There are several hurdles that almost every writer has to get past in almost every writing project; scripts, books, plays, or even a substantial essay or article.

As a writing coach I've helped many writers and talented would-be writers get over – or around – these hurdles. I've also written over a dozen scripts myself – plus many projects that never got finished because of one or more of these stumbling blocks.

Webster's defines a 'hurdle' as: “an artificial barrier over which racers must leap”. I think the key here is remembering they're artificial blocks, usually psychological, and they're almost always put in your way by you. Of course, they seem - and act - pretty real.

HURDLE #1: GETTING STARTED

You might be one of the lucky ones who has no trouble here. If so you've probably gotten started on way too many projects. If you’re one of those people, you can skip directly to the second hurdle. But if you’re having trouble getting going it’s probably due to one of the following reasons:

“I’m too busy with other things!” aka “I can’t find the time!”

Solution #1:

The Comedian's Way workshop for Writers, Performers & Other Humans is the place to develop your authentic voice and deepest material for one-person shows, personal essays, books, scripts, blogs, or just to have a better attitude about life.

There are written descriptions of the workshop on Beth's site and also here on the Un-Cabaret website, but here's a pretty coherent and entertaining video description of what exactly happens and what you can expect from the workshop.

Beth just sent me another great quote about the creative process, this one from Nathaniel Hawthorne: "Easy reading is damn hard writing". And of course, when he says 'hard writing', he means rewriting. Which can be the hardest kind of writing of all.

Over the years, we've developed a number of techniques to take some of the pain out of the rewrite process. It's inevitably going to be a little painful,  because you have to confront the fact that you're writing isn't perfect. Yet.

I use these techniques when I work as a writing coach for private clients. We also use them, and others like them, at The Comedian's Way Workshop for Writers, Performers and Other Humans (next class this Sunday, Nov. 1, 1-4pm at M Bar in Hollywood).

There's nothing magic about any one of these. The point is to make a game of the rewrite to keep yourself from taking it so seriously that you get blocked. I realize some of these are going to be way too cutesy, or too woo woo, for some of you serious writer types. Maybe you'll feel differently the next time you're in the middle of a pit of rewrite despair and considering slitting your wrists.

What happens when a piece of material gets stale? How do you keep the audience - and yourself - interested?

Get some great advice about how to keep your material fresh, find the material that will stay fresh the longest, and tips on integrating this freshening practice into your creative process and your life in this inspiring rap from Beth Lapides at The Comedian's Way workshop.

Audit, register for a single class or get discounts on multiple classes. Upcoming classes: Sunday, Oct. 4 & 18, 1-4pm at M-Bar, 1253 N. Vine St. LA 90038.

Click here for more info about The Comedian's Way workshop or call 323-993-3305.

btw, this video was taken with the new Flip UltraHD Camcorder. Yes, the HD takes a long time to process and upload video, but the resolution and color are way advanced, the camera now holds up to 2 hours of video (instead of the previous version's 1 hour capacity), the sound is a lot clearer and, most importantly, it has retained virtually all its cuteness.

As a book coach and writing consultant, I have worked on a number of proposals with authors and agents, and almost every one is different. They vary pretty widely with the particulars of the project. Nonetheless, some guidelines are useful, so here is a good model, courtesy of Judy Brown, journalist (LA Weekly), author (The Comedy Thesaurus) and editor (National Lampoon Books).

Of course the entire publishing industry is in such chaos and contraction right now that pretty much all bets - and rules - are off, so if this outline somehow doesn't serve to convey what's so great about your project... don't use it.

HUMOR BOOK PROPOSALS, IN SHORT

Each of the below sections can be a couple paragraphs, or a page (at most) in length (With the exception of your sample chapter, which might reflect an actual chapter’s length.)

These are guidelines, so don’t get too hung up on the particulars, and you can skip the least important aspects.

The most important sections:

We've been enjoying these inspirational quotes about writing, comedy and the creative process and we hope you do too. If you have any favorites, please feel free to send them along.

"Find out who you are, then do it on purpose" - Dolly Parton

"Will awakens enthusiasm" - I Ching, the Book of Changes

"In humor, as in golf, the follow-through is as important as the swing." - John Lahr, New Yorker reviewer

"Sometimes when I think how good my book can be, I can hardly breathe." - Truman Capote

"Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing." - Benjamin Franklin

"If a story doesn't give you a hard-on in the first couple of scenes, throw it in the goddamned garbage." - Sam Fuller

Beth always starts our workshop sessions with a rap about creative process. Here she talks about finding the right context for your work - and how you have to translate a particular piece of material when you adapt it to a different medium or context.

She couldn't do the kind of personal intimate storytelling that she wanted to do in the mainstream comedy clubs and that's why we started Un-Cabaret to begin with.

Click here for more info about The Comedian's Way workshop.

All you need for Beth Lapides's simple and easy-to-follow recipe for creative breakthroughs is a place to work and a wall to beat your head against.

1. Work hard.
2. Work harder.
3. Hit your head against a creative wall.
4. Walk away in frustration.
5. Let the solution find you.

The important thing about this recipe is that you can't skip any step. You can't just work a little, then walk away. You have to really beat your head bloody against that wall trying like hell to figure out your creative problem. You also can't skip walking away - or the frustration. It's only when you admit the problem is insoluble and walk away all together that the solution usually comes - often while showering.

The image, by the way, is a NASA photo of a jet breaking the sound barrier. That's actually what it looks like. Beth points out what a great iPhone app it would make if everytime you had a creative breakthrough... POOF! You emerged from cloud of smoke.

Nine is the number of completion. So, to align with the energy of today, the magical 9-9-09, here are nine tips for completing a creative project, composed with the aid of the magical Beth Lapides.

You can work on finishing any project with both of us in our The Comedian's Way workshop (upcoming classes Sept. 13, 20, 27 in Hollywood). A lot of very concrete work has come out of the workshop, including books, scripts, one-person shows.

If you aren't in LA, or want to work privately over phone and e-mail, talk to me about my consulting services. I have helped people finish articles, scripts, pitches, essays, books and book proposals.

1. Pick the right project - If the project isn't the right one for you right now, you're never going to get there. You may feel like you've already put so much energy into it that you may as well keep going, but if you're heart isn't in it (anymore), or it isn't the right project for you, the world and the marketplace right now...