Nourishment

Ah, January. As Hoosiers know, that’s the month of heavy clouds, short days, and cold that takes your breath away. And you can’t forget all those flagging good intentions regarding resolutions for the new year.

I try to make a few small goals instead of life-altering resolutions and here’s one for this year that I’m sure isn’t typical: I’m making an effort to water our houseplants more frequently. Yes, you read that right. I’m the worst at houseplants. I love them, but I can’t keep them alive for anything. My husband will walk by one and mention how sad or droopy or crunchy it looks. And that’s when I realize it’s probably been a few weeks since I last watered. Oops!

Just like those droopy plants, our writing spirits can get dry and crispy if we don’t take care of them. I’ve been going through a time like that, myself. I felt uncreative and unmotivated, which made me doubt myself and my writing. So, I didn’t write.

When the well of creativity dries up like that, what’s a writer to do?

Seek nourishment. Just like my sad little houseplants, we all need it from time to time. Even when things are going well, our spirits can get tired and dry.

Here are a few things I’m sure we all know will help, but can sometimes forget:

1.      Take a break

If you aren’t working on a tight deadline, a few days off can help refocus your mind on what you need to write. I know myself well enough to realize that the pressure to keep going will drain me if I try to push through without a day off here and there. And it provides the perfect chance to catch up on that reading writers need to do but have trouble fitting in!

2.      Get a change of scenery (or just pace)

Maybe you always write at home, at your desk. Try getting out and writing at a quiet coffee shop or the library. Maybe take a notebook and brainstorm while people-watching at the mall. It might just take moving to a different room or handwriting instead of typing for a while.

Sometimes I’ll stop writing and work up a few ideas for my next project to get the creativity flowing again. After my last deadline, I took a few weeks to try my hand at a short story in a completely different genre. Big or small, a change can help get you excited about writing again.

3.      Refresh your spiritual life

I love that God used words to reveal Himself to us in the Bible and that we can point others to Him with the words He gives us. But it only works if we stay connected to Him. Even for those who are faithful in Bible reading and prayer time, the daily practice can get routine at times. Try writing out your prayers in a notebook. Maybe you always follow a certain Bible reading plan. Add a journal to write a verse that stands out from the day’s passage. Or change to a devotional or Bible study to cover a book of the Bible.

Next time you’re feeling a slump coming on, don’t despair! And don’t be afraid to try something different.

I’d love to know, what’s your favorite way to reignite the creativity?

Abbey Downey never expected her love for writing to turn into a career, but she’s thankful for the chance to write inspirational romance as Mollie Campbell. A life-long Midwestern girl, Abbey lives in Central Indiana, where her family has roots back to the 1840s. She couldn’t be happier spending her days putting words on paper and hanging out with her husband, two kids, and a rather enthusiastic beagle.

You can check out Abbey’s books at www.molliecampbell.com

Keeping Your Tiggers and Eeyores in Line

Do you ever hear someone get asked a question and wish they asked you?

This was my case in June, 2005. I sat in a Toastmaster club as area governor elect. (Okay, technically I was appointed. Details, details.) The theme for the meeting was Winnie the Pooh, a theme well used by the Topics Master.

My question was what I would write if I wrote a children's book. That was a fun question. I told them I'd write about an otter raised by a family of beavers. You can imagine what that's like. The otter wants to play while his adoptive parents are getting him to work on the dam. This otter would meet a wolf taken in by a cougar family. “I want to be part of the pack.” “What pack? We aren't a pack.”

However, when I heard the next question, I wished I had gotten that one instead.

“You are Winnie the Pooh. You've been given a free counseling session. Now, you're well adjusted and don't need it. Will you give it to Tigger to help calm him down? Or to Eeyore to cheer him up?”

I was about nine when Disney's Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day came out, which introduced Tigger. I fell in love with Tigger. I wanted to be as bouncy and fun as he was.

Growing up, though, I found my companion and mentor to be gloomy old Eeyore. “It will fall off again,” he said when his tail was put back on him. “Always does.”

If I wrote this blog yesterday, I would have dealt with a topic that interested me, one that would give food for thought. But this has been an Eeyore week for me. Just this week? Maybe all of this year. (Fortunately, we're only half way through January; hope this isn't a trend.)

My Eeyore side has been given plenty to be gloomy about. My wife's dealing with health problems. The only presidential candidate I could be excited about finished 6^th in Iowa and dropped out. My Amazon review of that candidate's auto-biography has the current line “1 out of 6 find this review helpful.” (My hunch is that the five who found that not helpful did so solely because I gave a five star review to a book they disagreed with, but still it's discouraging.)

Also, I received a rejection letter (okay, e-mail) from an agent who kindly mentions my characters and plot don't resonate with him. Not much to encourage me to write, something I've been struggling to find time to do. To be honest, I'm even wondering if writing is what I'm supposed to be doing.

Did the person who got the counseling question think Eeyore was the one who needed counseling? No, she thought it was Tigger who was too hyper. I can identify. Sometimes, my Tigger tries to compensate for the Eeyore. Time to get bouncy. Find other activities. Keep busy, busy, busy, so I don't have time to be gloomy, gloomy, gloomy.

So how would I have answered the question?

Simple. I would have given the counseling to neither of them. Rather, I'd get them Tigger and Eeyore to counsel each other. Have Eeyore kindly mellow out Tigger, while Tigger gives Eeyore something to be cheerful about.

That's one thing good about the ACFW meetings or critique groups. We can point out areas of improvement but give encouragement at the same time. (This is one of Toastmaster's strengths, by the way.)

And the counseling session? I'd give that to grouchy Rabbit.

Spring Training

It’s the first day of spring! After a cold and snowy Indiana winter, spring is a time for new beginnings and rebirth. We’re already nearly three full months into 2010. Think back to January 1. Did you come up with some resolutions? Did you map out some goals? Yes, I did too. Pull that list back out and look it over. How are you doing? Knocking it out of the park? Sharpened pencil still hovering over item number one? Maybe somewhere in the middle with a few goals met, but many others pushed to the next week or the next month.

God taught me a lesson this winter about persevering through life. It could apply to any difficult undertaking, but we’re here to talk writing. Let me share a few ideas that might help get you through the next writing slump or difficult objective you encounter.

Five days a week I run three miles. While the winter weather usually confines me to indoors, I found myself between treadmills and so I headed to the local River Greenway to run one cold day in February. I parked my car and bundled up to fight off the chill. The wind pushed at me and I could picture myself like those TV weathermen who report from the shore while a hurricane makes land—leaning into it, hair whipping around, face stinging in the cold breeze. When I don’t have the treadmill to gauge my speed, I start out too fast. So there I was, only about a third of a mile in, fighting the wind, the cold, and the beginning of a side-stitch. That’s when I started to doubt. It’s too cold out here. I should go home and skip today. This stinks. Why did I ever start running in the first place? This is no fun. This is too hard.I still had several miles to go and if I had any hope of getting this done, I needed to dig deeper and figure out how I was going to do it.

The first thing I did was check my pace. I cut back a little on the speed and the side stitch vanished. In your writing, maybe you are going too fast or too slow. Either one can cause you to burn out. Make a plan to finish on time.

Next I did what I often do when I need to get my mind off of myself—I prayed. I started with A and began to work my way through the alphabet. Prayer realigns our focus and gets us through the tough times.

The last thing I did was to focus on what was true. I told myself that I could rest in a short while. I promised I’d be so happy when I met this goal. I bribed myself with the Reese’s peanut butter hearts in the trunk. Focus on the truth in your writing journey. Remind yourself why you do it and of the reward waiting at the end.

I am happy to say that I made it. On the return route, the wind blew at my back, the sun warmed my chilly cheeks, and I noticed the sun-kissed icicles and the birds on the river. I reminded myself of that truth too—some days of writing are like that—you hit your sweet spot.

Here we sit on the cusp of spring and I give you permission to dust off those New Year’s resolutions and goals. Tuck the failures of the past away with your sweaters and let hope peek through like a winter-white ankle. It’s the season for new beginnings.

Nikki Studebaker Barcus

Is It Time to De-Stress?

In the past month, responsibilities layered one on top of the other until I found myself barely surviving. At the end of each day, my biggest challenge was keeping my eyes open long enough to watch an hour of the Winter Olympics. Forget about meeting my writing goals.

I didn't step away completely, but I did learn that certain times in life require me to say "No", so that I can say "Yes" to my most important priorities. For me, that meant saying "No" to attending every Mom's group and blogging at a frenetic pace, so I could say "Yes" to my physical well-being, my family, and my writing goals (which have adjusted as a result of my down time).

I recently did a Google search on de-stressing, and I found a site called "100 Ways to Reduce Stress". Take the time to read it. You'll feel yourself de-stressing just looking through the list. And since writing is still a high priority for me, I think doing many of these activities will serve to make me a better writer in the process.

Where is your stress level these days? What can you cut out or add to your life to make you a more effective writer?

Can Writers Do It All?

I admired the author who spoke about her eight hour writing routine which is only interrupted when her husband brings lunch, afternoon tea, and the housekeeper comes in to say good-bye. That may not be fiction, but it certainly is fantasy as far as my life is concerned.

I suspect it’s fantasy for most of us who track the market, polish the proposal, peruse how-to books, write for cash, maintain daily word counts, update blogs, strive to meet contest or requested manuscript deadlines as dear hubby pokes his head in and says, “I have no clean clothes and, seriously, are we eating cold cuts again?” or #1 wife says, “Junior can’t find his way back from the sandbox. When are you cutting the lawn?”

How does anyone do all the things that a writer is supposed to do?

Well, don’t ask me, I was hoping you’d have some solutions. No, just kidding. It's an on-going dilemma and one I wrestled with for years. The answer depends on your own unique circumstances and placement on God’s path. In the meantime, here are three tips.

Everything does not have to be done now. We try to microwave our success when it should be more like preparing a luau: Build a deep pit, lay a good fire, prepare the food, lower the clay pot of goodies, cover it over and bake for hours and hours, then feast. Did you notice how many steps there were leading up to the feasting? They each build on the other otherwise you’d be eating raw, sandy food. There is a time for everything.

If you are spinning out of control, stop. Truly. Simply stop. The world will not fall apart, even if the kids are screaming bloody murder. You take time for absolutely everything else so make it a priority to stop and ask God what he wants to do with your life. Then plan small orderly steps to accomplish that.

Exercise those trust muscles. God is in control. If you believe that, than you can relax and simply ask God, “What am I to do this day?” In James 1:5 God invites you to ask him and is pleased to give you wisdom. If you are burning out, it’s sure that you are moving in your own strength for God will empower you to do what needs to be done, including caring for spouse, children, and the sick dog.

I’m interested. How do you manage all the things a writer must do? What tips do you have to add to these basic ideas?