Admire the Problem

"The Dragon"

One of the most used Aps on my iPhone is “Shanghai” (not to be confused with the multi-player card game), a game in which the player matches tiles in order to clear themed boards such as a “Dragon,” a “Beatle,” a “Coffee Cup,” and the like. As far back as I can remember this style of game has been my favorite distraction when mulling over a problem or when needing to kill some time in a waiting room.

The thing I enjoy the most about “Shanghai” is that when I finish a board I’m treated to three “Fortunes.” True to form, some of the sayings are vague (ie. Your emotional nature is strong and emotional), some are rather comical (ie. Never, ever fry bacon in the nude), and some just really make you think.

Enlightenment comes while ducking the “unsolvable” riddle

The other day while avoiding my keyboard I noticed something interesting — when I consider the entire board I am able to find multiple matches at once, when I look for a specific match I tend to get stuck. Then I get frustrated and have to put it down for a bit. It’s very similar to what happens when I’m writing. When I focus too much on one particular aspect of the story without considering the entire plot I get blocked, I get frustrated, and I pick up my phone.

I think the game read my mind while I was thinking those thoughts because when I finished my puzzle it gave me the following fortune:

If you don’t have a solution, you should admire the problem.

Now I know what admire means, but I decided to turn to my dictionary and read the definition again. The origin of the word, according to Merriam-Webster, is “from the Middle French admirer, to marvel at, from Latin admirari, from ad- + mirari to wonder…” Synonyms include: appreciate, consider, esteem, regard, respect, and set store by.

Going by that definition I returned to mulling over my “fortune.”

When we take the time to admire a problem we’re able to distance ourselves from it, to consider it from all angles before coming to a conclusion —one that may actually be something we wouldn’t at all have considered had we just been staring at one aspect of problem itself. (This is exactly the sort of thing Sherlock Holmes has been preaching to me since I was in middle school, but like Dr. Watson, too often I see without observing.)

This brought me to my next epiphany...

Writers are by nature problem solvers.

We enjoy creating hopeless scenarios and then working to find THE solution. Like Captain Kirk, we don’t believe in a no-win situation. If we can’t find the answer we’ll rewrite the story to suit our purposes.

And therein lies one of the writer’s biggest challenges.

When a solution does not readily make itself apparent we get frustrated. We curse our inability to write well. We mope about in our pajamas. We avoid our manuscripts saying we’re too busy or too bored with the concept. We obsess. We pout. We threaten to quit. Then, wouldn’t you know it, the moment we step back and throw up our hands…LIGHT BULB!

When we take the time as writers to “admire” the problems we come up against in our writing, to consider them from all angles, a full picture emerges in which the possibilities become readily apparent. Rather than coming at a problem like a hurdle that must be overcome at all costs, perhaps we should approach it as like a piece of artwork that takes a little time, a little patience, and a dash of respect to discover its many mysteries.

Who knows what we’ll uncover when we do.

Your turn! How do you look at problems that arise when you’re writing? What helps you work through them?

The Year of the Dragon

I wish I could properly attribute this amazing work
of art. It was sent to me by a friend and I have
no clue where she found it!

It’s been nearly two months since I joined the ranks of America’s “unemployed” now. Between the holidays, a promising interview process that ended up not going where I hoped, and over a week of being stuck in bed with a high fever and the worse case of spins I’ve ever experienced, my life is finally starting to settle into a regular routine again.

The way I see it, just because I’m not punching in a time card doesn’t mean I don’t have any way to effectively employ my time. In fact, I often complained that my previous work schedule made it all but impossible for me to do what I really wanted to do with my life: Write and have the freedom to make a real difference in the lives of others.

I came to a decision last week when I was finally able to force my brain to focus on something other than the spiraling palm tree in the corner of my living room. I’ve been given a rare gift in the form of time and I could either spend it applying for job after job that I would only halfheartedly enjoy while worrying how to make ends meet, or I could spend the same amount of time looking for opportunities to do what I love.

When it all comes down to it, my needs are currently covered and while there are no fancy vacations or wardrobe makeovers in my immediate future, I can afford a few simple niceties here and there. And really, that’s all I need to be comfortable. I’m also single, which means I don’t have a family constantly clamoring for me to attend to their needs — all of which means that I can literally spend the majority of my day writing without feeling completely guilty about it. Talk about a major blessing! (I also have more time to focus on my youth ministry, which has been another incredible experience in itself.)

As I write this I’m finishing up the final stages of preparing to work on a pretty exciting project with someone I made a random connection with via Twitter a couple of years ago, which has since turned into a friendship. I just sent off a proposal for an article to a youth magazine I follow, and am waiting to hear back from the editor. And I’ve been added to the mailing list to receive the next batch of editorial topics for another magazine I hope to be able to write for. Add to that, I’ve joined a freelance board and have bid on a couple other small writing projects that I hope will eventually lead to some additional lines in my writer’s resume. Right now it’s all speculative, but when a farmer plants his fields he has no guarantee of a abundant harvest either.

I’ve been an editor for ten years now with dreams of being a writer who does more that sketches ideas and has an occasional short piece published. Now that I have the chance to do so I don’t want to miss out. None of this will come easy. It’s going to require all lot of dedication and sacrifice on my part. I just have to believe that this is a dream ultimately worth pursuing day after day after day.

Could I end up falling flat on my face? Of course! Could this end up being an unmitigated disaster? Possibly. But it’s a risk I have to be willing to take. And I am.

I think it’s fitting that the first day of my new routine happened to fall on the Chinese New Year. Though I can’t claim any connection to their culture, it’s a new year for me too. The fact that it’s the year of the dragon — a symbol that represents strength, courage, and fierce determination to me — is an added bonus.

The year ahead will be filled with challenges. But I am ready to face them head on. How about you?