventiveness. Dare to resist her injunctions if you can –– there's no better battle plan for sentence-making anywhere on the horizon."--Michael Atkinson, film critic and author, Hemingway Deadlights (St. Martins).

"I sold my first book on a treatment and the first 50 pages. Shortly thereafter, I discovered that the first 50 pages are the easy part. It was awfully surprising to find that, for me, the big challenge in writing a novel is resistance. I have a busy New York City-type career (I'm a Forensic Pathologist) and then a second busy-ish career as a freelance writer (New York Times Magazine, New York, Gourmet, etc.), and finding the time to work on the novel was always 'difficult'. Or so I let myself believe, as I coasted along, ignoring the looming deadline as I took care of more pressing and immediately gratifying obligations. Working with Jill not only forced me to focus on my book, but it proved the initial push –– or series of pushes –– that got me rolling on it, and not just rolling, but actually excited about my book. Jill's mastered the art of being honest, but gentle. Working with Jill for a few seasons has given me enough momentum to finish the book independently. Jill has whipped my self-confidence into such a state that I'm sure I'll finish strong."
---Jonathan Hayes, novelist, Precious Blood and A Hard Death (Harper Collins).

“This is a book about self-discipline, about finding your calling and learning to listen to that calling … so charming, so beguiling and laugh-out-loud funny you won’t even notice that you’re working your butt off . . . and getting it done! Jill Dearman is a national treasure.”
--Alison Smith author of Name All the Animals (Scribner), winner of the Lambda Literary Award for Memoir.

"If you are as ambivalent about your prose as you are about everything else in your life, place it and yourself in the velvet-gloved iron fist of Jill Dearman. She will be your mother and your whore.”
--Donna Brodie, Executive Director of The Writers Room, New York City, An Urban Writers Colony

"If you are sick of hearing goody-goody writing experts preaching their New Age or Know-it-All gospel, then bang on Jill Dearman's door, but quick. She seductively taps into writers' natural desire to write, which is just as natural to us as drinking, complaining and procrastinating. Then, through skill, experience and intuition, she hypnotizes writers into falling in love with their writing, and wanting to write again, and again. And by the end of the Dearman trip, we've learned how to hypnotize ourselves."
--Nisha Ganatra, Screenwriter and Director of the award-winning film, Chutney Popcorn; director of Cake.

“Bang the Keys overflows with contagious humor and energy. In fact, after a few pages you will likely throw it aside and run to bang your own keys! But my bet is that you will return to it and that it will stay on your shelf for reference.”
--Suzannah Lessard, author Architect of Desire (Dial Press), former staff writer, The New Yorker; teacher of Creative Writing at The New School, Goucher College and other universities.

"Ready to write your book? Jill Dearman is the savvy coach and good friend every writer needs. With warmth, tough-love, and humor she provides the inspiration, information, practical tips, exercises, advice, and motivation to get you started and to sustain your writing practice for a lifetime."
--Deborah Landau, Director, Creative Writing Program, New York University and author of the poetry collection, Orchidelirium (winner of the Anhinga Prize for Poetry).

"Jill Dearman has the nurturing power of a Jewish mother (without the guilt) and uses it to help you believe that there is no more important task than for you to finish that writing project! If you've been procrastinating for years –– and who hasn't been? –– then get your hands on this workshop-in-a-book. Her approach just works."
--Beth Greenfield, Author, Ten Minutes From Home (Random House, 2010), editor at Time Out New York, frequent contributor to The New York Times.

New Decade, New Chance! Bang the Keys Writing Wkshps Begin This Month

Greetings!

Is one of your New Year’s resolutions to get some writing done?If you would rather be writing or revising than "researching" or complaining, if flexing your imaginative muscles and developing better meditation methods sound more enticing than downloading and "updating" maniacally, then please, consider this:

BANG THE KEYS! Winter 2010 WRITING WORKSHOPS
Manhattan Workshop (in midtown): Tues. 6-8pm Jan. 19, 26, Feb. 2, 9, 16, 23
$275 for six weeks.
Brooklyn Workshop: Wed. 6-8pm Jan. 20, 27, Feb. 3, 10, 17, 24
$275 for six weeks.
Limited space, SIGN UP NOW and Create A Writing Practice That Will Last A Lifetime
With Jill Dearman: writing coach, editor and author of Bang the Keys: Four Steps to a Lifelong Writing Practice(Penguin/Aug.2009 with a Foreward by John Leland of the New York Times, and author of Why Kerouac Matters). Jill is a part-time Professor of Journalism at New York University and a well-published short story writer, essayist and journalist.

IF YOU ARE UNAVAILABLE, OUTSIDE OF NY, OR JUST NOT SURE, TAKE A LOOK AT THIS VIDEO FOR A LITTLE QUICK MAINLINING OF INSPIRATION AND CRAFTSMANSHIP INTO YOUR WRITING PRACTICE:

To get the vibe of the workshop, and the book, check out the short book trailer:

IN THIS WORKSHOP YOU WILL:
--Set a writing goal (with deadline) and meet it.
--Bust through the "so-what?" factor in your work and watch your writing become more compelling, less predictable.
--Develop a solid practice and stop relying on your bad excuses or your good looks.

This workshop is open to writers of all genres.
Contact: JillDearman@gmail.com or 212.841.0177
www.bangthekeys.com

Jill is available for individual coaching sessions (by phone or in person) and editing work as well.

Praise for Bang the Keys by Jill Dearman (Penguin/August, 2009)

“Few writing guides prove as thoughtful and intimate as Jill Dearman’s, and fewer still dare to be so insistently sensible and efficacious. Part anthology, part manual, part scourge, Bang the Keys distills the know-how of a gifted writer and teacher.”--Robert Polito, Director of the New School Graduate Writing Program, author, Savage Art: A Biography of Jim Thompson (Vintage), winner of the National Book Critics Award for Biography."

A beloved Renaissance chick with wit and passion enough to warm a biodome, Dearman proselytizes to Struggling Writer Nation with utter pragmatism and inventiveness. Dare to resist her injunctions if you can –– there's no better battle plan for sentence-making anywhere on the horizon."--Michael Atkinson, film critic and author, Hemingway Deadlights (St. Martins).

"I sold my first book on a treatment and the first 50 pages. Shortly thereafter, I discovered that the first 50 pages are the easy part. It was awfully surprising to find that, for me, the big challenge in writing a novel is resistance. I have a busy New York City-type career (I'm a Forensic Pathologist) and then a second busy-ish career as a freelance writer (New York Times Magazine, New York, Gourmet, etc.), and finding the time to work on the novel was always 'difficult'. Or so I let myself believe, as I coasted along, ignoring the looming deadline as I took care of more pressing and immediately gratifying obligations. Working with Jill not only forced me to focus on my book, but it proved the initial push –– or series of pushes –– that got me rolling on it, and not just rolling, but actually excited about my book. Jill's mastered the art of being honest, but gentle. Working with Jill for a few seasons has given me enough momentum to finish the book independently. Jill has whipped my self-confidence into such a state that I'm sure I'll finish strong. I'm plenty confident now, but heck, even Tiger Woods has a coach, right?"
---Jonathan Hayes, novelist, Precious Blood and A Hard Death (Harper Collins).

“This is a book about self-discipline, about finding your calling and learning to listen to that calling … so charming, so beguiling and laugh-out-loud funny you won’t even notice that you’re working your butt off . . . and getting it done! Jill Dearman is a national treasure.”
--Alison Smith author of Name All the Animals (Scribner), winner of the Lambda Literary Award for Memoir.

"If you are as ambivalent about your prose as you are about everything else in your life, place it and yourself in the velvet-gloved iron fist of Jill Dearman. She will be your mother and your whore.”
--Donna Brodie, Executive Director of The Writers Room, New York City, An Urban Writers Colony

"If you are sick of hearing goody-goody writing experts preaching their New Age or Know-it-All gospel, then bang on Jill Dearman's door, but quick. She seductively taps into writers' natural desire to write, which is just as natural to us as drinking, complaining and procrastinating. Then, through skill, experience and intuition, she hypnotizes writers into falling in love with their writing, and wanting to write again, and again. And by the end of the Dearman trip, we've learned how to hypnotize ourselves."
--Nisha Ganatra, Screenwriter and Director of the award-winning film, Chutney Popcorn; director of Cake.

“Bang the Keys overflows with contagious humor and energy. In fact, after a few pages you will likely throw it aside and run to bang your own keys! But my bet is that you will return to it and that it will stay on your shelf for reference.”
--Suzannah Lessard, author Architect of Desire (Dial Press), former staff writer, The New Yorker; teacher of Creative Writing at The New School, Goucher College and other universities.

"Ready to write your book? Jill Dearman is the savvy coach and good friend every writer needs. With warmth, tough-love, and humor she provides the inspiration, information, practical tips, exercises, advice, and motivation to get you started and to sustain your writing practice for a lifetime."
--Deborah Landau, Director, Creative Writing Program, New York University and author of the poetry collection, Orchidelirium (winner of the Anhinga Prize for Poetry).

"Jill Dearman has the nurturing power of a Jewish mother (without the guilt) and uses it to help you believe that there is no more important task than for you to finish that writing project! If you've been procrastinating for years –– and who hasn't been? –– then get your hands on this workshop-in-a-book. Her approach just works."
--Beth Greenfield, Author, Ten Minutes From Home (Random House, 2010), editor at Time Out New York, frequent contributor to The New York Times.

End of Year Planetary Notes/Holiday Gifts for Writers and for Everyone/Writing Workshops in the New Year …

Have you noticed the world seems to be going to hell in a hand basket? Open to some insight from an ancient form of study?

Here’s a little planetary 411:

In 2008 Pluto began a slow and serious twelve year spin through Capricorn. As we saw with the election of Obama (hired to clean up other people’s messes), the fall of Wall Street, the sudden ubiquitious respectability of going green, and the general feeling of “the party’s over”…the Capricorn era is not a zany one. In fact, today marks day one of the international Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen. It was not so long ago, that, global warming was a fringe issue, and that even the noble, brilliant and pioneering Al Gore was too afraid to make it a major issue in his campaign for presidency in 2000.

Finally, as 09 winds down, we as a collective people are starting to wake up. But only starting to. (On Friday one of the major cable news stations included this headline: "Climate Change: Science Fiction?") This Plutonic era is still in its infancy, and like infants we feel helpless and still have so much to learn. Unlike infants, it is not considered adorable for us to be this way! To give you a sense of how these Pluto transits work, let’s go back for a moment.

From late 1983 to 1995 Pluto traversed the sign it rules, Scorpio. To astrologists Scorpio is archetypically associated with the concepts of sex and death. Go to the head of the class if you recognize the years listed above as the ones that comprised the AIDS era. In 1996, a breakthrough in treatment occurred (thanks to the rampant activism of the times), and Protease Inhibitor “Cocktails” led to longer lives, if not a cure.

From 1995 through 2007 Pluto danced through Sagittarius, the sign collectively associated with garrulous, uninhibited foot-in-mouth talk, and religious zealotry. Reality TV and Religious Fundamentalists are the legacy of those years. Fun! (Ok, I do love pretty much every Bravo show, but the anti-gay xtian extremists have me in a rage.)

A REVIEW OF 2008 AND 2009:

So what of our current times? Well, darlings, here’s an excerpt from a posting I put up in 2007. If you didn’t get it then, or didn’t …er …get it …then, take another look:

“When 2009 arrives though, we will be fully dug in to Capricorn, and will move slowly, almost ploddingly, through this sign all the way to 2022 … And how can you steer your own ship during these new times? My advice is to do your job with a fanatical emphasis on substance and execution. Imagine someone is paying you $1000 for a service. Delivery it with the quality expected of a $10,000 fee. That doesn't mean work obsessively (though Capricorn is ruled and fueled by a fierce work ethic); it means work effectively and well, realistically and slowly. The slapdash, high-spin, low-quality Sagittarian days are drawing to a close, but they have been fun, my dears …"

(If you are interested in reading my entire report from 2007 just drop me a line at Jill@JillDearman.com)

A TIDBIT TO CHEW ON RE: 2009 into 2010

Just last week Uranus went out of retrograde and began moving forward in Pisces. This is the first time in 2009 that all four major outer planets (Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto) are all running “Direct.” Uranus is the planet of abrupt change, in the spirit of progress, and its trajectory through compassionate but depressive Pisces combined with Pluto's trek through Capricorn, the heavy realist, suggests to me that rather than pathologizing our collective feeling of being super-blah, we may need to accept that down and disruptive times often induce a melancholy feeling, and make more art rather than over-analyze our angst.

In mid-January 2010 generous and worldly Jupiter joins Uranus in Pisces for most of the year. This suggests that doing what my not-so-painterly college roommates and I did during a spell of hormonal weepiness might work for a lot of people: We called it "Paint Your Angst". Whatever your creative outlet is --from making music to planting flowers to writing your book (!) --you are extremely likely to find that as your project comes to life, so too does your mood lift. Sounds simple, but yet as we smurf (sic) around the Internet and get too intimate with all our communication gadgets, creativity takes a backseat, and then we wonder why we feel so disconnected from ourselves and each other.


THIS SOUNDS SPOT-ON BUT ISN’T THIS A LOAD OF (RHYMES WITH FULL BRIT)?

Though not quantifiable (neither is psychology or philosophy or any social science), in my experience, it's a helpful way to get individual as well as collective insight. And during these anxious times, I'm all for getting as much help as I can!!
An historical tidbit: Swiss Psychologist Carl G. Jung (whose mysterious "Red Book" was just published) studied astrology and alchemy and published his findings in seminal psychological books such as Synchronicity. For the full monty, read Chapter Two: “An Astrological Experiment" by C.G. Jung, originally published in 1952 as part of the larger Collected Works, as well as the book The Interpretation of Nature and Psyche.

BUT WHAT ABOUT YOU YOU YOU?

What's the point of having your own stars gazed at? Well, In September, 1947, Carl Jung wrote in a letter to Hindu astrologer, B.V. Raman:

"Since you want to know my opinion about astrology I can tell you that I've been interested in this particular activity of the human mind since more than 30 years. As I am a psychologist, I am chiefly interested in the particular light the horoscope sheds on certain complications in the character. In cases of difficult psychological diagnosis I usually get a horoscope in order to have a further point of view from an entirely different angle. I must say that I very often found that the astrological data elucidated certain points which I otherwise would have been unable to understand. From such experiences I formed the opinion that astrology is of particular interest to the psychologist, since it contains a sort of psychological experience which we call 'projected' –– this means that we find the psychological facts as it were in the constellations."

If your curiosity is piqued, see below:

GIFTS! For Writers, Mystically-Inclined Seekers and All Other
Humanoids With a Thirst For Knowledge and Not a Lot of Time to Mess Around …

It’s the holiday season and it’s a bloody recession so I’m offering all of my services (writing coach, editor, astrologist, etc.) at reduced rates through January 15, 2010. If you are a writer, or have one in your life whom you love, consider one of these gifts and/or if you are curious about how to constructively navigate your own trajectory during these troubled times, or have a loved one who might benefit from a little wise guidance, consider one of these options (deets about each gift in the link below):

http://www.jilldearman.com/gifts.html

For details on my credentials (as well as plain ole street cred’) and blurbs from clients and colleagues who could not be more respectable (okay, a few are notorious) and fantabulous:

http://www.jilldearman.com/services.html

If you are close to flat broke, but want a nice gift for a writer in your life consider purchasing my new book, Bang the Keys: Four Steps to a Lifelong Writing Practice, published by Penguin, with a forward by John Leland, reporter for the New York Times and author of Why Kerouac Matters.

Bang Book Deets and Blurbs Here:

http://www.jilldearman.com/book.html

WRITING WORKSHOPS IN THE NEW YEAR
And although we are all in the holiday mode (i.e. socializing and twittering more than we are working), the reality check will be here in less than a month, right after the new year. So, if you want to ensure that you get more writing done in 2010 than you did in 2009, sign up for my January/February Workshop, in either Manhattan or Brooklyn. Here’s what you need to know:

http://www.jilldearman.com/tour.html

My book is also something of a “writing workshop in a book” so if you want to get a vibe before you buy watch this ten minute treat, directed by the talented (and handsome!) Jimmy Lester:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQjCbm2wN8Q

And for anything else, check out my website:

www.bangthekeys.com

or drop me a line at Jill@JillDearman.com

Happy Holidays, Good luck to All
and Remember: Choose Art Over Idiocy!
--Jill