Creative Play

by Jewel Leann Williams

I’m not even gonna lie, I am avoiding NaNoWriMo like the plague this year. I applaud all of you who are doing it, but…. I failed so miserably last year, and this year I am busier and more stressed out. It’s just not the time to put more expectations on my plate when I already feel I fail at most of my current, non-NaNo ones.  I’m cheering you all on, though.

Speaking of stress, at work tonight we were given the task of creating “hand turkeys” by one of the supervisors. Not officially, just “please do this to decorate, it will make me happy”—so we did.  I was thinking about it as we did it, at first begrudgingly, then more willingly—and more creatively. 

This is NOT one of our turkeys.  It came from IMAGE: @STEELE_MADDIE ON INSTAGRAM

What is it about coloring, cutting, and gluing that was so pleasant?

I’ve been hearing and seeing more lately about “adult coloring books” and “adult play”—there’s even a place in NYC that is running an “adult preschool” for… well, way too dang much money (I haven’t figured out what they mean by a “sliding scale” of between $333 and $999, but since they get to decide who to accept into the preschool, I imagine those who say they can only pay $333 probably are on the bottom of the wait list).

Is it that important?  You bet your sweet bippy—whatever a bippy is. Psychology Today, in an article titled “The Power of Play” states that:

But there is also evidence that play does much more. It may in fact be the highest expression of our humanity, both imitating and advancing the evolutionary process. Play appears to allow our brains to exercise their very flexibility, to maintain and even perhaps renew the neural connections that embody our human potential to adapt, to meet any possible set of environmental conditions.

Now that article is from 1999. But no research has come about to contradict it—as a matter of fact, there is more evidence than ever that play—especially creative play—can not only relax and de-stress the mind, but can serve as actual therapy. We’re not talking coloring books, though—we are talking CREATING.

So—how does this relate to the over-stressed writer? When you’re neck-deep in your NaNoWriMo project and you hit a wall of writer’s block, what can you do? In the interest of creative play, here are some ideas:

·         Draw your main character. Or a villain. Or the hunky love interest. Doesn’t have to be perfect, or even good. Get out the hot glue gun and glitter if you want. Make it into a doll and use it to act out a scene in your book. Get silly.

·         Use your kid’s actions figures and Barbie dolls to act out a scene—or not even a scene. Pretend that they are suddenly flung from the world of the book into modern day—argue with them, make them have a dance off.

·         Since many of us will be alone in our writing place, while all are asleep, when this writer’s block stress machine attacks, head for the nearest open space and make up an interpretive dance. You don’t have to dance LIKE no one is watching, because, seriously. It’s 2 am. No one is watching.

·         Color—but not in a book. Make up your OWN swirls and whorls, or scenery, or scribbles, or make your name in bubble letters and trace the colors over and over…. Again, this isn’t for an art show, it’s just to let your brain be creative, and playful, and “renew the neural connections.”

·         Do you know how to play an instrument? Take a few notes and create a song for your character. You don’t have to remember it later or write it down. You can even change the words to someone else’s song if you want.

·         Are the kids awake? Get them involved. Maybe they want to help you act out a scene. Or maybe they don’t. Play make-believe with them, and get involved in the story THEY are creating. Yeah, I know. Lightning McQueen and Batman are fighting Princess Anna and Olaf in an epic showdown to see who gets to catch Pikachu once and for all—not super-exciting, but you’re a writer, darn it, and you can make that story WORK. Best thing is, you’re creating, it’s risk free and stress free and you get to be the coolest parent in the world for a little while (as if you weren’t already all the time, right?)

·         DON’T GET ON FACEBOOK

·         DO NOT START PLAYING ONLINE GAMES—I say this because it is not creative play, it is not going to expand your mind, it is just numbing it.

What other creative outlets do you have? How do you use creative play to break writer’s block, or to simply de-stressify your life?  Share in the comments! 

This is Einstein out playing "Pretend to be Minecraft Steve" right before coming up with that whole E=MC thingy
(this image came from http://www.givegoodpodcast.com/creativeplay/)

5 Tips for Tackling Writer's Block

by Celeste Cox

Here's the thing: writer's block is a thing. It happens. One second the story is flowing like delicious golden liquid onto the page, and the next you feel like you might as well be staring at a three year old's drawing. In crayon. And even that would be more inspired than the gibberish you've just written.

But here's another thing: blocks can be moved. It's not called Writer's Great Impenetrable Wall. It's just a block. It doesn't have to mean the end. Just make like a lego master and move the dang thing. I know, I know. Easier said than done. So here are 5 tips for tackling that mean old writer's block:

1. Take a SHORT Break.

This is definitely the favorite amongst all writers. *Raising my hand slowly* Mine too. It's the well deserved break! We are writers. And it's our passion. But it's hard. Especially when our minds just aren't cooperating. Especially when writer's block shows up! That break is more than well deserved. It is necessary. But here's the problem with "break time". It either lasts way longer than it should. Or there are way too many of them. But I had to go and get another drink, you say. And then I had to use the bathroom. And then I needed a snack! Hey, I get it. But don't let these breaks be a lazy way out. Keep them short. You know how long you really need.

2. Get Inspired.

What inspires you? What makes your insides spark up like the Fourth of July? If it's nature, go for a walk, look out the window, or watch the Discovery channel. If it's a certain song, listen to it. Maybe it's a smell. A book, a movie, a color. Whatever it is, let it inspire you. Make it happen.

3. Write Anyways.

Yes, you have written garbage. And yes, you will write garbage again. And YES, it's okay. That's the wonderful thing about writing. You can write the worst thing you've ever written and still be happy about it. Because you're writing. You're doing what you love. What you crave. And then there's the bonus: there's always something within the garbage. A small piece of treasure. And you never would've written it had you not allowed yourself to stink up the page.

4. Work on Something Else.

You want to finish what you're working on. You need to finish it already! I know. But sometimes you just need to take a step back. Instead of completely taking a break from writing, work on something else. Preferably something fun and easy. Then go back to your work in progress and you'll find that you CAN get past whatever it was that was causing you to go a little more crazy than usual.

5. Get Help.

Read articles (like this one!). Read a book on writing. Or find yourself some writing prompts. Whenever I have really icky bad writer's block I love doing this exercise I learned in one of my creative writing classes. Here's how it works. Find a picture. Any picture that sort of speaks to you. Don't take forever finding a picture though, or now you're just dooming yourself. Here are some random ones for you. A)

B)

C)

D)

E)

F)

G)

H)

Now set the timer! I like to change it up sometimes but let's do 5 minutes. So for 5 minutes write whatever comes to mind about the image you chose. It can be a poem, short story, random facts, random sentences that don't even go together, whatever! Just write. 

AND THERE'S ABSOLUTELY NO EDITING ALLOWED. 

This is just you letting it all out. No holding back. Whatever comes to mind.

Once the 5 minutes are up, read it. Admire it. Yeah, yeah, it's probably a mess, but isn't it a beautiful mess? And look! You wrote something! You thought writer's block had defeated you, that you were incapable of writing even one more word. But you did it.

Drowning in the Sea of Nano

The goal is 50,000 words in one month.
Not that hard, they say, that's only 1500 words or so a day. 
Even if you fall behind, you can always catch up. 

Pretty, pretty lies, but LIES nonetheless. It is HARD HARD HARD.

It's November, after all. Kids are stir crazy and possibly still bouncing around from Halloween's sugar overdose. Thanksgiving is coming.

If you had teens (or volunteered to help) in the Phoenix Temple Cultural Celebration, then you were driving kids, sewing costumes, buying black pants, black shoes, then white shoes, white socks, no, wait, now it's black shoes again. Oh wait, now it's both. Back to the store. Then the Celebration itself, then the dedication of the Phoenix Temple! Veteran's Day, spring cleaning (It's spring here in the Valley of the Sun, by the way. Yeah, spring is in November). So much to do, and hey, let's write a novel!

Does anyone else have little keyboard shaped dents in their heads from the frustration? Okay, so that's established.

How about writer's block? Yes, that nasty beast FEEDS on NanoWrimoians like blue whales on plankton. I'm sitting here trying to write, and I've veered so far off my outline (yes, I OUTLINED) that I am now pantsing, even though DID I MENTION I OUTLINED??? The story went fabulous places, and then crashed. I don't want to go back to the outline. The pantsing version is much more awesome. AND also terrible and I hate it but I love it--

Yes, I am in the throws of the mid-Nano slump. Many of my colleagues are, as well. It's even got to the point where I have visions of Mork every time I say Nano (technically he says "Na-NU" but still). So, in honor of that, here's a little visual inspiration (it's no Avengers, and if you've seen that you know what I mean):

Okay. Got that out of the way. SO,
WHAT DO WE DO TO BREAK THE SLUMP?

Here you thought I was just going to complain and not give you any tips for breaking writer's block.  I wouldn't do that to you, gentle reader.  I have a few things that have helped me. Yesterday I did these things and got to a place where I could write 4000+ words over the course of a few hours.

1) Remember. It's not about making time,it's about protecting our time. I don't take credit for that. Deirdra Eden Boyd shared it. I had to remind myself and others that I had made a goal, a commitment, and I need to do what it takes to keep that commitment, to reach that goal. I sacrificed some much-needed relaxation time and skipped family movie night to write. It kinda stunk, but they got to watch a movie I wasn't very interested in, and I got almost unimpeded writing time.

2)Forget. Expectations have no place when you are writing for volume. I tend to edit as I write. I think about the words I want to use, sometimes a little too much. My first drafts are more polished than some people's second or third drafts. Nanowrimo isn't about that, though. In order to be able to write 50,000 words in a month, I have had to forget that expectation that what I write will be up to my normal first-draft expectations. The point is to get the novel out and ready to work with.

3)Inspire. What inspires you? If what normally inspires you isn't working in the throes of Nanowrimo, then maybe you can find something else, change it up a bit? Some little tidbits of inspiration suggestions I've found. I'll tell you about any of them I've tried, and how it's worked for me.

• Music:  this is a huge one for me this week. I usually don't like to listen to instrumental music, but I needed a change, so I googled "melancholy instrumental music" and discovered an artist named "Hauschka" who just... wow. It fit the bill and then some. I jumped on Pandora and let them pick out music in the "Hauschka Radio" station and I've found it fits the tone of what I'm trying to write, perfectly. Here's a little Hauschka: 

One person shared their multiple playlists that help them in certain situations, including breaking writer's block. Here is a link to their post, maybe it has some musical ideas for you: 

http://nanowrimo.org/forums/reaching-50-000/threads/194004

• Sprints:  Opening up Facebook (BEWARE! DANGER WILL ROBINSON!!!) and having friends to do sprints with has helped immensely.
• Write-In:  doing a write-in is always helpful. I have a faithful write-in group, that used to be part of the same ANWA chapter, but has since been scattered to the 4 corners of the globe. Okay, Texas, Buckeye AZ, and Louisiana aren't exactly foreign lands, but they don't lend themselves to all-night potluck write-ins, either. SO, we opened up a Google Hangout and did it online. There are virtual write-in's as well as Nanowrimo-sponsored ones, or organize your own. Everyone working on the same thing is synergistic and it helps me immensely. Having someone to give you instant feedback, or suggest a word here and there can break the ice of the impending writer's block. 
• Timers: the sprints are one take on timers, but there are other ways to do this, even alone. "Write or Die"is a software application that rewards you for meeting a goal, and if you don't, it punishes you. It might eat your words, or zombies may show up at your door. Well, maybe not zombies. Even just setting a Google Timer, and when it goes off, if you've typed your goal, you get a Coke. If not, no soup for you. 
• TURN EVERYTHING ELSE OFF!! This one probably won't work for me. It might just make me angry. But for some, it has to be distraction free. Having my music in my headphones helps me to really enter the world where I am writing, and sometimes I even have my eyes closed, which really creeps out my son (thank you, former career where I had to type and look at a million other things all at once). Kill Facebook (unless you are using it for sprints, then just have it open JUST for that. No need to check any updates or anything). Remember--PROTECT your time. 

These are just a few little ideas. What works for me may not work for you. Heck, you may not even need it. Maybe your muse is sitting right there next to you and you are having a great laugh together at the poor whiner with her Mork and her Hauschka, just trying to finish her Nano novel in 2014.  

Oh, I almost forgot. 

4)JUST DO IT! Don't delay. Write. It's easier to write, when you're writing. You know what I mean. Good luck. May the force be with you. May the odds be forever in your favor. All that good stuff. 

And my favorite:

JUST KEEP SWIMMING!!

Discussion time:  how's your Nano-vember going?  What antidotes to mid-Nano venom do you have in your writer's first-aid kit? 

Have You Lost that Lovin' Feelin'?

You never wake up late at night with amazing plots
and all your characterizations are far from your waking thoughts
You're trying hard to keep writing (baby)
But you're worried, your creativity's dyin'!

You've lost that writing feeling
That up all night plotting feeling
Worried your muse is fleeing
and she's gone, gone, gone
Inspiration's gone....whoa ....

Baby, baby--- nah, I'll stop. Are you feeling like being a writer is the dumbest choice you ever made? Are the words all wrong? Every idea you have feels like it's dull, stupid, done-a-million-times.....

Well, #1, that probably means you have, at some time, moved from writing to editing, or you've tried to get an agent or publisher some time in the past.

Secondly, there are a million cures out there. It's different for everyone. Do a little research, talk to a friend, and most importantly,

JUST KEEP SWIMING--- keep plugging along, keep writing, push through it.

It WILL get better. Don't give up!

Remember---you didn't really CHOOSE to be a writer. It's what you ARE, and you won't ever really be happy until you are doing it.

We love you!

This message of encouragement brought to you by Mormon Mommy Writers and Friends.

My name is Jewel Leann Williams, and I approve this message.

Happy Saturday!

DISTRACTION!!!!

A few weeks ago, I got into a bit of a….. we’ll call it a discussion…. with someone on Facebook. I won’t go into the details, but feelings were hurt, people picked sides, more feelings were hurt, and it became a HUGE thorn in my side.

I couldn’t write.

I was so distracted by the emotions of the issue, that when I sat down to write, all my brain wanted to do was write a litany of clever comebacks and points about how right I was and how everyone else needed to be ashamed for not being on my side.  This was a problem. I was in the middle of writing a historical fiction piece for a teen magazine, something I hadn’t done before. I needed to be on my game.  I had a deadline. I did not have time to be worrying about this stupid tiff and dang it I was right and how dare they not see my point of view and I should just write something on Facebook right now or I can just unfriend all of them and maybe I don’t want to even be associated with them anyway and and and….. yeah. THAT kind of distracted.

Honestly, it didn’t end for a few days. I’m not sure what happened, but late one night, something just clicked. It didn’t matter if I was right anymore, I just wanted the negative feelings and the distraction to end, so I took care of it. I sent it off into the internet abyss, and even when something else happened that could have blown the little dying embers of my indignance right back up again, I chose to ignore it. It was liberating.

I was talking to my husband about the whole thing, and he suggested, “Hey, you should write about that for your next blog post.” We talked about how things can distract us, not just the usual dishes and toddlers and carpools and laundry, but internal things that just block our ability to concentrate on the important things. I’m not even necessarily talking about writing, here. How often do little petty “tiffs” cause us to not be able to feel the Spirit? That person, you know, that person, gets up in testimony meeting to share what you are sure is going to be another travelogue or thankyoumony, and your inward eye rolling distracts you from an important message the Lord would have you hear.

Or the worrying about the mortgage distracts you from seeing service opportunities, or missionary opportunities. The argument you had with your teenager distracts you from seeing more than all the “and it came to pass” and “verily” in your scripture study.

Or, sitting at your desk and trying desperately to finish an article about chiropractic care for infants so that you can try and get an assignment writing for decent pay, distracts you from holding your little one, who just really wants to show mommy how awesome this banana is and maybe put some in your number pad for you.

That last one may have been a true story.

The point is, in life, and in writing, we have things that distract us from what is important. I have a friend who talks about “blocked energy” which sounds like a silly new-agey thing, but in a way, it’s totally true—if we let things block us, they stop us. We have to figure out how to move the roadblock out of the way, whether it is a favorite sin, our Facebook addiction (guilty), or whatever our own personal “energy block” is. For me, it meant apologizing and eating crow (no BBQ sauce or anything), and honestly putting it away. There are a million other little things distracting me, like self-esteem demons, taking on too many things without doing well at any of them, sleep, stupid freakin’ Facebook, the list goes on. Little by little, I will clear these energy blocks. I will obliterate these distractions.

I. Will. Write.

So what about you? What’s YOUR favorite distraction?  

And Now Back To My Regularly Scheduled Life

It's September 5th (when I'm writing this). The kids are back in school. Work has settled down finally and I have a couple of days off this week. Today, I was up by 9:30am and had only a few things to do because my plan was to WRITE.

So why am I sitting here at 2:21 pm preparing this blog post?

I can't write. And I don't know why.

As you may remember, I spent essentially the whole spring and summer editing and preparing The Tyrant King for publication--which I finally accomplished--with a lot of help from some very knowledgeable writers, readers, editors, and friends. I also started a job this summer and am now the acting asst manager at the local Dollar General store. (yes, that was a fast ride--I'll tell you about it sometime)

Lately all my other "hobbies" have gone by the wayside. Video games. Movies/TV shows. I actually did watch/play a little after work yesterday but only because I had a sinus headache that would fell an elephant and just wanted to veg.

Today I feel pretty good. But I can't get my brain in the right place to pick up my writing again. And now, the kids will be home in less than an hour. And I'm starting to feel slightly panicky.

Where did my muse go? It doesn't feel like she's gone far. I'm totally smitten with some of the ideas I've had over the past few months for new stories and ways of improving old stories. But right now there's an open .doc sitting on my computer and I'm here. Why?

How do you do it? We all have busy lives, and I'm a firm believer in the idea that you *make* time for what's important to you. So how do you make time to write. And, once it's there, how do you get back into the writing groove?

Short Quotes from Short Stories on Thinking Big About Writing

I've been studying the art form that is the short story, and writing a few here and there throughout the summer months.  One of the books called "The Art and Craft of the Short Story" by Rick DeMarinis had some really good points in a section he calls The Essential Habit - A Pep Talk.  I'm going to share some with you:

"In order to write, you must write.  That's the Big Secret.  You've got to sit down at a given time every day and make sentences.  Even if you don't feel like it.  Especially if you don't feel like it."

"Don't make the mistake of thinking that you need more favorable circumstances, that you'll start writing when your life changes for the better, or when you retire."

"The problem is you're thinking of writing as a purely intelluectual process: exceptional ideas captured in deathless prose.  But in reality, the composition of fiction is more of a physical process.  You've got to put your hands on the keyboard, you've got to punch the keys with your determined fingers until words begin to collect."

The idea isn't new or original.  I've heard it said in similar ways from countless experienced authors.  However, it is nice to be given a reminder from time to time.  If you like what he has to say, go check out his book.

And then, use the nuggets of inspiriation you find to compose your own entry into the MMW Contest - there's only one week left.

That's your D.E.W assignment this week.  See you next Thrusday!

Saturday So What: Busting Up The Writer's Block

As I prepared for this week's So What, I literally said to myself, Eh... I got nothing.
Ugh. How do you get past Writer's Block?
Bing! Lightbulb. The absence of inspiration was an inspiration in itself. So today's post is dedicated to breaking up the giant brick the stops the flow of ideas.

First thing to know is that it's not just you. Don't panic. It's normal and it happens to everyone.
Second thing to know is that it's not permanent. Your brain has not been erased. Think instead of it like a kink in the hose, something stopping all your brilliant ideas that are just waiting to flow into your brain.

These are the things I do to unkink the hose. First I try to remove myself from all the stressors in my life. This usually means going for a run or locking myself in my writing cave and throwing a box of cereal at the children. If that's not enough, I will write down on a pad of paper all the things that are occupying my brain, taking up valuable creative space.

Next step would be to just write. Anything. Blog posts. Journal entries. Letters to missionaries. I actually like to write useless unimportant things. Something I can truly be creative with. This weeks exercise was writing a grocery list... if I was an alien on a planet of fish people.

Sometimes to the only way to find something is to stop looking. Like when you lose your keys and you search frantically for hours. When you give up and do something else, like laundry- voila it was in your jeans. Stop looking for your own inspiration and enjoy someone else's. This is my absolutely-works-ever-time method. Reading a favorite book or watching my favorite movie. It gets the juices flowing when nothing else does. Being immersed in someone else's creativity tickles my own I guess.

What do you have to add my list. I wanna know. I would also love any suggestions for topics for future So Whats.

You can read more of moi and my balancing act of life, and my awesome ideas for portion control.

E is for End

…in which we reach The End.

The end of a story.

The end of a revision.

The end of a journey.

The end is a scary place to be. Perhaps that’s why sailors pre-Columbus era were so afraid of the edge of the earth. Perhaps that’s why death seems to many like a terrifying event. We fear the end, even when we know that good lies beyond it.

Interestingly enough, in reading, we find the opposite. As readers we often race to reach the end, desperate to learn how the story plays out, desperate for closure to the story we’ve internalized. Putting even more pressure on the author to deliver. Putting more pressure on the end.

I’ve thought about this quite deeply the last few days. I’m reaching the end of a current WIP, and really struggling. I’ve been trying to put my finger on what is holding me back. I know where the story is going, so it isn’t writer’s block. I feel like I’ve got a good grasp on my characters, I’ve spent the whole story getting to know them.

And then I watched this scene from the Disney spin of Rapunzel, Tangled (2009), where Flynn and Rapunzel are out on the lake in a boat, waiting for the floating lanterns to light up the night sky.

A worried look crosses Rapunzel’s face, and she says, “I've been looking out of a window for eighteen years, dreaming about what I might feel like when those lights rise in the sky. What if it's not everything I dreamed it would be?”

Flynn replies, “It will be.”

But Rapunzel isn’t convinced. “And what if it is? What do I do then?”

Flynn smiles softly and says, “Well, that's the good part I guess. You get to go find a new dream.”

I know now what’s holding me back. I’m afraid of the end.

Fellow authors - do not fear the end, because there never really is one. There will always be more revisions for our stories, always more stories to tell. And regardless of one’s views of death, the stories we write live on, long after we are gone.

Once you’ve persevered, pushed yourself beyond the limit, and given that story your all, there is no more satisfying feeling than reaching the final page, and writing…

The End.

Road Block...Or Is It?

So I've been struggling lately with balance between the writing life and real life, and real life has won for a few weeks. I haven't been happy about it, though, and trying desperately to find a way around my self-imposed road block.

I saw this video a little while ago, but was reminded about it this weekend, and had a little epiphany. While the problems remain, I have to be creative in my problem solving, and not automatically go to "I can't!" without even trying. Somehow I think acting like my five year old isn't what Heavenly Father expects out of me when I run into problems.

So, it's time to get creative!

Inspiration

Today, my husband dragged me out of the house to a place called High Falls. He had to scout out a place for their next boy scout camp out and thought it would be a good idea to bring me along. I wholly objected to this idea but in the end lost. I brought along a camp chair to set up by the river while he hiked around setting up an orienteering course. I had sat for a while, enjoying the beautiful day, the soft breeze and the soft pattering of the falls when it hit me. Out of nowhere three new characters popped into my head. The sweet Keely, out going Topy, and rugged Greg seemed to appear out of thin air. Immediately I grabbed a notebook I happened to bring and began frantically writing out a rough sketch of the characters and their relationships. Just like that a new book was born. As if I needed another WIP.

What are some of the strangest muses you've had? What do you regularly turn to for inspiration?

Trusting the Lord

I've been thinking on how to write this post for over two weeks. I have had several things happen to me during the past three weeks which have funneled my mindset to putting my faith a little more in my Heavenly Father.

What if I get rejected by an agent? Or by a senior editor that requests unagented manuscripts? What then? I tremble with the thought!

I know this for sure--if it is rejected, it is not meant to be. My Father in Heaven has something else in mind. And that something else is always better. He knows what is best for me.

Just as with everyday life, when we find ourselves drowning in our dregs, what better cure than service? This can be applied to our writing.

For now, I have lost my muse. She has gone on a long vacation. I prayed about it. I have fasted over it. I have asked for Priesthood blessings.

I received an answer.

I can help others with their writing and finish my editing course. It's okay to set aside my creating for now, though it makes my heart drop. I must trust the Lord and follow Him.

I know He as something in mind for me.

How do you cope with rejection? Muse negligence? Even required rewrites!