Jan 7, 2017 |
Frankly, My Dear . . . : Where is My Creativity?
by Jacqueline Patterson @jacpatterson
From Molly Jo:
I met Jacqueline last year at the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference. Since then, she’s been highly active in the Firsts in Fiction podcast audience, and on social media. If you follow either of us (more her) on Twitter or Instagram, you’ll see what I mean. She’s my kind of person! Snarky, social, and steady. When asked what three things define our friendship, she responded, “Love of the written word/writing, laughter, and fun ideas/plans. Plus, we both like to cook!” I told her I was just thinking writing, faith and coffee, but I liked her answer better. So now we’re in a bit of competition to see who can come up with a better answer. Typical us. You’ll find us (hopefully) at this year’s BRMCWC, eating chili and keeping the neighbors awake with our caffeine-induced laughter.
Whether you’re a writer, a reader, or family member obligated to read this blog, we know you’re going to love her new monthly column on writing.
~#~
Jacqueline Patterson – Where is My Creativity?
I growled at my laptop screen and [I swear it’s true] the laptop growled back. I had been laboring over my WIP [work in progress] for hours. Literal back-wrenching, misery-inflicting hours.
The characters I once loved were now dead . . . and bordering on stupid. Although [I’m going for complete honesty here] nothing could be more moronic than the storyline itself.
Somewhere in the process, I had lost touch with my creativity, and the story was suffering from my stubborn dedication to a plotline I knew in my heart of hearts was wrong.
I know, I know, we’re writers. We live writing and we breathe writing and there is no such thing as a break. But sometimes [Okay, a collective deep breath here], we need to step away. Give ourselves a chance to view our stories through fresh eyes.
Here are a few self-discoveries I found for reclaiming my creativity.
First of all, step out of your comfort zone.
Yes. You heard me right.
If you’re like me [it’s okay to admit it], there’s nothing scarier than shaking up your routine. You have your specific writing spot, your fixed writing time, your bossy writing quirks or whatever you’re holding on to.
Let it go.
- Shake things up. Is your story dead? Maybe you’ve settled for the wrong protagonist, and your characters are trying to let you know. Play around with POVs [Point of View], names and scenarios. I find when I try this that sometimes a new story is born out of the hodgepodge of ideas and I’m eager to get back to writing again.
- Try a new writing spot. Confession: I fought this for so long. But once I tried it, I found that it sharpened my senses and forced me to concentrate. Now I try a new writing spot every week, even if it’s simply a different seat in the same coffee shop.
- Start something new. Yes, you read that correctly. It’s okay to set your story aside and work on that project that’s been gnawing at the back of your mind. You’ll return to your WIP with fresh energy.
- Go back over your WIP. Is there a chance you mis-stepped and forced a scene that doesn’t belong in your story? Ask yourself if you’ve taken a wrong turn. Often, writer’s block is caused by something as simple as a misplaced sentence, or an unneeded character.
- Seek out what first inspired you to write this story. When did the idea for your WIP originally generate? Rewatch that movie, reread that book, revisit that spot. Reach back into the emotions of discovery. After all, you were the one chosen to write this story.
- Brainstorm with fellow writers. You’ll come away with the creative juices flowing, and a collision of ideas that will drive you back to the laptop.
- Take time to simply relax. You are not a writing robot. You can’t spend your entire life in front of a screen, churning out novels with mindless predictability. Go out and live this thing called life. Explore. Challenge yourself to new adventure.
This is not a game.
This is not a hobby.
This is your story . . . and your gift to the world. Allow yourself a moment to breathe and to find your story again. Step away so that you can return to your writing with open eyes and renewed creativity.
After all, we are creating stories that we hope will last forever.
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Jacqueline Patterson
Jacqueline Patterson wrote her first book at the age of five: the tale of an assassin hen on the trail of a crafty fox. (OK, so the story wasn’t that epic, but the hen was mean.) That first story hooked her, and she hasn’t stopped since. She is currently editing Primate, the first book in her Forever in Time series, in the hope of publication . . . If she can ever convince herself that she’s found the perfect draft. Talk to Jacqueline about books, and she will be your friend forever. You can connect with her on Twitter and Instagram.
And Frankly, My Dear . . . That’s all she wrote!
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Jan 1, 2016 |
Do y’all know me? Do you know you how I like my stability and security? You do? So it’s a surprise then, right, that change is my word for the year? Maybe it should be perspective but that only allows for a view shift. I think change is more dynamically inclusive of the unknown or irregular. And it gets the heart beating a little better.
Yeah. It surprises me too. I’m the one who likes to know things. I can go with the flow only so long as I know where the flow goes.
Life is either a daring adventure or it’s nothing. ~Helen Keller
Change is fluid. It doesn’t have to be all or nothing, this or that. It can be subtle or strong. What I’m sweetly discovering is change doesn’t always mean replacement. It can mean addition, alteration, shift.
My Penny Jar
I’ve traded up my small glass penny jar for a larger plastic bottle that holds more ~ coins and bills. I haven’t stopped my saving. I’ve amped it up. That’s a change I can get on board with.
Embracing change can also mean not embracing change. I’m a creature of habit and schedule. I’ll grow my hair to almost shoulder length and then once or twice a year have it cut short and sassy. This week, I chose to change by not changing. I had my hair trimmed and colored, but not cut. I changed my habit of changing.
A Perspective Change
Last weekend I replaced the calendar pages in my day planner. I stood on the desk chair for this photo. Did my calendar change? Was there different tea in my NOLA mug? Did those thumb drives leap to life with pages ready for print? No. You already know that. But my perspective changed. Taking a step back from the task at hand allowed me to view the larger picture of my goals and tasks for the upcoming year.
Some change is necessary. If I stick my roots down too firmly in the familiar, I won’t bend but I might break with the storms. I am reminded to stop fighting and be still.
“Stop forcing a catastrophe where there’s not even a storm.”
I’m embracing change this year because I’m ready for the adventure it brings. I’m ready to move beyond my comfort zone. I’m not changing everything, but I’m refusing to remain stagnant.
As I write this, it’s New Year’s Eve and I’m watching The Poseidon Adventure with Mom. Now there’s an adventure movie. It’s our usual NYE fare, a tradition for many years. This year, I’m watching it differently. It’s the same movie, but my viewing has changed. It’s Al Gansky’s fault. He referenced it in the Spirituality in Fiction episode of the Firsts in Fiction podcast. It created another perspective shift for me.
The survivors of the Poseidon have to change their perspective, or they won’t survive. (I’d say “spoiler alert,” but I’m thinking you already know this.) The ship is turned upside down and they have to venture up which is down to find their way out. The world is in chaos, but they work together. Some make it, some don’t. But it’s the ones who stuck to their stability in the beginning, who clung to the familiar even in disarray, who never even had a chance. They believed the ordinary was still working, and they died before our protagonists’ adventure began.
The survivors realize that change was thrust upon them, and they choose to work through it, even creating some of their own. Dependencies, relationships, and strengths are born through the adventure of finding their salvation.
So maybe I’ll take two words this year. Change and Perspective. I can have one without the other, but together, it’s going to be quite an adventurous year.
There are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind. C.S. Lewis
And Frankly, My Dear . . . that’s all she wrote!
Apr 22, 2014 |
I’m afraid of my own success. What if achieving my dreams means changing everything I know about my life?
I am my own worst enemy. I love stability of structure and I’m not one to shed the security blanket easily.
But often, blank pages hold just as much accusations as they do promise.
Blank Pages are the World’s Canvas
I play the “What If” game too often because, in the past, the “What If’s” happened. The bad ones. The oh-my-God-this-could-only-happen-to-me and the I’m-one-in-a-million-and-not-in-a-good-way ones. The I’m-being-sabotaged-and-no-one-will-stand-up-for-me ones. The life-will-never-be-the-same-again ones.
And I really love stability.
So when anything comes along that can upset the apple cart, I get nervous.
I’ve had to learn to recognize my anxiety triggers. I know to avoid too much coffee on those high-adrenaline days. I have a “smart shopping” checklist on my iPhone for those necessary eat-out-but-not-fast-food days. The older I get, the better I am at listening to my body. My emotions may want chocolate ganache, but my bloodstream craves caffeine-free Gatorade.
Better sleep + better foods = better emotions.
So the anxiety doesn’t get to me like it used to. Of course, there are certain elements that are no longer around. That helps, too. You know what I’m talking about: those button-pusher people who are as good at backstabbing as they are at infiltrating. Those situations that belong on a soap opera and not in my life. I’ve been lucky to distance myself from the hurts and the hurtful. But their shadows remain.
I’ve had to retrain myself to not be afraid, the way others wanted to keep me afraid. Of sharing myself. Of living authentically. Of being the Me I’m supposed to be. Their false condemnations that who I was wasn’t good enough, would never be good enough. That I had deep, dark secrets to be spilled instead of forgiveness to be shared.
But now I know.
I’m better than that.
I’m better than what they said.
I’m better.
But I’m still afraid.
I’m still okay with the bad “What If’s”. The ones I can’t control.
But . . .
What if I am successful? What if I achieve everything I know I’m meant to do?
What if I conquer it all . . .
And I win?
The last few years were so hard. You’ve heard my poverty stories before. I know I’m not unique. I know there are many more people out there fighting just like me to save their homes and feed their families and do a thousand dollars worth of repairs on a nickel budget. People who don’t have the resources that I have, people who don’t have other people to come alongside them and cheer them on or pull them back on to the path.
And I’m not trying to complain. But my life is such a dichotomy between the dregs of the economy and the elation of my soaring words.
I don’t want to be stuck here any more. I don’t want to whine and complain and worry and cry.
But I do.
Yet, I see my way out. I see the path that I’ve laid, and I see where it’s going.
I no longer put the word “aspiring” before “writer” when I tell people what I do. I am a writer. I am a good writer. The rest of the world will soon discover how great a writer I am.
My “new” workspace ~ a real desk!
In the last two months, just eight short weeks, my writing universe has grown by leaps and bounds. I have my desk. I’ve met some wonderful people who are turning out to be great connections. I saw the need for a position with my writers club and asked to create it. [The result was a resounding yes: I’m now the official Social Media Manager for the California Writers Club, High Desert Branch, come join the fun on Facebook.] All four books are progressing fast. I might soon have The Unemployment Cookbook on local bookstore shelves. My critique group is essential to me in a craft capacity, and a fellowship.
All these are the beginnings of what I have always prayed for, always held my breath and crossed my fingers for. All these are essential to me being Me.
To be able to put food on the table and gas in the car and pay the bills on time and stop these damned collection calls and not “borrow” money that everyone knows until I win the lottery I will never be able to pay it back.
And that scares me, too. It scares me because it’s possible financial stability is on the five-year horizon. If I don’t need my family, my mommy and brothers, any more, will they still need me?
If Megan and I obtain all we’re reaching for, do I have to give up being home every night with Dot and our FurFamily?
If I don’t have to worry about tomorrow as much as I currently do, what will I do with that happiness?
I don’t want to be arrogant or a celebrity. I just want to be the best writer I can possibly be. I want to share my stories with the world. And yes, I would like to know that my stories make a difference.
And make money. Let’s be real. This is how I want to pay my bills. This is how I long to provide for my family.
For my family.
MoJo & Dot
And so I write my stories. My poems. My blogs. My thoughts and suspicions and dreams and nightmares. And I share them. And I collect them for future publication. And I keep on writing it out. Because I can’t be the only one who thinks like this, right? I can’t be the only one who feels so incomplete and so uplifted at the same time . . . right?
This is my calling. To be the best writer I know how to be. To tell the world about life in a way that can only be told by me.
But I’m not there yet. I’m still taking the journey. And at times it’s dark and twisty and scary. My heart pounds inside my chest and I can’t catch my breath.
What If I’m wrong? What If my path is a dead-end? What If those shadows are still waiting to sabotage me? What If I lose the house before I earn enough to save it? What If more bad than good happens?
Can I keep going on?
Yes.
So I let my light shine. From inside. Whatever light I have, I broadcast it.
Sometimes it’s a candle. Sometimes it’s the sun.
The end of the path will never be a reality. I’m thankful for that. With each step taken, there’s another step to take.
While I’m still here, still bringing with me the pains of the past, still glimpsing an uncertain future, I do know this: I have something to say.
And I can say it well.
I just need the rest of the world to listen.
As I sit here drafting this post, trying not to complain, trying to look for the light and not worry about tomorrow or the distractions it brings, my friend Janice posted this on her Facebook profile:
“Strength & resilience emerge by your own will to become a better person, no matter what downfalls happen in your life… be your own hero.”
Thanks, Janice. You are, as always, the right person at the right time.
How do you like them apples?!
How Do You Like Them Apples?!
“Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes.” [Luke 12:22-23, NIV]
And Frankly, My Dear . . . that’s all she wrote!
You may also enjoy reading:
Apples
Poverty: My Story
I am Defined. And I am a Mystery.
This post is linked up with Shell at Things I Can’t Say. Because sometimes, we just can’t.
Sep 24, 2012 |
It’s here! The first major cosmetic surgery for Frankly, My Dear…
It’s not finished. It needs a few more changes. But so far, so good.
The first thing you’ll notice is when reading individual posts, the sidebar disappears. This means, if you want links (like Popular Posts, Blog Buttons, and advertising), you’ll have to check out the home page. Can’t find it? That’s because I renamed that button! It’s now “START HERE”.
So go ahead. Start Here.
Let me know what you think.
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
Sep 22, 2012 |
You know those Blog changes I’ve been talking about? Well, some of the behind-the-scenes ones are already in the works. (Thanks, Webmaster!)
I’m visiting many other Blogs to get aesthetic ideas as well. I’m hoping to streamline my many tabs, have a better design (to tie in with New Inklings Press), and just make it look more professional as well as be easier for you to manage.
One of the changes I was not counting on was losing my email subscribers through a Feedburner glitch.
That’s right: I’m not even sure any of you are still getting my posts by email. [Although, technically, I am, because I’m also a subscriber…]
I logged in to my Feedburner stats (a fancy tracker through Google that compiles information from my daily clicks. Tells me how popular I am often you view Frankly, My Dear…
Tonight I see that I’ve had no subscriber data for three days. I panicked. I thought perhaps those behind-the-scene changes may have had something to do with it. Thankfully, they didn’t. (I trust you, Webmaster!) But the internet scuttlebutt is that Feedburner will cease to exist as of October 20.
What does that mean? I’m not really sure. Except as soon as I get the stats back (general consensus is it takes a few days), I’ll definitely save the Feed List and sell it to the highest bidder protect your privacy and if/when the Feedburner change happens, I’ll let you know and sign up with a different email subscription service.
In the meantime, if you subscribe by email and are still getting these posts, please let me know. You can leave me a comment, stop by my Facebook or twitter profiles, or send me an email.
And thanks for being a valued and valuable reader.
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
