While attending the Thrillerfest conference in June, I couldn’t help but notice the frequent use of the word “wheelhouse” in conversations about reading and writing books. The word became the newest buzzword of the year. It is a term that has slowly made its way into many writers’ vocabulary, including my own.
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This title perfectly describes how I am enjoying writing during these mid-summer days. Well, not exactly lazily. More like leisurely. I’m eager to write morning or evening pages and it is fun because there are no expectations attached. I commit to twenty minutes but almost always write longer.
It may be too soon to declare that a new habit is established but this latest attempt at the daily practice has continued for more than a month now. How freeing it is to just write direction-less.
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In June, I had the opportunity to attend the Thrillerfest Conference in New York City for the first time in three years. At this point in the pandemic game, I don’t have to tell you that booking the hotel and airfare were scary enough, but traveling via plane and subway with thousands of other people rubbing up against your ribs would be a nightmare. So, I will skip the conversation about risking my health and tell you that it was time to be brave. With three vaccinations in my arm and over a dozen N95 masks in my book bag, I knew I would be well protected while traveling to the U.S. conference for a week.
I, like most writers, am considered an introvert. So, attending a writing conference to start conversations with strangers face-to-face is not only intimidating but also terrifying. So, to appear like the extrovert that I wanted to be, I decided to take it easy, relax and be stress-free. I only concentrated on one goal for the conference: To make new friends and connect again with my old ones.
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It’s been over a year since I’ve done a blog post. I was taking a break to focus on my ONE writing priority: FINISHING MY NOVEL. It’s been a long project since I was learning how to write while I raised a family, worked, and tried to keep up with our house. My struggle is every artist’s struggle: How to keep creating when life is overwhelming you. (Unless of course you have a fabulous patron and you’re living in some historic castle writing away while dragons play outside.) But for the rest of us, here’s my story on how I kept to my goals when life was super challenging. And the tips, techniques and resources I used to keep myself on track even when life was busy making other plans for me.
Sometimes, life is hard.
Your typical day can get so hectic that you barely have enough time to change out of pajamas in the morning before it is already bedtime again. You are so busy juggling responsibilities that you can’t find the time to finish that short story, complete the novel edits, or even take a few minutes to write a four-line poem.
So, maybe you need a solo writing retreat?
I will admit that I won the lottery a few months ago. I didn’t win a cash prize or a prestigious award; instead, I won a writing residency opportunity to spend almost two weeks on a private island in the middle of a quiet lake. It is the perfect place for me to focus on three things: Eating, sleeping, and writing.
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The pandemic of recent years has wrecked havoc on the veterinary industry. In plain terms, there are less of us providing care, more pets than ever and the results is most veterinary practices can’t keep up. This is where capacity and prioritizing come in.
You can only do so much.
To keep my writing near to the top of the list, I have had to set goals and be uncompromisable when it comes to finding and protecting my writing time.
To further this goal, I signed up for a writing intensive with Chicken House Press, for 12 heavenly hours of uninterrupted time to write and reflect. Forefront on my writing time agenda was to address recent comments from an editor on the first 50 pages of the novel I am about to query.
My inner critic’s behaviour has been out of control lately so it is time for it to GO!
We all know the niggling, negative self talk that can undermine us in so many ways in our lives. Mine is especially loud and obnoxious when I write. It is such a powerful force that on countless occasions it has caused me to trash every word written thus far and start over. My inner critic is a slimy slug who sneaks up on me when least expected.
That is until recently. I started to notice a pattern in the critic’s appearances. They always occurred when I was well along in a project, happily writing, confident with my plan then WHAM! Suddenly everything turned to crap and nothing was salvageable. A strategy was required to put the critic in its place.
I am continuously learning the craft of writing. One of my favourite self-development authors is Seth Godin. I almost fall into a trance when I listen to him speak. A few years ago, he published a book called PUSHING PAST THE DIP: HOW TO BECOME THE BEST IN THE WORLD. I recently reread it.
In the book, Seth speaks about making the long, tough slog through mediocre-ville. Honestly, I laughed while I read it. It was probably a manic laugh, but still, I think about this book often. Seth mentioned that you must concentrate your efforts, push a little harder, commit a few more resources, and leave the mediocre to the average Joe.
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