"How's the writing going?" is one of the most problematic questions you can ever ask a writer. It doesn't matter if you ask it on their best writing day or their worst, either. Why? Because we don't hear that question. Our ears take it in, send it to our brain, then some internal algorithm translates it into 50 new questions involving everything from our time management skills to how much dirty laundry is in a pile on our floor at home to whether Bigfoot exists, and finally to the simple statement that we are a hack writer who will never amount to anything.
Now, we KNOW you didn't ask any of those things. We know you either asked about our current writing endeavors because you were being polite or because you are actually interested. We KNOW, this. We KNOW it's an innocent question about our hobby or career. We KNOW you mean well. But, once those words enter our ears, they stir our own internal turmoil over every single thing even remotely connected to our writing life...and trust me, there isn't anything that ISN'T connected. As a writer, I can confidently draw a line from the impact of the shape of that one weird piece of cereal in the breakfast bowl this morning to the reason I haven't written anything in over a month. THAT's the type of brain you're dealing with. If you're lucky, we just keep that type of thing tucked away and out of sight when we talk to you. The same probably goes for artists, musicians, and (for all I know) the person who delivers your mail. People are complicated. Does that mean you shouldn't ask? Nope. Because, if you don't ask that lump of gray matter between our ears will run amok anyway. It's a no-win situation. So, I'll ask myself the dreaded question for you today. Me to myself: Hey, how's the writing going? Myself to me: It's fine. Translation: My inner writer is having an existential crisis. She's having a lot of trouble writing on the Horsemen series because the world keeps trying to steal her apocalypse. Equally, she's having trouble switching to work under her other pen names because writing "happy" while the ongoing dumpster fire stinks up the place makes her cranky. Besides, my Real World To Do List is huge. I've given her a nap and promised that she doesn't have to do anything until I get a few things done out here in reality. I plan to do those things very slowly and quietly because I don't want to wake her up before she's ready to crawl out of her blankie fort... ...shoot, when's the last time I brushed my hair? My 14 year old self would be horrified at the swamp witch I've become. ...What the heck is living in my treehouse that felt froggy enough to kick my one shelf out of the space? ...Can I get away with leftovers again today? ...Why am I not one of those people who loves cleaning their house? They exist. Geeze, look at the dust on the logs. ARGH! THE CAT HAIR!!!! ...Dear Lord, did you see "that" on the news...or the other news...or the weather channel...or social media? We're all DOOMED! ...When's the last time I've actually worn pants? ...I'm a hack writer who will never amount to anything. See! I told you how it goes. In all honesty, though, my creative life is actually thriving at the moment. I had a couple of articles (under my real name) appear in a magazine. There is the opportunity for more work from them in the future. I'm working on a book layout for a client (that I truly like) that is both interesting and enjoyable. The hubby and I have an epic remodel of our vegetable garden under way that is turning out just how I imagined it. My seedlings haven't all died yet and actually appear to be growing in their little greenhouse! It's a busy and happy time of year for me. Work on my own writing is just taking a break before kicking into high gear again. I'm thankful for the reprieve. It gives me time to LIVE in this life of mine and enjoy other creative pursuits. So... If you're a writer who isn't currently writing, don't grieve the down time. Use it! If you're that wonderful person who has taken the time to ask one of us weirdos how our writing is going, take the "fine" and let it rest. We'll enjoy the misery of the mental check-in it gives us because it also gives us a reason to wallow for a bit and console ourselves with our hidden chocolate stash.
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Yeah, I see it too. There is a volcano-hurricane-tsunami-avalanche-nomadic-death-spider-infestation of "everything stinks" going on in this world right now. Wow, it is a creativity killer! And just when you think you have the current load of terrible balanced, something new joins the nightmare party and turns up the music and strobe lights.
As a writer - and someone who is strangely terrible at lying in real life - I'm not sure I could have plotted a book with the number of motivation slaying issues going on right now. I would have needed an entire wall, like one of those murder boards the police use, to have any hope of keeping it all straight. Probably multiple walls. There is not enough string on our beautiful marble called Earth to tied it all together into the ugly package running rampant through all of our minds lately. Does that mean we just give up? Nope. Sorry. All hands, feet, and bodies need to stay in the car of this roller coaster until it comes to a complete stop. That's how life works. What we can do is pare down a bit. Start with the things that you have no control over no matter how hard you are trying to get the upper hand. While it would be completely awesome to step into a room and solve all of the world's problems, my guess is that neither of us is going to get that opportunity. Plus, if we did, we'd then be responsible for creating all new problems - again, that's how the world works. Don't give these monsters more real estate in your brain than is absolutely necessary. They will eat you alive if you do. Once you have the beasties that you honestly can't train to jump through flaming hoops and then pose for the audience shoved out of your immediate thoughts, get a list together of the ones you can. Don't expect all of them to be graceful. Don't expect them to not bite on occasion. Just get them onto a list and then look at them for what they actually are. Some might fall away because you'll either realize they aren't YOUR problem or because the problem that they are has outlived its purpose. LET THEM GO! What you are going to be left with is a set of things that you have influence over and can find a solution for. Put them in the best order you can. Maybe it's a timeline. Maybe they need to go by importance. Heck, maybe there is just a sensible order of joy they provide. You'll know how you need them to line up. With any luck you'll only have to deal with one at a time. If not, try to keep the number small so you aren't forced to multi-task in some alarming way that is guaranteed to derail you. Break each one out into manageable steps. This is important! You need to break them down into smaller parts. "Write novel" is intimidating. "Write 250 words" is doable. If you write 250 words multiple times, guess what you can have: A NOVEL. See what I'm saying here? The same works for everything from creating a household budget or baking an apple pie to planning a mission to the other side of the universe. Everything has small steps that need to be completed one at a time in order to bring it into being. Taking each small step not only brings you closer to your goal, the act of completing each one makes the ground you are walking on more solid. If you stay out of your own way, and refuse to get dragged (kicking and screaming) into obsessing about all the stuff you have no control over, that beautiful spark of YOU will have an easier time spreading its light into all the shadows. If enough people do this, how can this world NOT be a brighter place? So, breathe. Make your list. Take your first step. Light up the world. |
AuthorJosie Dorans Archives
June 2022
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