Are you burned out? I’m burned out. 

And yet. The platforming machine demands to be fed. 

The Pressure to Platform

Let’s be honest: For authors, platforming comes with a lot of pressure. We get a lot of pressure to build a platform in the first place, and then, no matter how much we do, it always seems someone else is doing more, growing faster, and has way more followers. It’s an effort that has no bottom.

Speaking for myself, no matter how much I accomplish, I’m in a constant guilt cycle over whatever it is I’m not doing. Can’t I muster one more tweet? Can’t I pitch just one more guest blog? Can’t I just buckle down and just post a new video once a day until I finally figure out TikTok? 

And sure, I could do any of these things. But I can’t do all the things. Neither can you! Trying to—and being hard on yourself when you can’t sustain it—is a fast track to burnout all on its own. 

Preventing Platforming Burnout

The best way to avoid getting burned out is not to get burnout in the first place. And with something like author platforming, which can feel so bottomless, the best thing you can do is to set parameters for what you will commit to.

For example: 

• 3 Instagram posts a week
• 1 newsletter a month
• An in-person even once a quarter

Your platform could consist of any of these goals, or all of them, or completely different ones altogether. You might set a goal of posting on Twitter once a week or three times a day. What’s important is that you set a goal that will help you build a platform, but also is manageable for you. Because setting a goal such as this also sets a boundary: Once you’ve checked the box of your goal for your set time period, you’re done—this approach takes the bottomlessness out of platforming.

And hey, if you find it’s not manageable…change it. You’re the boss here; you get to decide what’s right. Much like the writing process, yours might look different from the author next to you. It might be faster or slower, and this is all fine. 

The most important thing to do with platforming is to keep building. 

When You’re Already Burned Out

It happens to the best of us—all of us, judging by recent new trends. Sometimes you just can’t prevent burnout from striking. Sometimes it’s not even triggered by your author life, but trickles over and impacts it anyway. 

This is okay! As I am constantly reminding myself, you are allowed to be human. You’re not a machine, and it’s not reasonable to expect yourself to crank out content like one. 

If you find yourself thinking you’d rather slam your hand in a car door than write one more Facebook post, listen to that feeling. Take a pause. Consider: 

• What’s blocking you from doing more? 
• What do you need to recover?
• What’s possible for you now?
• Where do your efforts matter most? What can slide for a while?

Bouncing Back from Burnout

If you’re feeling burned out, listen to those signals—it’s time to take a break or dial back! Most of all, be kind to yourself. You’re not going to force yourself past burnout by pushing harder. Rather, you’ll make the problem even worse. Platforming isn’t a race, and readers will always be out there eager to discover new books. 

Tell us in the comments: Have you ever felt burned out with platform or some other part of your author life? How did you cope?

By day, E. J. Wenstrom is a digital strategy pro with over 10 years at communications firms. By early-early morning, she’s an award-winning sci-fi and fantasy author of the Chronicles of the Third Realm War novels, starting with Mud. She believes in complicated characters, terrifying monsters, and purple hair dye.

The post What to Do about Author Platforming When You’re Burned Out appeared first on DIY MFA.

What you may not realize is that it happened over fifteen months ago, in October 2020. Since then, I haven’t written anything other than a few blog posts, some poetry, and four articles for this column. As for my MS, I haven’t even cracked it open. But I have had a revelation or two in the time since.

Revelation: Making Something Known or Visible

When I dedicated myself to finally fulfilling my lifelong dream of becoming a published young adult author, I was ALL IN. Even after losing my son towards the end of drafting my MS, I was still committed to seeing this through—not only as a project or hobby but as a serious change of direction in my life. 

My goal was to spend 5-8 years building my writing career by creating a backlist of books and a healthy list of fans and followers via email and social media so that by the time I retire from teaching, I can enjoy a profitable second career as an authorpreneur. 

And in 2020, I made serious progress toward that goal in only 8 months: a complete novel drafted and (somewhat) revised, a website up and running, a blog, and an email list with a few dozen subscribers.

But then. I just. Stopped.

Maybe I just need a break, I told myself. Maybe I’m just burnt out from doing so much so fast. 

It took me several more months still to acknowledge the truth I’d known all along: I’m not the same person I was when I started all this.

Like many moms, I can imagine all kinds of terrible, awful things happening to me and my family. To my kids. As a writer, the way I imagine them is magnified exponentially. 

But of all the horrible thoughts and images a writing mama can conjure up, the only one she believes could never actually happen because it is so unspeakably awful is the end of her child’s life. 

It’s the one time the words The End don’t bring satisfaction, but instead bring anguish, suffering, despair, and loss of all hope.

One thing this writing mama has been so skilled at is writing a different ending; one that didn’t include those words and the finality of them.

Denial is the heart’s way of protecting what it has lost and the brain’s way of protecting what it cannot fully conceive.

I’m not in denial anymore: my son is gone and he isn’t coming back. 

But that isn’t the only thing I’ve been in denial about.

Revelation: An Enlightening Surprise

Have you ever heard the idea that the thing we feel the most resistance to is often the thing we should be doing?

Well, that’s a load of crap.

One lesson I’ve learned from loss and the grief it creates is that resistance is the soul’s way of nudging us away from things that no longer serve us and toward living in our truth.

I’ve been resisting my truth for the past fifteen months, but here it is: I no longer feel like writing, and I certainly don’t feel like writing about all the writing I don’t feel like doing.

This might be only a now thing, or it might be a forever thing. I don’t know. And that’s OK with me.

And this isn’t the grief talking. It’s not a giving up, or a giving in, or even a tired ol’ giving out; it’s a giving to. It’s a giving to myself. 

It’s giving myself permission to call it all off just as the guests are arriving.

It’s giving myself permission to let it go and knowing that because it’s my choice, I’m empowered and liberated to do something else and to do it guilt-free.

It’s giving myself permission to acknowledge that I was a certain person before my son died, and that person had different goals and desires than the person I am now.

The new direction I’m being pulled in is one I never expected for myself. It will definitely require some use of my writing skills, but in a way that feels exciting and energizing.

Revelation: The End

As a mom, I’ve been through HELL and back, and I’ve survived. Am I over it? Heck, no! I’m still IN it, but I’m functioning. 

In fact, my experience with grief and loss has made me more fully human. 

I’m still able to grieve AND go to work and take care of my family. 

I’m able to grieve AND laugh and enjoy things and do my hobbies. 

I want to help others know they also have the strength and resilience to get through anything, and that while there is no “getting over” grief, we can commit to making it our life’s work to go THROUGH it. I want to help people understand that our emotions cannot kill us, so we need not avoid them. We can run into the bullets and make it out alive.

Collectively, we have all suffered a tremendous amount of loss in the past two years, and many are in need of encouragement and support in managing their thoughts and emotions in response to grief.  

At this moment, I see a great need in our world to help others develop fortitude and resilience to withstand the heaviness that comes with grief and loss. 

However, I don’t want to help others by writing fiction, but by being of service in a different way. I’d like to coach anyone who has suffered a loss (not only death but ANY kind of loss) and is struggling with allowing and making space for the sometimes overwhelming thoughts and feelings of grief to be present in the midst of the busyness of daily life. 

Along the way, if I feel like writing again, I may even write a bit about grief and loss.

And if I don’t, that’s ok.

Finally, to end this column and—if you’ll allow the pun—close this chapter, I’d like to thank Gabriela Pereira and her team at DIY MFA for their generosity in welcoming me into their community of writers. I learned so much from all of you, not only about writing but about myself during the most challenging time of my life.

Tell us in the comments: Have you ever had a revelation in your life as a writer?

Anita Ramirez is a grieving mama and writer on hiatus. For updates on her next adventure, you can check out her website, or follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

The post Life of a Writer—Episode 5: Revelation appeared first on DIY MFA.

As I’ve been slowly finding my way back to writing joy, I thought I’d share what I’ve learned in the hope that it will help someone else. Goodness knows this pandemic life hasn’t been easy.

Here are my top tips (so far) to recapture joy in your writing:

1. Give yourself a break

I’ve learned from bitter experience that pushing through isn’t always the answer. I kept working through 2020 thinking nothing was wrong (I’m an extreme introvert—I love staying at home), but, looking back, the quality of my work was lacking. And, if I’m being honest, my heart wasn’t in it. It felt like work.

If you’re feeling something similar, step away if you can. Give yourself a vacation. And maybe a social media and news vacation while you’re at it. How long depends on how you feel. When your project starts whispering in your ear and filling your dreams again, it’s a good sign that you’re ready to get back at it.

If you have an external deadline that you’re working toward, you may not have much choice but to power through, but I’d suggest asking if you can have an extension. If you’re upfront and give plenty of warning, most editors and publishers will understand, especially now. Just don’t make a habit of it.

And if your external deadline is for a contest or an open call, ask yourself what you’ll regret more: rushing to submit work that may not be your best or waiting for the next opportunity. There are always new anthologies, submission windows, and contests opening up. Sometimes you have to choose your battles.

2. Tidy/simplify/organize your writing space

If you firmly believe that a messy desk is the sign of a brilliant mind, you may want to skip this one. I’m an organized chaos kind of gal, so I get it. But I find that once in a while, I need to clean, especially now that my writing space is doing double duty as a work-from-home space.

I have a Rubbermaid tub in the basement that houses stuff that I don’t need anymore but want to hang on to. I’ve filed away past years’ important documents and shredded the rest. If I haven’t looked at it or referenced it in a year, and there’s not a creative or personal business need to keep it … it goes. 

It’s amazing how much all those pieces of paper can weigh and how light you’ll feel when you get rid of them.

Have too many devices, cords, etc.? See what you can move/remove without negatively impacting your process. Loose pens? Put them in a small jar or cup. Notes everywhere? Get a corkboard or a magnet board.

You don’t have to go for the full Marie Kondo treatment, but clearing out some of the clutter will make your writing space more pleasant to work in, which can help you recapture joy in your creative process.

3. Small changes can make a big difference

While you’re tidying up, consider the tools of your trade. Is there something you can change that would make a big difference? Is there a piece of technology that’s hindering your creative work?

I’ll give you a couple of examples, so you can have a better idea of what I’m talking about.

Example one:

When I got my last computer, I invested in a wireless keyboard and mouse. I didn’t want the clutter of extra cables. Unfortunately, over time both became glitchy. I was also concerned about the environmental impact of using so many batteries.

I went back to corded peripherals. They’re much more dependable. I didn’t realize how much stress I was experiencing from using the wireless ones until I stopped.

Example two:

Years ago, I purchased a standing desk. It’s adjustable, so I can sit or stand, but at the time, sitting was an issue. I would get so focused on a task or project that I would lean forward, hunch over my keyboard, and tense up. I was so sore after sitting for 30 minutes or an hour that standing at my desk was the solution.

Now, I’ve been writing while standing for eight years. I’m not sure if it’s still benefiting me the way it used to, so I’ve decided to try sitting again for a while. I’ve adjusted the chair, so the seat pan and chair back are both tilted to encourage me to lean back and relax. It’s only been a week, but it’s working out well. I’m not sore, and I’ve already seen better productivity.

4. Every word’s a victory

If your practice has been shaken by the pandemic or your productivity is not where it used to be, take heart. This too shall pass.

Taking a break can feel like defeat, but when you start writing again, adopt the beginner’s mindset. Every word you write, every sentence, every paragraph, is a victory. It’s a word, sentence, or paragraph you didn’t have before.

Build on that foundation as you start to recapture joy. Set small, reasonable goals. Stay flexible. Stay positive.

5. So, celebrate!

Writing is hella hard. Take some time to recognize the work you’ve done each day. It may seem silly to celebrate a sentence or two, but soon, you’ll be celebrating paragraphs, pages, and even chapters.

When you first start writing again, your initial gains may be small. Reward yourself accordingly. A piece of your favorite candy for a couple of sentences or a paragraph. Fifteen minutes of YouTube for a page. Thirty minutes of gaming for a chapter. A nice dinner (or take out) with a loved one for a short story edited and submitted.

You get the idea. You’ll want to decide what an appropriate reward is for each accomplishment based on your own preferences and life circumstances. Recognizing your writing accomplishments will go a long way to maintaining your motivation moving forward.

6. Be kind (to yourself) and stay strong

And now, we enter the self-care portion of the column. Self-care has been getting some flack lately, but what I’m talking about here isn’t about a spa day (though that’s nice—maybe use it as a reward?). It’s about making sure you stay healthy. That’s the best kind of self-care.

• Sleep: Make sure you get a full night of it, that’s seven or eight hours for most people. Develop a sleep hygiene routine (I’ll let you Google that).
• Physical activity: Fit (see what I did there?) some in every day. I walk my dog twice a day. After work, to separate work time from creative time, I do a little weightless workout or some yoga. A simple, ten-minute routine. You don’t have to sweat. Just get moving.
• Feed your body and mind: I’m not recommending any kind of restrictive diet here. Just eat well-balanced meals, and work in as much “brain food” as you can. Leafy greens, oily fish, avocado, nuts, etc. “Brain food” is another thing you can Google.
• Foster self-awareness: This is all about listening to your body and what it needs. Uncomfortable? Get up and stretch. Hungry? Have a healthy snack. Sleepy? Take a ten-minute “power nap.”
• Breathe: This is the simplest way to make yourself feel good. Counted breathing, progressive relaxation, all the way up to meditation. All you need is five minutes to relax and refresh.

Take care of your body and your body will take care of you.

7. Bonus: Prepare for tough decisions

If you find you’re still struggling to recapture joy and get back into the writing groove even after you’re healthy, well-rested, motivated, and have organized your schedule for prime writing time, there may be something else interfering that you haven’t considered.

The last 20 months of pandemic have affected the mental health of a lot of people in negative ways. If you suspect that you may need some support, see a doctor and talk about options. If your employer has an employee assistance program, reach out. Call a helpline. See if there is a support group in your area (or elsewhere—you can attend by Zoom).

Take a hard look at your commitments. Are you doing too much? Is there anything that you can cut back on? For example, if you volunteer 15 hours a week, consider volunteering fewer hours and make up the difference with a donation or in-kind contribution. Could a family member take on some of your responsibilities and free up some of your time? An older child with a driver’s license could ferry younger siblings to lessons or games.

Sometimes it’s a matter of priority. We’ve gotten into the habit of doing different things with our time because of pandemic restrictions and lockdowns. Do you really need to binge-watch a whole season of that show? Do you have to make that perfect loaf of sourdough bread from scratch? If you genuinely enjoy these activities, use them as a reward (see number 5).

My tough decision is saying goodbye to my DIY MFA family. Though I love writing these columns, I think it’s time to focus on my mental and physical health. Finding out that I’m autistic was a blessing, but it changes everything.

The pandemic has been a game-changer for a lot of reasons. While the pieces of our pre-pandemic “normal” lives are slowly drifting back into place, we have to recognize how much the world, and how much we, have changed. There’s no going back. Now is the perfect time to take control of your life and process and transform them into something that will serve you well into the future.

And try to have some fun in the process, will you? This column is supposed to be about joy!

Remember to keep speculating and see where it leads you!

Tell us in the comments: What have you done to recapture joy in your creative life?

Melanie is an instructional designer by day, SF&F author-in-progress, and ink alchemist by night. She is the third generation of Marttilas to live in her little house on the street that bears her family name. She blogs at https://www.melaniemarttila.ca and you can find her on Facebook and Twitter.

The post Speculations: Recapture Joy in Your Writing appeared first on DIY MFA.

Catherine is a writer and journalist who has contributed to many media outlets, including Slate, Quartz, CNBC and NBC News. She is a frequent podcast and radio guest, with appearances on NPR and Lifehacker’s Upgrade. Catherine currently lives in Richmond, Virginia with her husband and baby son. Today we’ll be discussing her first book, Poe for Your Problems: Uncommon Advice from History’s Least Likely Self-Help Guru, which came out this past September.

In this episode Catherine Baab-Muguira and I discuss:

• How Edgar Allan Poe unexpectedly inspired her to write a book about mental health.
• Why she keeps her day job and how it helps her avoid literary snobbery.
• The value of learning to write good copy and the art of marketing your book.

Plus, her #1 tip for writers.

About Catherine Baab-Muguira

Catherine Baab-Muguira is a writer and journalist who has contributed to, among others, Slate, Quartz, CNBC and NBC News. A frequent podcast and radio guest, with appearances on NPR and Lifehacker’s Upgrade, she lives in Richmond, Virginia with her husband and baby son. Her first book, Poe for Your Problems: Uncommon Advice from History’s Least Likely Self-Help Guru, came out from Running Press/Hachette in September 2021.

You can find Catherine on her website or follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Check out the Substack post Catherine wrote about the long, long journey to a book deal, and what her P&L statement looks like.

Poe for Your Problems

Of all the writers anywhere, Poe might be the least likely person you’d ever turn to for advice. His life was a complete dumpster fire: he married his cousin; got fired from one job after another; constantly feuded with friends and rivals; and he was always broke. But that’s also precisely the point. Though Poe failed again and again, he also persevered.

Drawing deeply on his works and life, Catherine Baab-Muguira takes the familiar image of Poe in a new and surprising direction in this darkly inspiring self-help book. Despite what you might think, Edgar Allan Poe is the perfect person to teach you to say “Nevermore, problems!” and show you how to use all the terrible situations, tough breaks, bad luck, and even your darkest emotions in novel and creative ways to make a name for yourself and carve out your own unique, notorious place in the world.

An inspirational tale for black sheep everywhere, Poe for Your Problems will teach you how to overcome life’s biggest challenges to succeed at work, love, and art—despite the odds and no matter your flaws.

If you decide to check out the book, we hope you’ll do so via this Amazon affiliate link, where if you choose to purchase via the link DIY MFA gets a referral fee at no cost to you. As always, thank you for supporting DIY MFA!

Link to Episode 383

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If you liked this episode…

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Also, remember that sharing is caring so if you know anyone who might enjoy this podcast, please tell them about it or leave us a review so other listeners will want to check it out.

In this episode, we mentioned a summit, which is now over. It will be housed in the DIY MFA Members HUB. To get on the waiting list for the HUB, click here.

Until next week, keep writing and keep being awesome!

The post Episode 383: The Mashup as a Model: Lessons for Your Writing Career from Edgar Allan Poe – Interview with Catherine Baab-Muguira appeared first on DIY MFA.

Trees are smarter than we are as humans. We work long past the time of much-needed rest, completely ignoring the signals from our bodies and minds that we don’t have the fuel, literally or figuratively, to keep working. I’ve written my way through the pandemic without taking a break and my fuel tank is on empty.

Several Olympic athletes at the Summer Games in Tokyo pushed themselves beyond what was safe and had the courage to say they needed a break. Creativity is a solo act without a coach to assess the writer’s wellbeing. I always spend time with trees when I need to replenish energy. 

I’ll be following my own advice that I am sharing with you here: be like a tree for your mental health.

Feed Your Crown Wisely

Trees gather energy by receiving sunlight and then converting this energy in their leaves. The trees who survive get the proper amount of sunlight for their growth. If trees grow too quickly they can’t sustain the amount of fuel they will need to take in through their leaves.

Think of each writing lesson or practice as a source of energy for your leaves. Be selective in what you take in. It is overwhelming when you absorb information you can’t immediately use. Pace yourself. The right information will be there for you at the right moment. Finding what works for you at a rate just right for your growth ensures a sustainable writing career (and preserves your mental health).

Protect Your Inner Bark

The outer bark of a tree protects the inner bark. Trees survive wildfires, insects, foraging by animals, and infections thanks to this protective outer layer.

At the beginning of my writing journey I was excited to share every project I was working on. Well-meaning people would ask when my book would be published, or why I wasn’t finished with my book, or where they could read my article. It is challenging to explain the publication process to those who are outside of it.

Likewise, not everyone understands the cyclical nature of the creative world. As soon as you have finished one project, you are working on the next. Also, there are people who will sabotage your success, consciously or unconsciously.

To protect your inner bark, your mental health, create your signature story about your writing process. When people ask for updates on your work, you will have an answer ready in a way that sets boundaries and protects you. I am now selective in how and with whom I share updates on my writing projects. It helps keep away feelings of failure when I answer “Not yet,” or “Hopefully soon.” 

Nourish Your Roots

A tree’s roots can extend for miles just under the surface of the soil or grow down several feet below ground. Trees are resourceful in finding sources of water for growth. If water dries up, they will extend their roots in another direction to find more.

It helps to engage in other creative activities to keep your writing life in balance. For some people it might work to try several different things in a broad radius. For others it works better to try just one thing but at a deep level. 

Tap into other sources to feed your creativity. Try a workshop at a museum. Or get in the kitchen for some baking. 

If your go-to creative outlet isn’t giving you the boost you need, switch up your routine with something new. 

Find Your Fungi

It appears that a tree stands alone, but this is not the case. Underneath the soil there is a massive network of fungi attached to the tree’s roots communicating and sharing nutrients among other trees. Some in the nature world call it the “wood wide web.” This fungi network is so complex it is not yet fully understood by scientists. They do know it is vital for each tree’s healthy growth and sustenance.

Writing is a solitary practice. But just like a tree, no writer can go it alone. The creative process takes an abundance of mental energy and fortitude, which can take a toll on your mental health. This is why I recommend finding your fungi, the people who can support you in an exchange of energy and information. I found my fungi with the DIY MFA community. Look for yours in a writing group, friends you made at conferences, at your local bookstore, or classes at your library. 

Spend time with trees. You will get a boost of oxygen. A leisurely walk in the forest, aka forest bathing, has been scientifically proven to reduce stress hormones. And time in nature increases problem-solving skills and creativity. 

Am I telling you to hug a tree? Yes. (The photo with this article is of me hugging a tree). Tree time with the aspens is a fall tradition essential for my mental health. 

Tell us in the comments below: What do you do to preserve your mental health?

Ambre Dawn Leffler is a Tai Chi instructor, gardener, and weather geek who writes about vegetables, seasons, communing with nature, and the interconnections of mind/body. She loves trees and cherishes time in their presence. Learn more about her tree time, garden residents, and wellness practices at her website ambredawnleffler.com and seasonal inspiration from her newsletter https://ambredawn.ck.page/newsletter-page.

The post Be Like a Tree for Your Mental Health appeared first on DIY MFA.

At age thirty-three, still fairly recent into treatment for anxiety, depression, and bipolar disorder, I took up the Korean martial art of taekwondo, something I’d done as a child and had longed to return to. As I grew in my martial arts practice, I became more introspective about my mental and emotional health. Writing about my emotional growth first on my blog, Little Black Belt and later in my book Kicking and Screaming: a Memoir of Madness and Martial Arts gave me the courage to share my mental health experience with the world.

Here are five writing tips that can help you work through your mental health challenges and bravely share your story with others who can benefit from it:

1. Write for discovery.

Before I started a blog and wrote a memoir, I journaled. Journaling is an excellent tool for seeing a situation objectively and noticing patterns, reactions, and results. Some things were working for me, and others were destructive habits I needed to break. Journaling builds a writer’s self-awareness that can aid the recovery process and fine-tune the writer’s ability to articulate his or her experience for an audience.

2. Write for epiphanies.

In addition to strengthening your self-awareness, the objectivity of journaling can inspire insights and epiphanies. As you write about your experiences, thoughts, reactions, and reflections, you may be surprised by the profound realizations you gain about yourself and your life. Take these realizations as valuable lessons for how to heal from old wounds, cope with future stressors, and pursue your goals.

3. Write for lessons learned.

The insights you have about your own mental health journey are teachable moments you can share. Whether you consider yourself a cautionary tale or feel you’ve discovered the secret to success, use what you’ve learned to teach others. As a martial arts instructor, I’ve found that my own technique has improved when I’ve taught others. As you share your lessons about mental health, use the power of new knowledge to improve your own mental health situation.

4. Write for connection.

Having a mental illness is a lonely feeling. The societal stigma against mental illness infects our workplaces, our social settings, and our homes. Writing and sharing your mental illness story is a way to connect with others who share your experience. Connecting with others is a way to soothe the loneliness and isolation that can come with mental illness and share valuable lessons and insights that can help others on their mental health journeys.

5. Write for advocacy.

As I began to publicize my book Kicking and Screaming I had to confront my own bias against mental illness. I’d kept my conditions secret from most people in my life for fear of discrimination, and now I was asking people to engage in my story. It would be hypocritical to promote a book about mental illness while shying away from advocating for my own needs and for the needs of others. I became more vocal in my personal life about my mental health needs, including in my corporate job. I’ve learned to use my platform to bring attention to how common mental illness is and how people who suffer from it need support.

Writing about one’s mental health requires vulnerability and courage. Your writing talent gives you the power to both advance in your own recovery journey and to help others.

Melanie Gibson is a second degree black belt in taekwondo and the author of the new book, Kicking and Screaming: A Memoir of Madness and Martial Arts (She Writes Press).

The post #5onFri: Five Tips for Writing About Your Mental Health Journey appeared first on DIY MFA.

Jeremy is writer and freelance environmental journalist, who also happens to cohabitate with mental illnesses. He has named his OCD Steve and his depression goes by the name of Malachi. He is the author of the memoir Baggage: Confessions of a Globetrotting Hypochondriac.

As a journalist, Jeremy is passionate about wildlife conservation, climate change, forests, animal behavior, and indigenous people and many other topics. His work has appeared in Mongabay, the Guardian, HuffPost, Ensia, YaleE360, Sydney Morning Herald and others. His story on the Sumatran rhino was chosen for the 2019 edition of the Best American Science and Nature Writing.

Jeremy has traveled to over 30 countries on five continents and considers himself ridiculously lucky to have spent time with singing rhinos, dinosaur mammals, and angry clown fish. He is graduate of Macalester College with a major in English and minor in History as well as the Great Books Master’s Degree program at St. John’s College. He lives in St. Paul, Minnesota with his wife, daughter, and pooch. When he’s not writing, he enjoys time with friends, cups of tea, long hikes, longer naps, even longer novels, and playing Dungeons and Dragons.

In this episode Jeremy and I discuss:

• How he juggled writing about travel, mental illness, and nature in one book.
• Why he chose to write his memoir thematically as opposed to chronologically.
• What myths he hoped to dispel by writing so openly about his mental illness.

Plus, his #1 tip for writers.

About Jeremy Hance

Jeremy Hance is writer and freelance environmental journalist, who also happens to cohabitate with mental illnesses. He has named his OCD Steve and his depression goes by the name of Malachi. He is the author of the memoir Baggage: Confessions of a Globetrotting Hypochondriac. As a journalist, Hance cut his teeth at Mongabay, beginning in 2009 and working as a lead writer and editor for six years. For over three years he wrote the blog Radical Conservation on the Guardian. Today, he is a columnist for Mongabay, writing monthly articles under the banner Saving Life on Earth: Words on the Wild.

As a journalist he is passionate about wildlife conservation, climate change, forests, animal behavior, and indigenous people and many other topics. His works has appeared in Mongabay, the Guardian, HuffPost, Ensia, YaleE360, Sydney Morning Herald among others. A story on the Sumatran rhino was chosen for the 2019 edition of the Best American Science and Nature Writing.

In pursuit of stories, Hance has traveled to over 30 countries on five continents. He considers himself ridiculously lucked to have spent time with singing rhinos, dinosaur mammals, and angry clown fish.

Hance is a 2002 graduate of Macalester College with a major in English and minor in History as well as a 2009 graduate of St. John’s College’s Great Books Master’s Degree program. He lives in St. Paul, Minnesota with his wife, daughter, and pooch. When not writing, he enjoys time with friends, cups of tea, long hikes, longer naps, even longer novels, and playing Dungeons and Dragons.

You can follow Jeremy on Twitter.

Baggage: Confessions of a Globe-Trotting Hypochondriac

An award-winning journalist’s eco-adventures across the globe with his three traveling companions: his fiancée, his OCD, and his chronic anxiety—a hilarious, wild jaunt that will inspire travelers, environmentalists, and anyone with mental illness.

Most travel narratives are written by superb travelers: people who crave adventure, laugh in the face of danger, and rapidly integrate into foreign cultures. But what about someone who is paranoid about traveler’s diarrhea, incapable of speaking a foreign tongue, and hates not only flying but driving, cycling, motor-biking, and sometimes walking in the full sun?

In Baggage: Confessions of a Globe-Trotting Hypochondriac, award-winning writer Jeremy Hance chronicles his hilarious and inspiring adventures as he reconciles his traveling career as an environmental journalist with his severe OCD and anxiety.

At the age of twenty-six—after months of visiting doctors, convinced he was dying from whatever disease his brain dreamed up the night before—Hance was diagnosed with OCD. The good news was that he wasn’t dying; the bad news was that OCD made him a really bad traveler—sometimes just making it to baggage claim was a win.

Yet Hance hauls his baggage from the airport and beyond. He takes readers on an armchair trek to some of the most remote corners of the world, from Kenya, where hippos clip the grass and baboons steal film, to Borneo, where macaques raid balconies and the last male Bornean rhino sings, to Guyana, where bats dive-bomb his head as he eats dinner with his partner and flesh-eating ants hide in their pants and their drunk guide leaves them stranded in the rainforest canopy.

As he and his partner soldier through the highs and the lows—of altitudes and their relationship—Hance discovers the importance of resilience, the many ways to manage (or not!) mental illness when in stressful situations, how nature can improve your mental health, and why it is so important to push yourself to live a life packed with experiences, even if you struggle daily with a mental health issue.

With mental illness impacting the lives of millions of people, this timely book will inspire people to step out of their comfort zones and take the road meant to be traveled. Hance proves that we all have baggage–the question is, do we leave it dusty in a closet or do we take it out in full view for others to see?

If you decide to check out the book, we hope you’ll do so via this Amazon affiliate link, where if you choose to purchase via the link DIY MFA gets a referral fee at no cost to you. As always, thank you for supporting DIY MFA!

(Right-click to download.)

If you liked this episode…

Head over to iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Spotify, or Google and subscribe so you’ll be first to know when new episodes are available.

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Until next week, keep writing and keep being awesome!

The post Episode 349: When a Story Idea Won’t Let a Writer Go – Interview with Jeremy Hance appeared first on DIY MFA.

Veena Rao is the author of Purple Lotus: A Novel (She Writes Press), as well as founder, publisher and editor-in-chief of NRI Pulse, a popular Atlanta-based Indian-American news publication. She is in the Limca Book of Records as the first Indian-origin woman to edit and publish a newspaper outside India.

Veena Rao has a background in print journalism, having worked on the news desk of The Indian Express in India, and a couple of community publications in Atlanta as editor. She has a Masters’ Diploma in Journalism and Communication from Symbiosis International University and a Masters’ in Economics from Fergusson College, India. 

She has been featured in several major Asian print publications including the BBC Telugu, the Hindu, Indian Express, Gulf News, the Khaleej Times, India Review etc. She currently lives in Tucker, GA.

In this episode Veena and I discuss:

• How her life circumstances forced her creative writing to take a backseat and how she got her writing life back.
• What skills her journalism background afforded her when approaching difficult topics such as domestic abuse and mental illness.
• Why She Writes Press was a great fit for the kind of book Veena wanted to write.

Plus, their #1 tip for writers.

About the Author

Veena Rao is the author of Purple Lotus: A Novel (She Writes Press), as well as founder, publisher and editor-in-chief of NRI Pulse, a popular Atlanta-based Indian-American news publication. She is in the Limca Book of Records as the first Indian-origin woman to edit and publish a newspaper outside India.

Veena Rao has a background in print journalism, having worked on the news desk of The Indian Express in India, and a couple of community publications in Atlanta as editor. She has a Masters’ Diploma in Journalism and Communication from Symbiosis International University and a Masters’ in Economics from Fergusson College, India. 

She has been featured in several major Asian print publications including the BBC Telugu, the Hindu, Indian Express, Gulf News, the Khaleej Times, India Review etc. She currently lives in Tucker, GA.

You can find out more about Veena on her website. You can also follow her on Twitter and Instagram.

 PURPLE LOTUS: A Novel by Veena Rao

 Providing the reader with a glimpse into small town Indian culture in the American South, the forthcoming debut Purple Lotus: A Novel by Veena Rao (on sale September 29, She Writes Press) is a timely and important addition to Southern literature that takes an oft told immigrant story of identity and assimilation and makes it a visceral, layered, ultimately feminist narrative of a woman’s journey in America. 

Winner of the She Writes Press and SparkPress Toward Equality in Publishing (STEP) contest, Purple Lotus is an invaluable #OwnVoices story personalizing the immigrant experience with a universal message: there’s hope even if you feel inadequate, powerless, fearful. It is never too late to take control of your life – we must choose to live, not just exist. Dealing with themes of domestic violence, fighting the patriarchy, and seeking the right to self-determination, Purple Lotus is a story inspired by Rao’s own experiences as an Indian immigrant in Atlanta, GA.

Three years after her arranged marriage to tech executive Sanjay, Tara moves to the American South from Mangalore, India. Tara’s memories of childhood abandonment and isolation mirror her present life of loneliness and escalating abuse at the hands of her husband. Constantly pressured by her patriarchal family to make peace with her circumstances, Tara learns to confront the victim-shaming society she was raised within, finding strength, self-worth and support in kind-hearted strangers, new friends and her first love. 

If you decide to check out the book, we hope you’ll do so via this Amazon affiliate link, where if you choose to purchase via the link DIY MFA gets a referral fee at no cost to you. As always, thank you for supporting DIY MFA!

Link to Episode 334

(Right-click to download.)

If you liked this episode…

Head over to iTunes, Stitcher Radio or Google Play and subscribe so you’ll be first to know when new episodes are available.

Also, remember that sharing is caring so if you know anyone who might enjoy this podcast, please tell them about it or leave us a review so other listeners will want to check it out.

Until next week, keep writing and keep being awesome!

The post Episode 334: The Unexpected Female Protagonist – Interview with Veena Rao appeared first on DIY MFA.

How are you all doing out there?

Oh, you’re struggling? Yeah, me too. At least, I’m struggling to write this post. You see, this is the first post I’ve written for DIY MFA since the pandemic started, and when it goes live, we’ll probably still be under some level of quarantine. And I feel a sort of extra responsibility here, as the “wellness” writer for DIY MFA, to provide you with something that will help you address the struggle we’re all feeling. I’d like what I write here to give you solace, or make you laugh, or give you a bit of wisdom to chew on— or, if I’m honest, all three would be great. But here I am in the same boat, trying to keep my head above water. So I went out in search of my own solace/humor/wisdom, hoping for inspiration. 

Unfortunately, most of what I’m bumping up against in the writer-advice space is falling into one of two patterns. In one, the author says, “Hey, writing is hard right now. Maybe even impossible. Don’t beat yourself up; just give yourself time.” Which is great advice, and maybe what most people need to hear right now. Still, I’ve written posts like that in the past— I’m thinking of Writing Through Depression, which went live in the first week or two of quarantine (the relevance was completely unplanned), or How to Keep Writing When Times Are Tough. I don’t think I have anything more to share in that area. 

On the opposite end, I’m also reading posts that say, “Look at all this free time you now have! I’m going to help you manage it and create new habits out of thin air and by the time the quarantine is over, you’re going to have written a novel. Turn off Netflix and get to work, you lazy slob! What will you want to have accomplished when this is all over?” (Obviously, these authors are not speaking to people who are currently on the front lines of this pandemic or suddenly homeschooling their children.) Those posts can be helpful, but mostly they cause me shame. That question, “What will you want to have accomplished when this is all over?” is one I still haven’t been able to answer, and I wonder if anyone has. We’re still getting used to this revolution in lifestyle and how it’s impacted our inner creative worlds. Not to mention, I’ve written posts like that too, though not during a pandemic. Last fall’s series on WHY–WHAT–HOW of the writing process comes to mind. 

So, back to my dilemma: trying to give DIY MFA readers a useful post. Fortunately, a new book landed in my mailbox on the very first afternoon of the quarantine in my county: How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy by Jenny Odell. This book provided me with the lens I needed to see my quarantine work differently, and hopefully do the same for you, my readers. 

The problem with the examples I gave above is that both types of posts are focused entirely on time. The “Don’t beat yourself up” type of post gives you permission to self-care instead of write. It allows you time in the longer sense: days, weeks, until you feel ready to resume your writing life. The contrasting “Get off your butt” post is also about time, but at a more micro level: hours, minutes, productive routines. But neither type of post serves us well, because what we really need to focus on isn’t time at all, which we have little control over. No one knows how long this time will last. But there’s one thing we can control, and focusing on it will help. It’s our attention. 

Where is your attention going these days? Where should it be going?

There are ways in which this pandemic is a curse, of course. We have been cut off from the lives we’ve built for ourselves. We have to stay away from loved ones and social spaces. A majority of our jobs are at risk or already gone. Fear pervades our every move; so little is certain. We are experiencing worldwide trauma.

But we can’t control any of those things. So is it worth giving our attention to them? What if instead, we attended to the ways that the quarantine is a gift? They are small ways, but meaningful. For example, most of us are getting more sleep, or at least are able to sleep according to a more natural schedule. We’re eating with our families. We’re cooking more. We’re learning to do more with less, and get creative with our resources. Most importantly, we’re reflecting on every element of our lives, because we’ve been forced to pause them. 

If we focus on what we’re giving our attention to, it’s easy to see how our mindset might shift. We can start doing the things that are most healthy for us— including figuring out the type of writing we can manage right now— instead of focusing on all the things we can’t control. We can figure out how to focus our attention on what matters, instead of trying to fit things that may or may not matter into the slots of our day. In How to Do Nothing, Jenny Odell posits that attention should precede time, not the other way around. She writes, “Tiny spaces [in place and time] can open up small spaces, small spaces can open bigger spaces. If you can afford to pay a different kind of attention, you should.”

Our physical space is small. Time stretches into an uncertain future. But our attention has potential to change our lives for the better.

Well, readers, I hope I was able to give you something comforting and wise. I don’t think I made you laugh yet, though. So in closing, here’s my 7-year-old son’s current favorite joke: 

Q: What’s the difference between a piano and a tuna?

A: You can tuna piano, but you can’t piano a tuna!

Be well, Word Nerds! 

Leanne Sowul is an award-winning writer and music teacher whose work has appeared in such places as Rappahannock Review, Hippocampus, Mothers Always Write and Confrontation; her live readings include Read 650’s “Gratitude” show at Lincoln Center. As an elementary band director, Leanne can play every woodwind, brass and percussion instrument (just don’t give her a cello!) and has directed over two hundred student performances. She also coaches adults in the art of creative practice through her newsletter, The Joyful Creative. In 2017, Leanne won both the Scott Meyer Award for personal essay and the All-American Dream Champion Award for music teaching. Leanne lives with her husband and two children in the Hudson Valley. Connect with her at www.leannesowul.com.

The post The Power of Paying Attention appeared first on DIY MFA.

In an effort to cope with the madness I declared a personal quarantine from social media, but just before I did, I came across a recommendation to help us through this mess. I think it’s brilliant, so I wanted to pass it along.

Keep a pandemic journal

If dwelling on the topic seems like adding an extra helping of misery to an already-full plate, let me offer three reasons that might make the project easier to digest.

1) Historians of the future will thank you

These are unprecedented times. Historians, whether professional or amateur (like your future kids or grandkids working on a school project), depend on primary sources to fully understand the ways major events shaped our lives. Consider writing down your day-to-day experience in the richest detail you can. Dig in. Complain with the ferocity of two Wal-Mart shoppers battling it out over the last 4-pack of toilet paper. Ask the scary questions bouncing around in your head, particularly if your alternative would be to voice them in an environment where others around you, especially children, might get frightened. It’s a safe place to vent your real fears and frustrations. Which leads me to:

2) It may help you cope with stress

Research shows that for certain categories of people, journaling your daily experience may help you mitigate depression and anxiety in the long run. For people who are “not suffering from PTSD, and not a first responder in the midst of living daily crisis [or] trauma, and [for whom] is writing feels cathartic and helpful, then writing about this is probably a good idea,” says Dr. Jennifer Plumb Vilardaga, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist affiliated with Duke University. 

She theorized that writing the experience down gives a person distance that allows them to form a new relationship to that experience. It becomes a narrative that can be evaluated, rather than a closed loop of thoughts in the person’s head. Dr. Plumb Vilardaga further noted that evidence suggests it’s particularly helpful to write about what feels meaningful and vital to the person in the context. For example, noting details such as, “I needed to get exercise, so I took a walk today,” or “I bought groceries for elderly Mrs. Smith next door so she didn’t have to go out,” may offer outsized benefits over writing about something more generalized or external.

That said, if you try journaling your experience and it doesn’t feel helpful, stop and seek professional help. Many therapists are offering virtual sessions during this time so check out your area’s options. Or, Dr. Plumb Vilardaga recommends Betterhelp.com as a source for online therapy. The site offers sessions with licensed, accredited psychologists, marriage and family therapists, clinical social workers, and board licensed professional counselors so you can get support without violating important social distancing behaviors.

3) It can help you maintain your writing practice

I’m finding it hard to concentrate these days. If I can get 100 words on my WIP, I chalk that up as a win. Maybe you feel the same way. Writers who value a daily practice but struggle to maintain it under the current circumstances may find journaling their experience a good alternative that keeps the words flowing as they seek a new normal. 

I wish you all luck as you care for loved ones, pursue your work, and maintain your writing in these unprecedented times. Stay safe and well.

Helen J. Darling writes and publishes contemporary women’s fiction at her imprint, Bricolage Books. She published her first novel, I’ll Know Me When I Find Me, in January 2018. Her latest novel, Terms and Conditions, was published in November 2019. You can connect with her at itshelendarling.com, on Instagram, Twitter and on Facebook. 

The post Finding it Hard to Write? Consider Keeping a Pandemic Journal appeared first on DIY MFA.