Four Ways to Cut the Insanity out of Your Writing Life

Photo Courtesy of SXC. ©2006 Muresan113

Thanks to our technologically rich environment, it’s become increasingly easier to find information over the years, especially in terms of how to write well. No longer are we limited to books such as Strunk & White’s Elements of Style or magazines such as Writer’s Digest. Now we have libraries full of books claiming to teach the secrets of writing, blogs that offer daily tips and leads, and conferences that are bursting at the seams with all the latest How-To’s. You don’t even have to leave your office to attend the seminars anymore.

As a writer, it’s easy to get lost in all of that information and, as a result, become overwhelmed.

I, myself, have noticed I spend more of my writing time “studying” how to write than actually writing. Another large chunk of time is spent engaging in activities to “build my platform.”

In his introduction to Revising and Self-Editing, James Scott Bell shares a story of attempting to learn golf. He bought books, he listened to tapes, and nearly chucked his clubs into the dumpster. Then he met a well-respected teacher that showed him what he’d been missing all along. In putting all of his focus into technique, Jim had overlooked the feel for the game. The same, Jim writes, can be true of writers.

In focusing on doing everything “right” we forget the feel of writing. We lose sight of the joy of creating and miss what we set out to do: Write. And if we don’t enjoy our labor, why would anyone who comes up behind us and reads over our shoulder?

So how do we cut some of the insanity we’ve introduced into our writing lives? 

1. Trust our instincts. 

We’ve done the exercises, read the books, and sat through the seminars. We have the tools and the capability. It’s time to put them to use.

2. Be intentional. 

Our writing time needs to be about being creative and enjoying that process (and all the challenges that go along with it). If a question arises in how to handle a certain issue, make a note and move on. Use some free time later to brush up on the subject.

3. Take a Social Media break. 

We don’t have to read every article posted, nor do we need to update our feeds with witty comments, random questions, or inspirational photos every couple of hours. The world can and will survive without our constant digital input.

4. Re-read the book that first inspired you to be a writer.

By revisiting the story we can recapture some of those memories and feelings. They might not be exactly the same, but they could be enough to kick-start the enthusiasm and drive to get back to our own work in progress.

Your turn: What tips would you add to this list? Add them to the comment section below!

A Novel Approach to Short Story Writing

A short story is simply a novel in condensed form.

I’ve shared several times before that when I really started writing the only thing I wanted to do was publish novels. I wanted the big book on the shelf. In my mind there simply was nothing else to write other than non-fiction. And I was never going there.

Years have passed. I’ve never published that 300-page tome. But it hasn’t kept me from continuing to try. In the meantime, I’ve learned the novel isn’t the only way to go.

Wanting to be a novelist is pretty common among writers. There is a sense of mystery and adventure to it. We’re readers by nature and we want to be just like the writers we’ve grown up loving. We want to create a world people will never forget.

In our rush to publish it’s easy to forget that most of our heroes started out small, then worked their way up to something bigger. Others built their entire career around the short story. As a result this medium is often overlooked.

But that’s beginning to change in both the world of reading and writing.

The Weekend Short Story Challenge

In honor of such literary giants as Charles Dickens, Edgar Allan Poe, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Isaac Assimov, Philip K. Dick, Ray Bradbury, and so many, many more, I propose a challenge to any who read this post.

Let’s write (and complete) something small this weekend!

Like a novel, the story needs a beginning, a middle, and an end. Start with a hook. End with a punch. And pack in the tension. It can be something completely original, or you can tell a well-known story from a different angle. Just make it unique.

For those not familiar with short stories, here are a few options to choose from:

Short: 1,000 – 3,000 words

Flash: 1,000 words or less.

Micro: Less than 300 words.

Nano: Less than 100 words.

As an experiment, I chose a Nano Story similar to Hemmingway’s six-word story “For Sale.”

Wanted: Six-month puppy seeks loving home. Loves Tag and Hide & Seek. Well trained. Missing her little playmate.

It’s my first attempt at Nano fiction, and I plan to try my hand at another this weekend. Whether they’re ever published or not, I’ve come to realize short story writing will help me focus on what’s really important when I go back to my novel.

Want to join me in the challenge? Let me know in the comment section below. Not your thing, but know someone else who might? Please share a link!

Stoke the fire of imagination: What the Village Blacksmith teaches

Photo courtesy of stock.xchng. ©2006 Atroszko. 

Under a spreading Chestnut tree

  The village smithy stands;

The smith, a mighty man is he,

  With large and sinewy hands;

And the muscles in his brawny arms

  Are strong as iron bands.

“The Village Blacksmith” was my very first encounter with Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. I was in third grade and my class was memorizing a new poem every month for the year. Of all the poems we covered the only other two I remember are “The Dual” and “Keep a Poem inYour Pocket.”

The other poems were fun and easy to learn, but none of them stoked the fires of my imagination the way that village blacksmith did.

In eight, six-line stanzas we are given a vividly detailed story of love won and lost, of a life that continues on despite the grief, and of the lesson we can take away from one man’s example.

I’ve always wondered if there really was a spreading chestnut tree, if a smithy was nestled beneath its branches, and if inside there worked a dedicated yet gentle man. Was he a friend? Was he an adult in the place where Longfellow grew up? Or was he a stranger Longfellow noticed in passing and became as enthralled with as the children?

Or was the blacksmith just a story after all? A tale cobbled together from bits and pieces of life experiences.

I was reminded of this poem when a friend quoted from the last stanza a few days ago, and it’s caused me to ponder those words, the rhythm, and the purpose ever since.

As writers many of us dream of creating the next great novel. We pour hours into plot lines. We fill days hammering out character descriptions. And we spend weeks honing the description of our fictional world down to the last popping ember.

In the process it’s easy to forget what a story is: a snapshot of a specific moment that conveys the essence of humanity’s greatest joys and sorrows.

I learned a valuable lesson in re-reading my favorite childhood poem this past week: Anyone can create a world in 500 pages.

It takes a true artist to capture an entire life in 48 lines.

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?

Looking for the extraordinary in the ordinary

A cottonwood seed hidden in the grass. 2012 J.E. Lindsay

The Cottonwood is drifting through my yard like so many downy ideas just waiting for the right moment to settle and take root. It’ll cling to anything: hair, clothing, spiderwebs. It piles together in crunchy clumps and rolls across the road like bits of snowy tumbleweed.

The amount of seed being released is truly uncountable. The number that will find a fertile place to rest and grow to full-sized trees will only be few.

The ancestor of every action is a thought. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

As I sit at my desk watching these micro-sized assailants to my eyes, throat, and nose parade through the neighborhood I’m reminded of all the stories that have flitted through the field of my consciousness. Some have had great potential but failed to take hold. Most have floated on by without me ever being aware they’d ever existed.

Then there are those few little wisps of the imagination that landed among the right mix of creativity, passion, and gumption. Some of them grew quickly and have gone on to encourage and inspire others. Some are taking their time in maturing, and I love them all the more for it.

The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes. ~ Marcel Proust

One of the most incredible aspects about writing is we never really know which little seeds will go on to produce the most fruit. This is why it’s so important to train ourselves to discover the extraordinary in every single day. We have to continue fertilizing and watering our creative selves if we want to do anything of value.

And the possibilities for inspiration are as endless as the fluff in the air around me!

It can come from an art walk. A car show. A goofy video posted by a couple of bored children on holiday. Even something as seemingly mundane as watching bits of pollen in the wind could ultimately provide the perfect soil for something incredible to grow.

If you overlook the ordinary, you’ll never see the extraordinary.

A 158-year-old cottonwood tree grows in the middle of an intersection
 in rural Audubon County, Iowa. (Via BigStock.)

There are few things that irritate my seasonal allergies as much as cottonwood pollen, but anyone who has ever seen a full-grown cottonwood tree would tell you it’s beautiful. Like so many things in nature, you would never guess how large the trees get (up to 80 feet) based on looking at the minuscule seeds.

And as with the fury bits floating on sunbeams as I type this, you’ll never spot a life-changing thought if you aren’t actively looking for it. 

The Art of Mirror Writing

Using your mirror as a storyboard often opens up the mind to new possibilities.

I’m a girl. That much is pretty obvious. So it should come as no surprise that I spend a good deal of time standing in front of my bathroom mirror. What might strike a casual observer as unusual is what I do while I’m there.

Yes, I fight with my hair. I futz with my makeup. I spend far more time scrutinizing my appearance than I probably need to. But I also use that time to plan out new ideas and work through trouble spots in one of my current projects, which is why I always keep a wet/dry marker next to my mascara.

You see: I use my mirror as a storyboard.

I’m not completely unique in this eccentric behavior. It wasn’t long ago that another writer friend of mine posted that she’d found a new use for her kid’s bathtub crayons while she was taking her shower that morning. There’s just something about our toilette time that allows our minds to wander without outside distractions. It’s one of the few places we go without our phones, our laptops, or our clients (Though family and pets are another matter.)

Add to that is a sense of freedom when writing on a mirror. No paper is wasted. No delete key is necessary. You can jot down random ideas and walk away without wondering later what happened to those hastily scribbled remarks. There are also no boundaries. You can write whatever, wherever, and if you don’t like something a simple spray of glass cleaner allows you to start with a clean slate.

I’ve also noticed that when I work things out on the mirror I look at things from numerous different angles. I ask more what-ifs. I take more risks. And when I’ve finished I have a complete outline that makes writing the scene (or blog post) a simple matter of typing up the rest.

Don’t have a mirror handy? Try a whiteboard. I have one by my stove to jot ideas on when cooking. Though it’s currently covered in random quotes my siblings have written on it when visiting, the concept is exactly the same. You can write with no rules, no deadlines, no pressure.

The truth is, no writer is ever not working on one project or another. And sometimes we just get too many different thoughts going at once to make sense of them. Getting the half-formed ideas out while getting ready for work or bed is part of the fun. Putting them on a mirror reminds me later on what I was thinking and serves as motivation to get back to work when I spend too much time procrastinating. (After all, how am I going to make sure my makeup is evenly applied and each hair is in place if I can’t see myself past the words?)

Why not give it a try for yourself this week? Grab a marker, jot down a couple ideas while going through your morning routine, then walk away and give them a chance to grow.

Just be warned: If you have other people living with you, they may decide to join in on the fun and turn your Os into Js!

The Princess and the Gobdooble

Life is about experiences and by extension so is writing. 

I recently read a blog post by Jerry B. Jenkins about his early writing years and his growing boys. Writing was important to him, but he made a commitment that he would never let it get in the way of his family time, which meant between work, his family, and sleep there was only a small window of time in which he could write. At the end of his post he stated, “Writing needs to be a high priority. But for as long as you have a family, writing should never be number one.”

I’m a single gal so I don’t have daily family needs to see to but this past week I was called up for “sick child duty” for someone who had already missed too many days of work and whose daughter was still to sick to go back to her normal caretaker. Taylor is a four-year-old princess who already has an impressive vocabulary and even sick she has too much life in her to take a day lying down.

I’d initially planned to do some extra writing that day, but with Jerry’s words ringing in my ears, I shut my laptop down and engaged in a day of princess movies, games, and coloring. Truth be told, pink and princesses have never really been my thing (my idea of a princess growing up was someone who wore her hair in braids and took on the evil Galactic Empire); however, there was something magical about sitting on the couch under a blanket with Taylor while we watched each film. The highlight of my day, though, was pulling out the paper and markers.

At first we drew our own individual pictures. Taylor’s work of art was an abstract piece she dubbed “The Eyeball” and mine was a tree in the hills that I allowed her to decide what grew on it. She picked a fruit tree that bore apples, oranges, grapes, blueberries, bananas, grapes... Let’s just say it was an incredibly colorful tree. As we discussed our pieces I told her that I thought her picture looked a lot like a Gobdooble, which she immediately wanted to know everything about.

“What’s a Gobdooble?” she asked, to which I answered, “It’s the most amazing doodle in the world and I learned how to draw it when I was your age!” (Don’t ask me where the name came from; I blame my childhood fascination with Roald Dahl and Dr. Seuss.) In case you’re unfamiliar with the concept of a Gobdooble, it’s really quite simple: One simply moves her hand about the page and intercrosses the lines without lifting her pen off the paper until the start and end point are linked together. The more complex the Gobdooble the better! You then fill in all the empty spaces with colors, shapes, and designs. When it comes to Gobdoobles, anything goes!

Taylor and I spent close to an hour talking and coloring our newest masterpiece and during that time I forgot all about being a grownup with grownup responsibilities and deadlines. Instead I found myself enjoying being four again, an age where the world is completely unblemished and filled with all manner of magic. Creativity opens doors, imagination takes you on journeys, and there is no knowing where you’ll end up when all our daily structure gets thrown out the window.

Our Gobdooble now graces my fridge as a reminder that life and writing isn’t all about rules, schedules, and formulas. It’s about allowing your mind to be opened to new possibilities (such as a tree that bears every imaginable fruit on the planet plus some or finding a gem of truth in a story about a pink-clad dancing princess). Henry David Thoreau once wrote, “How vain it is to sit down to write when you have not stood up to live.” It’s one of my favorite writer’s quotes and is taped to my desk, pinned to my peg board, and even appears in the About Me section of my personal Facebook page.

Life is about experiences and by extension so is writing. How can you tell the story of someone’s journey of self-discovery if you fail to embark on one of your own? And how can you learn anything of importance if you don’t stop to enjoy precious little moments as they present themselves?

Thank goodness I had a sick little princess, a stack of blank paper, and a handful of markers to show me once again just how right Thoreau and Jerry are: “Writing needs to be a high priority. But…writing should never be number one.”

30 Days of Thankfulness in Writing — Day 14: Lessons in Time Management

I’ve been told busy people are organized people. To which I respond, “You’ve obviously never seen my desk during production week!”

I can understand the concept. I find I’m the most productive when I have an over-full plate. I don’t know if it’s the writer in me that thrills at the looming countdown of an approaching deadline, or if it’s a holdover from my school days when I naturally put everything off until the night before it was due. Whatever the case, I’ve found that if I have the time available to me, I’m downright lazy! I waste time playing games I don’t even like. I revisit websites that I’ve already read every story on. I even flip through Netflix selections just to kill time. I justify it all by saying I’m just tired and need a break to clear my mind — which to an extent is true.

Thanksgiving week is here. Visitors are on their way. I have my contributions to prepare for our big family dinner. I also have my writing to keep up with (somebody please remind me why we plan events like NaNoWrMo at the beginning of the holiday season?), and I’m also in the middle of a major deadline at work.

I’m prying my eyes open to write this because I’ve just come off a 12-hour day of non-stop editing and too much coffee. The perk was that after everyone else went home for the night, I got to crank up my “.Doc Playlist” while preparing articles for the art director to layout. It reminded me of being in college when I wasn’t just taking a full course load of British and American Lit, Linguistics, Creative Writing, and Lit Crit, I was somehow working a fulltime editorial job, as well.

I listened to this same playlist into the wee hours of many a morning, fretting over papers that weren’t being written and wondering when I’d finally get to go to bed — or if I would ever have a real life. But those two years were also my most productive in terms of creative writing. Even when I had the downtime my brain was churning out more story ideas than it has in any time since.

It’s exhausting being busy. But looking back over today and my past I can also see truth in the statement that busy people are organized people. When juggling multiple jobs the only way to successfully complete anything is to properly manage your time. During weeks like these I always formulate a plan of attack so I don’t forget to do anything. And believe it or not, it somehow all gets done. Properly.

As my workload has increased, I have also once again seen my creativity revived. I’m writing more, and I’m enjoying every minute of it. Being busy also means I get to enjoy the downtime that much more when I finally hit SAVE on that last file for the night.

Now that is really something to be thankful for.

Finding purpose as a Writer

My heart is stirred by a noble theme as I recite my verses to the King; my tongue is the pen of a skillful writer. (Ps 45:1)

One of my first writing mentors told me every writer should have a mission, a purpose for writing other than for self-enjoyment. He encouraged me to create a mission statement, and he also directed my attention to the above verse saying it would be a good motto for me. “What is my purpose in writing?” is something I ask myself every time I sit down. I might have various ideas, but the underlying principle is always the same: to build up and encourage others.

I was three when I first dedicated my life to Christ, but it wasn’t until the end of high school that I really had any idea what that might mean. All I really knew was that from the time I was small I wanted God to use me to bless the lives of others. At first I thought that might be through medicine and missions and I threw myself into that field whole-heartedly. Over time I came to realize I was really more interested in caring for the emotional and spiritual well being of others. I could splint and bandage and try to make people more comfortable all day, but my greatest joy came through building relationships and encouraging others.

When I finally decided to pursue writing as a profession I realized that being a writer was so much more than being someone who scribbles words on a page. It is an identity. And I wanted nothing more than for that identity to be centered in Christ. As the years have progressed I’ve noticed something about my writing: everything I do has God’s fingerprints on it. My words echo his love, reflect his creativity, and in some way retell the story he spoke into existence on the day of creation. What nobler theme could the heart be stirred by?

Not everything I write will be for the “Christian” market. In fact, that’s a term I’m not overly fond of personally because it sounds so isolationist. If we have an important story to tell, shouldn’t it be for everyone to hear? That is my mission, to write in such a way that it blesses the lives of others and somehow points them back to my King, no matter where they are in life. And better yet, I never have to get in their face to do so.

What is your purpose? What is your theme? If you haven’t found it yet I’d like to encourage you to take a break from your writing and do a little soul searching. Once you’ve found it you may discover that it adds an entirely new perspective and joy to who you are as a writer.

7 Ways to recapture your creative spirit

There are days when I feel as if my creativity is as elusive as Peter Pan’s wayward shadow. I can jump at it and try to corner it all I want, but just when I think I have it in my grasp, it wriggles away and I find myself sitting on the floor crying because I can’t make it stick. While I may not have a Wendy Darling to sew it back on for me, I do have a few tricks that help me get back to writing when I feel like I’ve lost my “shadow” for good.

7. Get up early and watch the sun rise.

The most beautiful sunrise I have ever seen was from the window of a plane. I watched in awe as the towering clouds took on a grape-juice-colored hue and slowly turned rose quartz pink. Then, in a flash of blinding light, I found myself staring at a sea of white that reminded me of pictures of Antarctica. I spent the duration of the flight donned in thermal wear, a thick parka, and hiking through the snow with all the equipment an explorer needs to discover a new world.

6. Get away from the city lights and stay up all night stargazing.

There are few things I find give me a shiver of delight the way the stars do on a moonless night. The fact that flaming orbs placed light years apart can, from our vantage point, create an image the entire world recognizes in the form of constellations just amazes me. As a young girl, I was obsessed with Greek mythology. I gobbled up every book in the library I could find on the subject and still remember many of the stories to this day, so for me, it’s like looking for old friends in the sky.

5. Play dress up with a child.

Both my mom and my dad would occasionally play dress up with us kids and attend royal balls, tournaments, or have tea with us in Paris. Looking back, I can’t think of a time I was more imaginative than when I’d put on my dad’s dress blues or one of my mom’s dresses. Last night I played princess with my cousin’s little girl, and her stories would have gone on late into the night had daddy not said it was time for bed.

4. Listen to live music outdoors

I love music! Even more so when I can see the performers in action. Earlier this month I was at Pike’s Market for the day and watched an amazing group playing outside the original Starbucks Coffee Shop; had I not been with a group of high schoolers, I would have stood there all day. Music captures the soul in a way that few other art mediums can, and during the summer you can usually find more than one festival or concert in the park to fill your creative spirit. If you find something you particularly like, get a CD and add it to your writing playlist for a burst of inspiration when the summer venues close.

3. Buy or borrow a book full of pictures of a place you want to visit.

I have several books about Scotland (a place I will visit before I’m old and gray!). The landscapes astound me and the mossy ruins lead me to wonder about the lives lived and lost behind those walls. I also collect postcards of all the places I visit and ask friends to bring me back a few when they travel. When I’m looking for ideas on how to describe a particular scene, I’ll often refer to the books and postcards for inspiration.

2. Make a collage of inspirational quotes that motive you (Or read old love letters…)

I personally don’t have a collection of love letters laying around, but I do have a few encouragement notes from a dear friend that I treasure. They remind me of my passion, and encourage me to press on when I’m struggling to find my way. I also keep quotes I discover around me. Some are on the white board in my kitchen; some are on my bathroom mirror. Still others are tacked, taped, or pasted around my desk and writing areas. Quotes remind me that I’m not blazing new trails in unknown territory and that plenty of others have made their way before me. If they can do it, well, so can I.

1. Pull out the first story you wrote and kept. (Ignore the inner critic and read it as you did the first time you wrote it)

Most of the stories I wrote as a child have been lost over the years (multiple moves will do that). But I do keep a couple of plastic file bins that I’ve filled with scraps and stories I’ve written since then. Pulling those out and reading them lets me see where I was and how far I’ve come. It also reminds me of the early excitement I had when I was first starting to write, and I find all sorts of “new” ideas to use in my current WIPs.

I’d love to hear from you! What helps you catch your elusive creative spirit when you need it most? Post in the comments below!

–Jen

Don’t just write…live!

Me and two of my fellow Jr. High Councilors
 on theme day.

Between spending eight days in Washington with my youth group and coming home to help my best friend and partner in youth ministry hurriedly sort, decide what to toss and keep, and then load up a truck and trailer before heading off to Moody Bible Institute to begin his Masters program, it’s been a busy two weeks. And writing just wasn’t in the mix.

But that doesn’t mean I wasn’t filing things away for later use. One thing I’ve always been able to do is capture images and stories and store them for later. My above-mentioned friend likes to joke that I have a steel trap for a brain so I remember everything, including what he was wearing the first time we met at a summer camp in high school (which for the record, I couldn’t tell you if my life depended on it!). That said, working as a councilor for summer camp comprised of over a hundred kids from various churches across the Pacific Northwest gave me quite a bit of new material to work with…such as the women sitting behind us at the Mariner’s game who lamented their single status with more and more fervor with every sip of beer to the point that a couple of my high school boys leaned over to me and said “It’s no wonder they’ll never get more than a first date! Make them shut up!”

And there was the middle school girl in my cabin who was quite the tomboy — stocky in build, frizzy of hair, and an absolute hoot who loved to run around the camp yelling out a rooster’s “Caw-Caw” as her battle cry. This young lady went on to out belly flop the boys in our belly flopping competition and her victory plunge consisted of the loudest “Caw-Caw” of all…followed by a slap that echoed across the campground.

I also discovered how strong she was when I startled her while silently following her through the dungeon of the dragon’s lair (an obstacle course with unseen booby traps — we had a medieval theme this year) and wacked her on the leg with a foam pool toy when she “tripped” when of the traps. She spun on me quicker than I expected with her PVC pipe flag and wacked me in the face twice and another councilor once before I managed to grab the weapon from her hand. Let’s just say that as the other campers began their journey the first thing they were warned was that no matter what happened, they were not to hit councilors in the face.

Intermixed with the fun and games, however, I was also reminded how hard life can be for some of these young people. Sitting and listening to some of the girls as they broke down and shared their fears, the lies they believed about themselves, and revealed a glimpse into the difficult home lives they had to return to was one of the most heartbreaking experiences I’ve had in a long time. There were several times I could only sit in silence and be there for them.

If anything, these past two weeks have served as a lesson that writing isn’t just about sitting in front of the computer pounding out a set number of words each day. It’s an organic process that requires listening and empathizing with the world around us. It involves seemingly unrelated day-to-day activities. It includes cataloging personality traits and allowing memories to trigger other memories. It necessitates interacting with strangers and forming new ties of friendship. And it means always being open to trying something new.

My schedule doesn’t show any signs of clearing up again anytime soon, in fact I’ll be more busy in the weeks ahead than I have been, but I am excited to start squeezing in my writing time again. I can already feel the germs of some new ideas beginning to sprout.

Back to the Storyboard!

For the first time in two years, I’m getting ready to submit a book query. All my chapters have been edited and re-edited. The story flows well. All but one or two of the loose ends have been tied up — and those left are meant to leave the reader to wonder and imagine what will possibly be coming next. And finally, I’m about finished polishing my query and proposal.

It’s both exciting and intimidating. On one hand I feel as if I’m setting out on a grand adventure with no idea where I’ll end up and no promise it will end in happily ever after. On the other hand, I could compare it to trying to land a dream job in our cruddy economy. All I have to do to see the “competition” I’m up against is search any number of the writing hashtags used on Twitter. There are some pretty amazing, dedicated writers out there right now.

And yet, I find myself incredibly inspired. I believe in my work. And from what I’ve heard back from some of my test readers, my writing is engaging, the story is intriguing and fun, and they’re really looking forward to holding a hardbound copy in their hands instead of having a Word Doc on their computer.

The thing I keep asking myself though is, what do I do with myself while I’m sending out queries and waiting for responses?

For one, I’ve had a chance to catch up on some of the books that have been piling up next to my bed the past few months. I also have a few non-fiction writing projects I’m in the middle of. But lately I’ve spent more time in the business side of writing than the creative side. Between edits, letters, pitches, and blogs, it’s been months since I wrote anything brand new (other than taking a few notes here and there that is). Sure, I’ve spent the last few months with the characters in my book, but it’s been revisiting the same story. Like any hooked reader, I keep wondering…what happens next?

So that’s what I aim to find out. I’m dusting off some old notes, refreshing my memory regarding outlines and histories, and going back to writing fresh scenes. Really, what better time is there to start the next chapter then when I’m still on the high of completing a major project?

Oh, and I just realized that there’s an added bonus…it’ll keep my mind occupied while waiting for a response to the queries that are about to go out!

The Rejection Reward Program

I did it! After a year in which I took on more writing and editing jobs than I thought I could handle in my spare time, I finally finished revising my own book. Sure, it took a lot longer than I initially expected, but the past 12 months have brought me so much growth in terms of my understanding of writing, and the opportunities I’ve had have done a lot to boost my confidence in my skills. As I closed the final chapter late Sunday night I was able to sit back and say, this is a story I would read again. I honestly can’t say that for a lot of the things I’ve written in the past.

Now comes the bigger challenge: queries, book proposals, sample chapters, and rejection letters. This won’t be the first time I’ve submitted a book to agents and editors, and I don’t expect it will be any easier than previous attempts either. The one thing I have on my side this time is a little more experience and a great reward program.

I’ve heard stories of other writers taking each of their rejections and skewering it on a bill spike. Some use them for target practice. Others have simply burned them. I use them as an excuse to treat myself. It’s kind of like my coffee punch card, for every rejection letter I receive I get a stamp. Once my stamp card is filled, I get a book, or I go to dinner with a friend — something to celebrate the fact that I put myself out there.

The Rejection Reward Program serves two purposes, it helps take the sting out of a form letter (I get an extra stamp if the letter is a personal note), and it encourages me to keep trying. After all, who can say no to the reward of your choice?

I’ll keep you posted as to my progress in the weeks ahead. For those of you who are in the same stage of writing as me, I’d love to hear what you do to keep yourself motivated. You can answer via the comment section on this page, or visit me and connect with some other writers over on my Facebook Writer’s Page.

–Jen

No Illusions

I have been blessed with meeting some amazing new writers over the years. I met today’s guest blogger through a mutual friend and we instantly connected. Jezika is an amazing young woman who continues to press forward in her quest to become a better writer, no matter what setbacks she stumbles across, and has been an incredible encouragement to me as well. Jezika lives with her husband and adorable son in Tennessee. - Jen

Writing is a lot like Quantum Physics in the fact that nothing is certain and rules sometimes exist merely for the sake of being broken. A magician may perform a trick for an audience, and even though we are skeptical, a part of us holds our breath in anticipation as he slowly opens his palm to reveal an empty hand. The object has vanished right before our eyes.

A writer uses these very tricks to her advantage.

Illusions, when executed skillfully, can draw a reader in from the first few words. Authors take ordinary characters and transform them into pulsating beings, capable of human emotion. No verbal promises have been made to the audience, yet they know something extraordinary is about to occur. The hook has been planted, and oblivious to the world, the pages begin to turn. The real magic in writing is keeping your reader interested, even if that means revealing the unfamiliar in a way we all can relate.

When I first started writing I kept a journal, but then I realized all my feelings appeared censored upon the page. You promise yourself honesty, but the lies are so much easier to swallow. Writers are extraordinary costume flies. Each wall contains a different story, and no one questions what appears in black and white.

The emotions within me feel like they are consuming at times. The page in front of me swells into a full moon bringing on the literary transformation. A passion smolders inside of me. The words twist my bones as I shape shift from character to character. I lose myself in the euphoria of creating others. There are times when I never want to return, but all writers must come home at some point.

My inspiration comes in so many forms. A beautifully written sentence can fuel the fire for days, or the ache in the eyes of a stranger that mirrors your own pain. Write for yourself then for the world. Take criticism as a grain of sand and one day eventually, an hourglass will form. As a writer, I die a little each time I send my work into the unknown, but every time I reach the other side a little wiser.

My only advice is to keep writing. Even clouds have the capability to become magical beings if we believe hard enough. A good magician may never reveal his secrets, but a skilled writer already knows how the show ends.      

— Jezika Stevens

A Writer’s Knapsack

Clothes for 3 days ✓

Toiletries ✓

Sun Block ✓

Bathing Suit/Beach Towel ✓

Hiking Shoes ✓

Moleskine Notebook ✓✓

Extra pens ✓

Spiral Notebook ✓

Journals ✓

A re-awakened thirst for adventure & inspiration ­✓✓✓

See you all next week!

Jen

The Missing “Scents”

I think smell is one of the five senses we tend to take most for granted, and yet it’s one we depend on more than we realize. It’s allergy season for me. The cottonwood trees are in full bloom and are filling the air with their own form of watery-eye, itch-inducing, fuzzy snow. Even with taking allergy meds it’s a miracle when I can breathe clearly through both nostrils at the same time.

Today happened to be one of those days. While Phillip and I were walking across the pedestrian bridge spanning the Rogue River, I noticed two distinct scents. They were so strong we joked that someone had stopped and sprayed two canisters filled with the particular smells just to catch people’s attention. (In truth, they come from two different trees growing along the river.) The first smell was sweet, a mix of floral and spice drops. It’s the perfume I attributed to the fabled gumdrop trees in the realm of Fancy. The other reminded me of my brothers’ soccer bags after a week of daily doubles.

Smell is also key to taste. Without it, I wouldn’t be able to differentiate the passion fruit from the rest of the flavors of the tea I ordered this morning. Everything just blends together obscurely. I know it’s there, I get a hint of the flavor, but it lacks the full body. And then there is the role it plays in creating memories. A whiff of cologne or body spray will bring to mind a friend or family member I haven’t seen in years. Vinegar reminds me of the summer my grandmother spilled a full bottle in her car. Finally, smell can alert us to danger long before we see or hear it, such as smoke, gas, or milk that has recently turned.

Why this long-winded talk of smell, you wonder? Well, I’ve been helping some friends with their writing projects over the past few months and I’ve noticed sight and sound has been abundant, but there has been little mention of the smells surrounding their characters. This made me take a closer look at some of the books I’ve been reading. Lo and behold, there it was: Sight. Sound. Touch. Taste. And Smell. Coupled with the past few weeks of limited breathing capabilities, I’ve become more aware of just how flat the world is without the sharp, sweet, sour, and gym-bag fumes permeating my environment. It’s one more thing I’m keeping in mind as I work through my own revisions.

The Return to Creativity

Between my day job and some additional editing jobs I’ve taken on over the past few months, I’ve noticed my personal writing has been increasingly pushed into the background. Especially where my book is concerned. At first it didn’t seem like that big a deal, but as the weeks passed I started to feel more and more disconnected. Even my daytime daydreams seemed to be fading into the deep recesses of my mind. There has been more than one occasion when I’ve worried I lost the key to my imagination and wondered if I’d be able to find it again.

Yesterday, however, I found myself inexplicably caught up for a few moments and couldn’t wait to get home, slip into a tank top and yoga pants, strip off my makeup, and jump onto my bed with my laptop. When it comes to writing, I’ve found the most effective spot is in my room. I’m comfortable, I’m less apt to be distracted by any clutter in the kitchen or videos and books in the living room, and the face I present to the world — the editor — has been completely banned from this place.

Here I am free to be creative, to express my most heartfelt thoughts. This is my sanctuary.

At first I was a bit concerned I’d have trouble getting started because it had been so long since I’d last opened one of my chapters, but it turns out I needn’t have worried. Everything else in my life was forgotten: bills, upcoming tasks, a close friend’s imminent move across country…they all faded into the distance as I slipped easily from this world into the realm of Fancy. And in that moment I felt more content than I have in a while.

I didn’t realize how much I missed my characters or how big a part of my life they have become. It was as if no time had elapsed at all as we moved together from one page to the next...and the next. Before I knew it, my Lego Darth Vader alarm clock (go ahead and laugh) was telling me two hours had passed. After expressing my surprise, Bobblehead Han Solo (a gift my aforementioned friend gave me earlier this year) seemed to give me that cocky grin he’s so famous for and ask, “What kept you so long?”

Needless to say, I was quick to promise him and the others I wouldn’t let it happen again anytime soon.

Writer Unconnected

I’m house sitting in the middle of nowhere this week. Cell phone reception is spotty, my laptop is without Wi-Fi, and while there is a television, I’m not a big fan of most of what’s currently showing. This has made for some very quiet evenings.

As I write this by hand (on Monday night), a fire is burning, both golden retrievers have finally settled down for the night, and the cat, who is the spitting image of Puss from the last Shrek movie, has finally come out of hiding to investigate the exciting smells found on my computer bag. It’s evenings like this that bring to my attention just how much of my free time is spent connected to technology. Five minutes here. Five minutes there. And next thing I know it’s midnight and I’ve gotten nothing accomplished.

Tonight instead of listening to Pandora, I’m being serenaded by a chorus of frogs. Instead of scrolling through wall posts and Twitter feeds, I’ve watched a pair of pink and green hummingbirds flit between feeders. I’ve stared in amazement as they flick their tiny tongues through needle-like beaks and have wondered at how small and delicate they look all while imagining what it would be like to catch and hold one.

In these few quiet hours I’ve forgotten about deadlines. My calendars have lost their importance. My mind has relaxed and my shoulders have lost their keyboard hunch. For the first time in weeks I feel like writing because I want to write, not because I have to.

And I still have five more nights to go.

–Jen

A Writer’s Time Capsule

I’m a pack rat when it comes to my writing. I keep everything, including pieces I think are garbage. Every once in a while I dig through them just to look back on my journey as a writer. I recently stumbled across the following self-interview I wrote the fall after I graduated from college. Its one of several I recorded while pretending I’d made it big and was being interviewed in a magazine like Writer’s Digest. I’m sharing it with you today in hopes that it offers a little inspiration for you in your own journey.

When did you first become a writer?

I think I’ve always been a writer, I just didn’t know it. Some of my earliest memories involve me scribbling lines across paper like I saw done in cartoons to help my dad with his work.

When I got into elementary school and learned how to write I started writing little stories and songs. Then for some reason I stopped when I reached high school. My sights were set on being a pediatrician and I focused on anything and everything I could that would help me become a doctor.

The funny thing was I noticed that I consecutively did better in English and writing classes. Friends would ask me to look over their papers. I would find typos in newspapers and the numerous books I consumed in my spare time. Yet despite that, a career in writing was something I didn’t consider until my junior year of college.

What made you change your mind about being a writer?

There were several factors involved, actually. It was, without a doubt, the most difficult decision I ever made. I went away to a small private college in Illinois and the entire time I was there I had this nagging feeling that I was making a mistake about the school I’d chosen, about becoming a doctor, about who I was. I spent a lot of time in the college greenhouse crying and arguing with myself and with God. I had told everyone I was going to become a doctor, I had volunteered at my local hospital for three years and loved every minute of it, yet even then I realized a part of me wondered if medicine was the right career for me.

In the end I transferred to Southern Oregon University, but the strain from the previous year and a overly demanding summer job had taken its toll and I ended up getting extremely sick. Ultimately that illness prevented me from doing well in any of my classes; I was put on academic probation, and I took some time off to reprioritize my life. It was at this time that an incredible opportunity appeared. I took a job as an editorial assistant, loved the job, and after many tearful, sleepless nights, decided to take some literature and writing classes just to see how it worked out. Since then I’ve never had cause to regret that decision. The classes interested me and fit me perfectly. My grades improved drastically, I was happy, and I started writing again.

What is the hardest part about being a writer?

Motivation. Sometimes I am completely obsessed and all I can do is write, then all of the sudden I want to do anything but write. Trying to find a balance between the two is difficult.

What advice would you give to a struggling writer?

Stop trying so hard. Unneeded pressure kills creativity. If you find yourself staring at the screen or the paper, yet nothing comes, do something else. Take a ten-minute walk and observe everything you see. Catalog objects of interest in the back of your mind and write them down afterwards, they might come in handy later. Read a book and observe how the author creates tension, suspense, images, everything — in the long run it will only improve your writing. Write whatever words come to your mind, even if it is as uninspiring as “I can’t think of anything to write. I hate staring at blank paper and not being able to get my thoughts out, it makes me feel like….” By simply writing and breaking past the impenetrable blankness and focusing on your feelings, you’ll be surprised by what simply flows from your fingertips. Keep all of your “ramblings” and peruse through them from time to time, they may hold the key you need to open that specific lock you stumbled across in the middle of the night.

Most importantly, remind yourself why you enjoy writing. Whether you write it down as an imaginary interview as I have done or just talk to yourself about it in the shower or with a friend, the reminder can get you excited again and send you flying back to your masterpiece.