Taking our time to get there

The other day at taekwondo*, we were working on forward rolls. The class was a mix of kids and adults and various levels of black belts. Now, I used to have a pretty decent forward roll but for some reason, I’ve lost my mojo lately. It happens sometimes. You have some kind of brain freeze or blip - or lose your confidence - and you suddenly can’t do something that only a short time ago, you were pulling off. It’s not unlike getting writer’s block.

While waiting for my turn to demonstrate my roll for the instructor, I made a comment (okay fine, I whined like a baby) to a nearby friend that I was the only adult in the room who had a “loser roll.” Without missing a beat, she pointed out that I was also the only adult in the room who didn’t take hapkido (another martial art that focuses on joint manipulation and throwing/falling techniques.) In other words, even though I felt like I should be so much better, I was probably not too far off from right where I should be.

I feel this way about writing sometimes, too.

I look around at other writers and think I should be much further along by now. I let myself get down about any number of things: the speed at which I write, the fact what I want to quiet books when quiet books aren’t selling, the number of friends who’ve landed book deals when all I’ve been collecting is rejections from editors. (Super kind rejections, but rejections nonetheless.)
But the thing is, I’m probably not far off from right where I should be.

Maybe other writers put in more hours, are simply more talented, are blessed with a speedy pen, have better luck or ideas that are hot at the moment. But that’s okay. As I’ve learned over the last (almost) seven years of taekwondo training, this is not a race.

We’ll all get there. Eventually. We just gotta keep showing up and practicing. And, oh, remembering to tuck our heads to the side when we roll. :-)

*I seem to start a lot of my posts off this way, don’t I? :-)

Filling Up the Writing Well

When I was kid, for a while we lived in a house with a well. Water was something I hadn’t thought much about until then, it was just there when I turned on the tap. But in the short time we lived in that house, the well went dry a number of times. I remember going with my Dad to get the water truck, bringing it back to our house and filling up that well.

This week, my writing mind was kind of like that well. Empty. I tried scraping the bottom to squeeze out a little more writing water. I set timers. I doodled. I looked back over my notebook for ideas to inspire me. But free writing about nothing sometimes just gives you nothing. So I gave up. I decided not to waste my time and energy on thinking about it and instead, I spent my time on the other things that fill up my life. My kids. My dog. My work.

Sometimes, the inspiration runs dry, and you need a little time away from it to give the well a chance to fill up again. It’s funny how ideas trickle into that writing well when you’re not even looking.

Breaking A Writing Block

Sometimes you're stuck and have no idea what to write next. Or maybe you feel like writing, but your brain isn't cooperating. Whether you call it writer's block or just a bad day at the keyboard, it's hard to be creative when the words won't flow. Here are a few ways that some of the MiG Writers cope:

Kate Fall: Sometimes writing longhand with pen and a notebook gets me out of
writer's block. Sometimes I get writer's block because I'm not sure about the plot, so I try to identify exactly what's bothering me and if I need to do some research. Talking things out with my writer friends can help too.

Debbie Ridpath Ohi:  I find deadlines really help. If I don't have a formal deadline (like a book contract), then I set regular deadlines with myself or with an accountability partner. I find that setting deadlines with myself doesn't always work because it's too easy to change them. At least if you set them with someone else, there's a pride factor involved.

Carmella Van Vleet: When I'm stuck, often times I take a break and head to taekwondo class. When I'm there, my mind has to be fully focused. (It's why I loved doing yoga a few years back, too.) When my brain is forced to be elsewhere for an hour or two, I find that I'm oddly ready to go back to work and full of ideas. Another trick that I heard about recently and have had success with is simply saying "Hmmmm" out loud. I know it sounds corny but it helps!

Andrea Mack: What usually helps me is to think more deeply about where I’m trying to go with my story. I’ll revisit my story plan and maybe even do some editing on an earlier part of the story. If that doesn’t get me back into the story world and writing again, then I brainstorm. I ask myself, “What could happen next?” and write down all the possibilities. That usually sparks something that gets me going.

What's your secret for getting past a writing block?

P.S. We're still waiting for Wysefyre to e-mail us to claim the prize, Pie by Sarah Weeks, from our "Growth Spurt" contest. Wysefyre, if you're out there, you have until Friday Oct. 28th to claim your prize. Otherwise, we'll draw another winner.