Breaking free of the solitary mentality

It's easy to forget as writers that we do not undertake this journey on our own.

The first blog piece I ever wrote was the result of a lengthy correspondence with a writer friend about a malady I dubbed Writer's Isolation. It's a malaise that targets even the most productive writer and its symptoms include: frustration, despair, and a sense of overwhelming loneliness even in the midst of our greatest times of creativity. Two years later I find this continues to be one of the most common plagues affecting the writers I am in contact with, including me.

The writer's life is not a sentence to solitary confinement...

Anyone who has been writing for any length of time can attest that ours is largely a solitary pursuit. We tuck ourselves away in our “offices,” turn on our favorite playlist, and ultimately cut ourselves off from this world in order to cross over to another. Even though we start out with the noblest of intensions, these journeys never come without a price. Writing requires focus, dedication, passion, and a dream that cannot fully be understood by those who aren’t writers. While family and friends may offer a tremendous amount of support, they have a hard time relating to the stress that results from spending long hours alone at the keyboard.

This is why it is vital for writers to connect with other writers. Whether it's through online support, a local critique group, or becoming a member of a larger writing organization, we need to be in frequent communication with other writers about more than how many words we've written or cups of coffee we've poured in one writing session. We need individuals with whom we can be honest, and with whom we feel safe discussing our highest and lowest moments in life.

...Each of us has a role to play within a larger community!

I met many of my writing companions during my time as a member of the Christian Writers Guild and I have many more who are a part of Inspire Christian Writers and other writing organizations. Add in the friends I've made at various conferences around the country, and the community of writers I've joined through Twitter and Facebook, and I have absolutely no excuse not to reach out when I'm struggling. Chances are we rarely, if ever, meet in person, but just knowing we’re on similar journeys goes a long way in forming a bond akin to those of firefighters, soldiers, and police officers. We need to remember we're in the trenches together. We're a part of a unique community who can specifically encourage each other, brainstorm, congratulate accomplishments, swap stories about our real lives, and, as a result, be reminded of why we chose this path in the first place: To inspire others and ourselves.

This also means that we need to be careful in our interactions with each other. It doesn't matter if we're offering a bit of advice, giving a critique, or just chatting for the sake of chatting, our goal should always be to build up and encourage, never to cut down or discourage. Published or not, we're all part of the same team.

No matter what our vocation or location, we were never meant to undertake life’s journey on our own. I think Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 says it best, “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls alone and has no one to help him up.”

When in doubt, remember: You are never alone.

If you find yourself struggling with Writer’s Isolation, don’t drop your pen in despair. Seek out a fellow traveler who can help you through whatever sludge is dragging your feet down. But most importantly, remember the greatest promise of all: “I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9)

The Writer’s Focus: Finding and Following My “Star”

For whatever reason, I’ve always avoided goal setting in January. I’m not sure if it has to do with wanting to buck the common trend of planning to do something and quitting within the first 90 days of the new year, or not. (Actually, September tends to be the month that I’ve visualized as the start of my new year. Something I chalk up to a holdover from my many years in school.) But this year, for whatever reason, is different.

Having a little more free time than I’m used to at the moment, I found myself catching up on some blogs I follow, re-reading some favorite books, and just having plenty of time for quiet reflection. It was during this time that I read Dr. Dennis E. Hensley’s Christmas/Writing-themed article “What the Wise Men Taught Me about Goal Setting” on the Christian Writers Guild site.

In it he writes: “I’ve spent years researching what drives a person to strive for something great, never resting until a goal is reached. No lessons related to personal achievement have impressed me more than those I have drawn from the account of the Magi.”

I recommend reading his full article, but for those who can’t, Dr. Hensley’s article contains four points:

Focus brings success

Goals provide motivation

Study to be wise

Seek the truth

I tend to be a bit of a scatterbrain when it comes to writing. I get a great idea, I jot it down, I start the new project, I get distracted by another idea that I just have to get down on paper, I forget about my previous project, I get frustrated that I have so many unfinished pieces cluttering my mind and desk, I go back to the original project, then while writing I get another idea. Lather. Rinse. Repeat.

I can set all the great goals in the world. I can study and read and practice. I can seek truth in a story. But if I have no set focus I might as well be tossing multi-colored paint-filled balloons at the walls. I’m just going to end up with a jumbled, chaotic mess.

So, following Dr. Hensley’s advice, I sat down over the weekend and reflected on the various stories, articles, and scraps floating around. Many of them have quite a bit of potential that I hope I’ll eventually get some use out of, but I asked myself, “Which of these am I the most passionate about?” I then narrowed it down further by asking, “If I was told I would only write one story before I die, which story would I want it to be?”

And that’s when I found my “Star in the Night Sky.”

I always complain about never having enough time to write. I am now convinced that part of that problem is I was trying to write too many different things at once. With the exception of doing a bit of contracted freelance writing while looking for fulltime work, I may never again have as much time to write my story as I do right now.

With that in mind, I’m setting my gaze on that star and following it to wherever it may lead me.

Photo Credit: NASA, H.E. Bond and E. Nelan (Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, Md.); M. Barstow and M. Burleigh (University of Leicester, U.K.); and J.B. Holberg (University of Arizona) via HubbleSite 

30 Days of Thankfulness in Writing – Day 10: Mom & Dad

It’s easy to focus on the negative in the world around us. In observation of a month many dedicate to counting their blessings, I’ve started a 30-day challenge in which I’ll focus on one aspect of my writing life for which I am thankful. I’d love to have you join by sharing about something that has blessed your own writing life in the comments section below. - Jen

I really have my parents to thank for me becoming an active writer. After burning myself out my junior year of college my dad put me to work helping him at the family business. And I have learned more than just how to be a writer and editor as a result.

See, dad’s been in publishing in some form or other since I was a kid. First he moderated an electronic bulletin board back in the mid-80s, and he produced a small Atari Computer-related newsletter that eventually grew into a magazine. He eventually went to work for Atari’s in-house publication but found himself unexpectedly unemployed in the spring of 1992 when the company closed down its home computing department. After that he was approached by his former printer back in Oregon who ultimately ended up investing in my dad and helped him start Model Railroad News in 1995.

Working for a train magazine was never something I aspired to while growing up. To be fair, writing wasn’t on the agenda either. But here I was in the midst of a major life crisis and dad had a problem of his own, his long-time editor had decided to change everything about his life — including his family — and left without giving any notice. Needing something to do, I offered to help out with some simple projects until dad found a replacement, which we did more quickly than we expected. He was a retired teacher, a self-professed train nut, and an avid storyteller and writer. The one stipulation was that I stick around to do some of the editorial slog work. I had to keep busy somehow, so I agreed and found myself employed as an editorial assistant.

I learned more about War Bonnets and the Galloping Goose (nothing to do with birds or horses!), 3-bay hoppers and tank cars, and other railroad-related facts than I ever wanted to know. I also learned a lot about our nation’s history as a result. (Few people these days realize just how big a role the railroad played in the development of the United States.) Starting out, my main job was writing new product announcements for various manufacturers, which taught me the importance of conveying information in a clear and concise manner. I also began honing my editing skills by helping with the final copy edit of each issue. In the spring of 2002 I left the science world behind and signed up as and English and Writing major. My life as a writer began.

As with any job there are perks and pitfalls when it comes to working for a family-run business — for one, it’s always the main topic at family gatherings — but what I was learning in school complemented what I was doing at work, and vice versa. By the time I graduated two years later I had something most of my peers did not: actual work experience in my field of study. However, doing research I found most of the openings were looking for five years of experience, so I committed to working for the family for another three years.

Life happens and come January those three years will have stretched into eight, giving me my 10-year pin at LampLight Publishing. I have worked my way up the ladder to a Managing Editor position and get to torture my younger sister who became my editorial assistant to help pay her way through college.  Yes, there have been arguments and plenty of head butting along the way, but there have also been some incredible blessings. I’ve been able to continue my education through writing programs such as The Christian Writers Guild. I’ve been given time off to attend Writers Conferences. I’m able to take occasional personal days just because I want to write. And I’ve been able to be really involved in youth ministry, which I absolutely love with all my heart.

I’ll be the first to admit I don’t always like the subject matter of my job. There are also days I worry people won’t take me seriously because my parents sign my paycheck. (My Senior Editors have all been unrelated and taskmasters in their own right, by the by.) However, if it weren’t for this job I would never have dared to dream I could make my way through the world with a pen, a notebook, and an eye for details. 

As is true of many small business these days, things are really tight for our little publishing company, but we continue to press on, chugging up the hill like the Brave Little Steam Engine facing this economic downturn with determination one breath at a time (sorry, couldn’t resist). And my parents continue to encourage me to pursue the things in life I love most.

So mom and dad, in case I’ve never truly expressed my gratitude before, thanks! Thanks for giving me an experience not many parents can offer to their children. And thanks for helping me find where my true talents lie.

Hey, Jen...Guess what!?!

I can still remember how sour my stomach felt as I walked through the doors of that conference room in the Denver Hyatt Hotel that November day three years ago. I was meeting the nine other writers who were part of my Craftsman group for the first time and part of our introductions was to give a pitch for the novel we’d spent the last several months working on. The last time I could remember being so nervous was the moment I stood before several hundred people at the district spelling bee in fifth grade — and suddenly forgot how to spell “commit.”

For some reason, at first I was expecting everyone to be older, with families grown or almost grown. Instead I found us split evenly with writers on both sides of 30. One of the Craftsman I met right away was Jon Wakefield, a soft-spoken but enthusiastic husband and father of two squirrelly boys from Virginia. He worked in technology, but he dreamed of being a full-time writer.

Prior to arriving, we’d all submitted our first chapter of our manuscripts and we received a notebook with everyone’s work and some evaluations that were to be completed prior to arriving. The genres varied from suspense, thriller, sci-fi, fantasy…you name it, it was there. One of the things we were asked to rate on a scale of 1 to 5 was our overall interest in continuing reading the story (1 being uninterested and 5 being unable to put it down). After reading Jon’s chapter, I circled “1,” a number he’s never let me forget. (Thought to be fair, I think I only gave out a single 4.)

I learned more about writing working alongside my classmates and authors like James Scott Bell, Jerry B. Jenkins, and speaker/writer C. McNair Wilson during that one weekend than I had in the entire four years I’d spent in college writing classes. We were all stretched tremendously and six months later Jon called to run a new novel idea past me. I was immediately intrigued and told him to send me the first fifty pages when he was done. When he did, I forgot to write notes and had to read through it a second time.

Jon has come even further since then, he has started up his own copywriting business. He has become a leader in his community and spoken in public forums, and I just received a note from him this week telling me his new book Fatal Reality had just been picked up.

Jon isn’t the first writer in my circle to move another step closer to his life’s dream, and he certainly won’t be the last. And nothing gives me more pleasure than celebrating alongside them. Right now I only have articles and short stories to my name but I look forward to the day when I get to call Jon and say, “Guess what!”

Congratulations, Jon. I am incredibly proud of you!

When it pays to listen the fuzzy little voice

I actually had today’s post written up several days in advance. It was about a revelation that came while re-working a scene with a Secondary Character that was falling horribly flat. I am very proud of the piece and was looking forward to posting it here all week, but then this morning I had the hair-brained idea to submit it to the Christian Writers Guild. They’ve used a few of my other pieces in the past and had asked me to continue submitting whenever I had something.

As is normal, I was a little hesitant about hitting the button that would transmit my query, so I closed my eyes, whispered a quick prayer, and let go of the mouse button. With an electronic “Twoosh” my pitch was gone and I expected I’d be waiting a day or so to hear back. In the meantime I wondered, What am I going to post today?

Well, my inbox just dinged at me letting me know I had a new message. It was a response thanking me for my submission and telling me they’d let me know when it was posted. 

Lesson learned: Sometimes it pays to listen to that fuzzy little voice that tells you to just go for it. In this case, if they hadn’t accepted my post it simply meant I had an extra piece to use here. So there was no way I could really lose. Now to get back to work on that book of mine so I can send out a query for it....

–Jen