Writing, like life, evolves from the journeys we’ve taken.
Adventures, life lessons, relationships, love. Regardless of genre, these are experiences all writers encounter, either within ourselves, with other writers or even with our characters. (I’ve been known to fall in love with my hero a time or two–or ten.)
Life often doesn’t give you a choice whether or not you take a particular journey. Some life journeys you choose, such as taking a new job or deciding to have a baby, but others are thrust upon you, like an illness or a loss. But writing journeys are all about choice. You choose to travel every journey with your character. Journeys of your own making. Journeys often thorned and complicated and painful.
When you think about sitting down to voluntarily jump into the muck of situations usually far more tumultuous than real life, it’s truly no shock the resistance to write is, occasionally, insurmountable.
Challenge creates excitement. And anxiety.
Many of these anxiety-ridden days have been piling up for me recently as I delve into writing my first option book. With the two manuscripts contracted with Kensington finished, polished, submitted and awaiting editorial comments, it’s time for me to start writing another book, one which the publisher has the right to view before my agent and I submit to other houses for consideration.
I decided to write the third novel in this series for the option because I love trilogies, and because I believe in this team of characters enough to risk having the book not sell. If my current house decides to pass on this manuscript, it would be difficult, (although not impossible, granted), to sell the third of a series already printed by another publishing house to a new publisher.
So, not only am I breaking new ground by writing a book I know has to be stellar enough to sell on just three paragraphs and a synopsis (as options are often written as proposals, not full manuscripts), this third book is a reunion story, always fraught with complex emotion and hell on a writer, and I’ve got to culminate the overarching plot of the trilogy while tying that plotline into the individual book’s plot.
Gee…I wonder why I’m resistant to sit my butt down and face that blinking curser.
The universe will give you what you need. You just need to listen.
On one of these should-be-writing-but-wasn’t days, I took my pup to the beach for a walk. Exercise, like writing lately, is often one of those things I procrastinate over. But I forced myself out of my little introverted world for the sake of my awesome pup. (They’re good at getting you out.)
After we reached the waterline and headed south, that momentum the motivational speaker Tony Robbins speaks of took over. I was there. I was walking. And it seemed the beautiful, crisp, clear winter day was my reward for showing up. Until, a ways down the beach, I found another little treasure half buried in the wet sand: a perfect sand dollar. I got a little thrill as I picked it up, washed the sand off in the sea and carried it with me. Another fifty feet—another sand dollar. Wow, this was cool. My daughter is the one with the sand dollar karma, I never find them. But that day seemed to be my very own sand dollar day.
As I walked our customary low-tide four mile trek, the sand dollars appeared more frequently. Every thirty feet, every twenty feet, every ten feet I’d discover one sparkling at the water line or catch sight of one from the corner of my eye. By the end of our walk, I’d collected twenty-one perfect sand dollars, each as unique as a snowflake. One as tiny as a dime.
Little treasures I’d never have discovered if I hadn’t taken that journey.
I felt as light and invigorated and inspired as after a solid writing stint that produced a new plot twist or created a fresh character.
And I knew it was time to crack my resistance to this option book .
Every writer gets stuck at some time or another. Not every writer gets going again. Be the exceptional one. Let the promise of those little treasures lure you back to what you love.
Because if you don’t show up, neither will they.
What keeps you from writing? How do you unstick? What little treasures have you found while pouring yourself into your story?
I thought this little guy was appropriate for a giveaway on a mystery writer’s blog. (And I adore him!) Comment to enter the drawing to win the Dead Guy Sticky Notes pad.
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Joan Swan is a triple RWA® Golden Heart finalist, and a double Kiss of Death Daphne Du Maurier finalist. She writes sexy romantic suspense with a paranormal twist, and her first novel with Kensington Brava, FEVER, debuts April, 2012. You can find Joan at her website: http://www.joanswan.com.
Thanks so much for guest posting today, Joan! Joan is a writing friend of mine that I’ve gotten to know on Twitter, where she’s active as @joanswan. She also has a great blog that I’ve tweeted before. I’m looking forward to her Phoenix Rising series next year.
Elizabeth – Thanks for hosting Joan.
Joan – Thanks for the reminder to be alive to the things that happen to us along the way. They are the stuff of what we write…
This was such a refreshing read and so true about the universe giving us what we need and sorting things out. A lot of times we forget that we have to enjoy the ride and not focus so much on the destination.
Thanks again for posting today, Joan! And thanks for reminding us of the treasures we find as we face the challenges of our writing journey. :)
I’m kind of in that boat– my publisher, however, doesn’t offer multi-book deals (at least not often) and thus, I have to complete each book before I can submit it. And with 3 books in the series already, nobody else is going to want book #4. However, the story was there, so I’m writing it. And our new home, new routine, new environment provide so many new treasures that inspire the writing.
Terry
Terry’s Place
Romance with a Twist–of Mystery
Elizabeth,
Thanks so much for having me. You are so welcoming and the blog so professional. Greatly appreciated!
Joan
Hi Margot,
I often have to remind myself…maybe even every other day. Life has a way of drawing our attention to other things–good and bad. It’s a constant resetting excercise to truly “sit down” WITH your writing, not just working ON it.
Thanks for the comment and the thought.
Joan
This post was the nudge in the right direction I need right now to overcome my procrastination. Although I probably need more of a shove than a nudge. :) I write short stories so I’ve been using prompts to try to get my writing mojo humming again.
By the way, love the notepad!!
I’m a total believer in the universe giving us what we need when we need it. Although sometimes my characters tend to force me to take the story in a totally different direction to what I intended:)
Hi Kim,
Which means you’re building strong characters who are individual enough to stand on their own. Awesome!
Joan
The notepad is really cute!
You clearly are more centered than I am. If I walked the beach and kept coming across sand dollars, esp knowing that was very unusual, I would be worried that something bad was happening to sand dollars. I’m a worrier … and not used to walking along the beach, although I absolutely love beaches and water.
Clearly, I also ramble.
Thanks, Margaret!
I’ve always been more interested in the destination than the journey. While the years have slowed me down, I still have to consciously force myself to pay attention to the moment, enjoy the ride. When I’m there, I’m happy I did.
Helen, I like the notepad, too. So cute! Originally found it in Borders, but ended up buying a few online for giveaways.
I’m a worrier too — intermittantly. :) Obviously, that day I was more concerned with myself than the poor sand dollars. :( LOL.
Hi Terry,
It’s such a leap of faith, isn’t it? You, as the writer, know the book needs to be written, to complete the story, to let the characters live out their lives. Of course the editor doesn’t know what’s inside your head, so you have to just do it and hope they see how right you were. :)
Congrats on the new home! Hope you’re enjoying those treasures.
What a terrific post and such sage advice. I, too, will go outside when I am stuck and often just the change of scene and a bit of exercise get me unstuck.
Glad to know even with contracts and options and deadlines and whatnot, how important it is to take time to treasure the small moments to keep us grounded.
Not commenting to enter (although I do like that notepad) but it is the things we discover, some of which we didn’t even know we had, that make the writing process fun. And since my next book contains a female character, I’m really discovering things!
Hi Janel,
Oh, yes, procrastination. I find that when I’m procrastinating, it’s not because I don’t want to write, but because there is something else going on that’s bugging me…dragging my attention away from writing. Even something subconsicous or just below the radar.
The other main reason I procrastinate is because something in the story isn’t right. I can feel it, but I can’t figure it out and when I sit down to write, it feels…wrong.
I’ve never used prompts, although I’ve used just about every technique under the sun. :)
Writer’s Digest just had a sale on a cool book that was for prompts. Let me see if I can find the link.
I’ll post it.
Hi Bluestocking,
So true. I’ve found it’s the small things and staying grounded that smooths the path to enable me to write.
Thanks for commenting.
Alex,
LOL, too funny. I’ll bet!
And I do just LOVE when you’re writing along, plan in mind, headed toward that goal and your character looks at you and says, “Can you write in some chocolate? I really need chocolate.” “Oh, and by the way, that plot sucks. Here’s what I think…”
Good luck with your female character!
Here’s a prompt…
http://blog.writersdigest.com/norules/2011/03/02/AWonderfulPromptToHelpYouGatherMaterial.aspx
Still looking for the book link.
Found it: The Write-Brain workbook:
http://www.writersdigestshop.com/product/the-write-brain-workbook/deal_day
Hi Maryann,
Good, I’ll follow you! Inspiration, that’s what I need!
Such a beautiful post. I love the sand dollars coming faster and faster. That’s such a parallel to the writer’s journey. I also love this: “The universe will give you what you need. You just need to listen.”
Thanks so much for the needed inspiration.
Martina
Thanks, Martina. It struck me, too, that day. I’ve never found so many, it was like the universe shaking me: Look! Look! Now, go write!
Thanks so much again, Joan, for your post and your comments through the day. Looking forward to your release next year!
Joan – Thanks for the link to the book and prompts! That books sounds great, playing games to come up with ideas sounds like fun.
I had to laugh when you talked about procrastinating because something just wasn’t right in a story. Going through that right now!
Hi all,
The random number selector at Random.org chose the #11th comment as the winner (that excludes my comments of course)…which is Martina!
Congrats, Martina. I will get your email address from Elizabeth and contact you.
Thanks everyone for coming by and commenting.
Joan
Great blog post. I LOVED this line: “On one of these should-be-writing-but-wasn’t days”. Boy do I have a lot of those!
I agree that getting out of the house and seeing the world, or parts of it…really helps. :)
I hear you, Rebecca.
I’m bad about getting out. My job is intense and draining, physically, mentally and emotionally, so when I’m home, I often don’t want to engage in the world. But usually feel so much better when I do.
Thanks for coming by.
Janel,
That book looked so fun it almost made me want to start doing prompts.
Almost. (VBG)
When you stop to think about it, it totally makes sense that procrastination would be a big clue that something isn’t right in the story, because if we love to write and we’re not writing…there has to be a good reason. And because procrastination is essentially a problem within the mind–the way we are *thinking* about something or *viewing* something, then it makes sense our subconsious is telling us something in the story is keeping us from writing.
But…seriously, I just figured this out after writing for 10 years.
Enjoy the prompts (and the book, if you decide to get it.)
And good luck getting over that little stickiness in your wip.
Joan
Hi Joan,
Love the silver dollar story, it reminds me of what I told my children as they grew up, entered their teens, wanted money but didn’t go job-hunting: No one is going to knock on the door and offer you an awesome great-paying job. You have to find them.
Same goes for writing, and anything else in life. I believe in networking.
Publishers don’t go door-to-door looking for new talent and undiscovered manuscripts either – or do they? My first book, Storyteller, a collection of shorts, was requested by a publisher. Seriously. She called me up. On the phone. And asked.
But, she didn’t call out of the blue. I did go out and ‘find her’, so to speak. By attending readings and launches and writing circles that friends belonged to, by enlarging my circle, I bleeped across my publisher’s radar. She heard my name, met me a few times, read my work without my knowing it.
And then she called.
So, I didn’t pursue the contract in the traditional way, but, like you and the silver dollars, I found it, by going out on the beach where the sand dollars, and publishers, are.
Good luck to all the awesome writers going to the RWA Conference in NYC to pitch. And for those attending Dreaming in Dallas, come find me – I’ll be there!
Wonderful article, Joan. Your story reminds me of Julia Cameron’s book, The Artist’s Way. She suggests that we have an ‘artist’s date’ every week, an adventure alone, somewhere new, to fill our creative wells. Thanks for the reminder to get outside and find the silver dollars that wait in the sand to inspire us.
Hey Sherry!
Thanks for coming by! Yes, you just have to be out there, hanging, dawdling, loitering where the things you want lurk.
Then fate takes over and you collide. :)
Hi Sharon,
I love Julia Cameron and The Artist’s Way. Alas, I am consistency-challanged, so the artist’s dates and the morning pages seemed hit and miss for me. Then my OCD would kick in and I would tell myself all or nothing – why bother if you’re not going to keep up. Then I’d quit.
*Sigh* I did start journaling again recently.
But your comment makes me think it would be better to think of it less as an “artist’s date” and more just getting out.
Maybe my resistance and OCD will stay in check that way.
Thanks!