How is 2020 treating you? Are you doing okay? Staying hydrated? Healthy, I hope? The year has not, on the whole, been kind to us, and if you’re anything like me your writing practice floundered more than once, or perhaps you failed to meet goals you set earlier in the year. If this year taught me anything, it’s that I can’t control outcomes, only process. In trying to manage process, I’ve discovered that aligning my goals and intentions with my values not only brings new meaning to my writing practice, it also helps me persevere when I hit a rough patch.

So much of publishing is out of our control. 

You write the best book you can, but if you’re traditionally published, you may be querying agents, or you may have an agent who’s shopping your manuscript around. Those waiting games are hard. If you’re self-published, you may publish your book to a high professional standard but struggle to market the book. In either route to publication, the book may not sell the way you hope. You can’t always control that. Then, things like pandemics or other disasters upend even best-formulated strategies. 

But connecting your goals and daily practices to your values can give you the juice to persevere. If you set goals in January that dictate, “I’m going to get an agent and publish my first book this year,” or “I’m going to sell 10,000 copies of my latest novel,” when you collect your seventy-fifth rejection letter from an agent or sell half as many books as you hoped, the negative voices in your head may derail your efforts. Instead, consider the values that bring meaning to your work and reorient your efforts toward them. 

Maybe you value creativity, or community, or sharing voices and experiences that don’t often get heard.

 Try reframing your goal: “Because I care about living a creative life, I will research and query 100 agents who represent the kind of writing I produce.” If you set intentions (kind of a daily mini-goal) that derive from those values–“I intend to find a way to serve my creative needs today, regardless of what the day throws at me,” or “I care about telling a story about people who are often overlooked, and intend to give time to that project today,”–it can give you the nudge that helps you push through your writer’s block or carve out time in your lunch hour to write instead of goofing off on Twitter. 

Ideally, goals and intentions work hand-in-hand. The goals (especially SMART ones) define specific destinations and steps to get there. Intentions give you not only the flexibility and personal compassion you may need to help you through the daily grind, but connect you deeply to the reasons why you’re working towards those goals in the first place. When the outcomes get thrown in the garbage, the process can validate the work you may otherwise feel you’ve wasted. But–not coincidentally–people who align their goals and intentions with their values tend to realize them over those who don’t, and report a stronger sense of well-being. 

Connecting the dots

This year, I wrote all my SMART goals on index cards that I posted to a bulletin board behind my writing space. I see them every time I sit down to write. I’ve accomplished four, and am on track to accomplish another four, but two goals–both related to managing the business side of my publishing life–need my attention. By reconnecting to the value behind those goals–mitigating the stress that I otherwise suffer when I can’t put off those tasks any longer–I’m reminded that I’m not just being a bullying boss to myself. The goal is actually rooted in my own self-care. That reminder helps me to set an intention: I will remember this task I dislike is structured to save me weeks of drudgery. That nudges me to take five minutes now that I’ll be glad I took at the end of the year, when I want to be doing fun things. 

Process is in our control; outcome is not. That’s why setting goals and intentions rooted in personal values matters so much. Connecting those goals to your values will validate your work in spite of the sideways turns your journey to those goals may take.

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. 

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But what about our characters’ jobs? How much thought do we put into that?

We authors recognize the importance of strong characterization, agonizing over the smallest details and collating pages and pages of information about our cast members. But unless the story calls for a certain career, their occupation is often an afterthought. We pick something that’s interesting—a career we admire or think is cool and unique. And we end up with a character who has a cool and unique job that does absolutely nothing for the story.

This is shortsighted. The details are what make a story shine. When we hand-select the ones that tie into numerous elements, they anchor everything together, building a sturdy foundation for a story with depth. One detail that can accomplish this is the character’s job.

But just like in the real world, there are gazillions of jobs your character can choose from. I know, because Angela and I have just written The Occupation Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Jobs, Vocations, and Careers and, honestly, it almost became The Occupation Encyclopedia, because there were so many dang jobs to choose from. It was agony figuring out which ones to include and which ones had to be cut. 

I know how hard it can be to settle on the right job for a character. Today I’d like to share some factors to keep in mind to help you find the perfect job for your character and your story.

What’s My Story About?

This one is obvious, so let’s get it out of the way. Sometimes your story requires a certain job, so the decision about your character’s career is super easy. James Bond had to be a spy. Raiders of the Lost Ark needed an archaeologist. The Wedding Planner…you get the picture.

So if your story is about a person in a certain career field (It’s about a homicide detective who goes undercover as a kindergarten teacher), or you’re writing a specific genre such as courtroom drama, espionage, or military thrillers, the occupation choice very often has been made for you.

For most stories, though, it won’t be this simple. There are literally dozens of careers that your character could have. Rather than picking one randomly, choose one that will serve your story by tying into an element of characterization. Consider the following details about your character, and make a list of careers that make sense for each. We’ll discuss what to do with those lists in a bit.

Positive Traits

People choose jobs because they fit their personality, so it’s smart to take this into account. Do you know your character’s dominant attributes? If not, figure that out. Then make a list of jobs that would be a good match for someone with those traits. For more information on how this can work, see the Speed Dating reference at our blog.

Talents and Skills

Unless there’s an underlying reason for doing so, characters will often choose a job that they’re good at, one that plays to their strengths. Athletes are skilled at their respective sports, mechanics are good with their hands, and a chef should be able to make tasty food. Consider your character’s aptitudes and abilities, and see which careers might make sense for them. If that talent or skill will specifically be used to help them achieve their story goal, make note of that. Any detail that does double duty in this way should have more weight in the decision-making process.

Interests

Many people will choose a job in a field that piques their interest: science, antiques, shopping, working with children, etc. What passions or hobbies does your character have that they might naturally turn into a career?

Values and Beliefs

Does your character hold strong ideals that may motivate them to pursue a certain career path? If they want to make a difference in the world, serve a segment of the population, pursue justice, or right a wrong, those desires can drive them toward a particular job. Explore the character’s important values and beliefs to see if this will play into their decision.

Missing Human Needs

This one, I think, may be the most influential (though subconscious) factor when we choose a job. When any of our basic human needs are missing, we start trying to fill the void. Our actions and decisions are driven by missing needs—and this includes choices about work and careers.  

A missing human need will often push the character toward (or away) from a certain job. Based on what you know about your character’s past and who they are at the start of your story, which of those needs is missing? Love and connection? Safety and security? Self-fulfillment? What job might the character pursue to fill that void?

Emotional Wounds

On a related note, emotional wounds from the past can also influence a person’s choice of job. Someone who was a victim of violent crime may choose a career that will enable them to bring criminals to justice or protect the innocent from similar victimization. A character who was raised by a harsh and cruel parent may choose a radically different career path as a way of separating him or herself from that caregiver.

Unresolved Wounds

Unresolved wounds—past ones the character may not have dealt with or even recognize—can also play a subconscious part in this decision. Someone who experienced a humiliating failure may avoid their preferred career and choose something that will allow them to underachieve so they won’t have to risk failing again. A character desperate to please a parent may follow in their footsteps out of a desire to gain their approval, even if it means embarking on a career that will make them miserable. Unresolved wounds are often at the root of a missing human need, so if this kind of past experience is influencing your character, take both factors into consideration.

Putting It All Together

By this point, you hopefully have a few lists of job possibilities that relate to various aspects of characterization. Take a look at your options and circle any careers that appear on more than one list. Those are good prospects because they tie into multiple characterization details, making them realistic options that will provide depth. You now have a shortlist of jobs that make sense for your character and your story.

If pulling multiple characterization details together to find the perfect job seems daunting, we’ve created a tool that simplifies the process. You can download a blank copy of this Career Assessment from our website, and if you’ve picked up a copy of The Occupation Thesaurus, you can see a completed sample there.

Real people don’t typically choose jobs randomly, and characters shouldn’t either. Don’t make careers a background detail. Bring them to the forefront and put them to work for your story.

How have you chosen your characters’ jobs in the past? Were they tied into any aspects of characterization to enhance your story?

Becca Puglisi is an international speaker, writing coach, and bestselling author of The Emotion Thesaurus and other books for writers—including her latest: The Occupation Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Jobs, Vocations, and Careers. Her books have sold over 500,000 copies and are available in multiple languages, are sourced by US universities, and are used by novelists, screenwriters, editors, and psychologists around the world. She is passionate about learning and sharing her knowledge with others through her Writers Helping Writers blog and via One Stop For Writers—a powerhouse online library created to help writers elevate their storytelling. 

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Maybe this has happened to you, too. The funny thing is, this ties in directly with today’s Theme: A Story’s Soul post. These individuals, perhaps without knowing it, were asking me about the literary themes I explore in my poetry.

So let’s dive deep in your poetry and see what themes we can find there. Before we get started, though, make sure you check out our previous Theme: A Story’s Soul post on identifying literary themes in the poetry we read.

Three Questions to Ask When Identifying Themes in Your Poems

Sometimes you might be aware of the themes you bring into your poetry. Other times you might be so absorbed in the act of creation that theme (or, rather, the less obvious themes) is an afterthought, at least until you’ve had a chance to process what you’ve written. Regardless, it’s good to know not just what your poems are about, but what they’re really about. This means starting with these three sets of questions, which start at a poem’s surface level and then mine deeper:

1.  What?: What is the poem about? What explicit themes does this piece touch on?
2. How?: What is the poem’s overall tone? How did the feelings you were experiencing while writing this piece influence its themes?
3. Why?: Why did you write the poem? What implicit (or less obvious) themes do these reasons, as well as the tone, usher into the poem?

Do these questions sound familiar? If you read our post on themes in the poetry we read, then you’re correct. This list is a variation on the previous one. This time, we’ve reframed the questions so they’re better suited for writing instead of reading. (The only difference is we eliminated the question about mood, or the feelings a reader experiences during a poem.)

On the Surface: What Are Your Poems About?

When we explain what a poem is about or what inspired it, we’re also revealing that poem’s explicit themes. These are the most obvious themes that readers will find the first time they read the poem. To identify your poem’s explicit themes, start with its topics – the facts that answer the “What” question – and look them from a broader perspective. If it helps, think of topic as a means for illustrating those larger concepts we recognize as themes. Or you can ask the question, “What ideas do my poem’s topics represent?”

Not sure how you’d do this with your poems? Let me share the “what” of three of my own and those themes to get you started:

• “Elegy”: This poem, which I wrote after the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings, is a tribute to the Back Bay / Copley Square neighborhood of Boston, where the bombings took place. It’s also a response to the terrorist attack, alluding to the injuries and trauma that people suffered that day as well as the horror and heartsickness I felt in response. Thus, the poem’s explicit themes are place, violence, and sadness.
• “Gifts”: This single-stanza meditation is centered around my almost stepping on a turkey feather and then, rather than taking it home with me, “giving it back” to the ground. It’s also framed by the idea of the possessions we keep and the gifts we’re meant to have for only a short time. So in this case, the explicit themes are man and the natural world and selfishness versus selflessness.
• “Origin Story”: Another place-themed poem, “Origin Story” is a brief history in verse of how the iconic geography of Cape Cod, Massachusetts was formed by glaciers thousands of years ago. In this way, man and the natural world is also one of its themes, in an unexpected way: The poem describes the peninsula’s formation as if it’s a human being born.

Going Deeper: Why Did You Write Each Poem? How Did You Feel?

Once you’ve identified your poem’s explicit themes, it’s time to delve into the implicit themes. This is where the “why” and “how” of the poem’s crafting come into play, and for good reason: Your reasons for writing a poem, as well as the approach you take when writing it, will allow other themes to emerge. The words and images you use to convey your thoughts and emotions – which, in turn, will influence the poem’s tone – will offer subtle hints of these other concepts that might not otherwise be captured when you share the poem’s topics.

Here are the “why” and “how” for each of my sample poems, as well as how they helped to introduce additional themes:

• “Elegy”: As I mentioned earlier, part of what inspired me to write “Elegy” was my reaction to the Boston Marathon bombings. I wasn’t there that day; nor did I know anyone who was. But as someone who’s sensitive to other people’s emotions, I imagined myself there at the site of the bombings and became quite emotional. As a result, many of my word choices in “Elegy” reflect the idea of empathy, or the act to experiencing someone else’s feelings or pain as your own.
• “Gifts”: Why did I write “Gifts”? Partly because I had surprised myself by returning the feather to the ground instead of taking it home, and partly because I was thankful for the experience it “gifted” to me. So as I wrote the poem, I ensured my word choices reflected gratitude and, to a degree, spirituality. Sometimes we find small blessings in unexpected places, just as I did with the turkey feather.
•  “Origin Story”: Because the poem talks about Cape Cod’s geological “birth,” I carefully selected my words in “Origin Story” to highlight the personification of the Cape and the concepts of birth and new beginnings. (One of my friends told me this poem reminds him of superhero origin stories.) Thus, life and existence, with a focus on creation, emerges as a theme. So does time, with its references to patience, the future, and the amount of time it takes for landscapes to be created. And, thanks to the expectant and celebratory tone, so does hope. 

Why Is It Important to Know Themes in Your Poetry?

As you identify the themes in your poems, you might find that several themes repeat across your work. This is normal – in fact, every poet should have recurring themes they explore. When I review my current repertoire, I notice several recurring themes, like man and the natural world, spirituality, wonder and amazement, and exploration, among others. I also notice other themes that appear less often, thanks to each poem’s distinct tone or topics. But I don’t see the recurring themes as a weakness. Rather, I see them as part of my identity as a poet.

The same goes for all poets. You’ll revisit certain themes in your work, most likely because those themes matter to you. They’ll stem from your passions, hobbies, research subjects, ideals and values, personal experiences, and other sources of inspiration. In that regard, your poems are aesthetic extensions of you – and all writers, not just poets, have every right to embrace their identities and write about what’s important to them.

Which leads to one last question: “Why is it important for us to know our poetry’s themes?”

Well, knowing your themes allows you to target appropriate journals, poetry publishers, or themed anthologies that might be a good fit for your work. It also helps you find the right open mic nights, poetry readings, and other venues where you can perform your poems and thus promote your writing to a wider audience. Finally, this knowledge can guide you as you build your own poetry manuscript and determine which poems belong thematically speaking.

In short, knowing your poetry’s themes can help you craft your identity as a poet and find the right audience for your work. It explains why critics and readers alike view Mary Oliver as one of the beloved nature poets of her time, Dorianne Laux as “a compassionate witness to the everyday” with a focus on working-class America, and Natasha Trethewey as a much-needed storyteller who intertwines the historical and the personal. Each poet’s identity is unmistakable, partly because of the unique web of themes each poet addresses – and clearly feels passionate about – in their work.

Remember this as you write new poems and review the themes you explore in them. And don’t ever worry that revisiting the same themes makes your poetry repetitive or boring. After all, they’re part of who you are, as a poet and as a person – and no matter what your web of themes looks like, it will resonate with readers who need to read what you have to say.

What are some of the themes you address in your poetry? Do you intentionally write poems on these subjects? Or do you typically discover the themes after you write? Feel free to share examples of what some of your poems are about and why you wrote them.

Sara Letourneau is a freelance editor and writing coach based in Massachusetts. She’s currently taking clients with manuscripts in speculative fiction, literary fiction, or YA, though she’s open to other genres as well. She’s also a poet whose work has appeared in Amethyst Review, Canary, Muddy River Poetry Review, Soul-Lit, and elsewhere. A Massachusetts resident, she can often be found performing her poems at local open mic nights, reading good books, and enjoying a cup of tea. Learn more about how Sara can help you with your writing at Heart of the Story Editorial & Coaching Services. You can also connect with her at her writer website, Twitter, Goodreads, or Instagram.

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In preparing for the interview, I took a hard look at my schedule in both a macro and micro way, and asked myself whether my priorities and values were truly reflected in my daily and weekly commitments. I decided to work with a rough, very idealistic formula to help me evaluate whether I was achieving that goal. Here’s what I came up with; I hope you find it useful in evaluating your schedule as well!

In an ideal world, Schedule =  Priorities/Time

What Are My Priorities?

If you can’t already name your values and priorities, start by asking yourself the following questions:

In three words, how would you want to be described?

These three roles should reflect how you spend most of your time. For me, those words are writer, teacher, and mom. If I’m a writer who’s not making time for writing, or a teacher who isn’t focused on her students, or a mother who spends more time managing the household than spending quality time with her children, I’m not living up to my description.

Is there a word that ties all three of these words together? Does your life have a theme?

It may not be the case for everyone, and even for me it’s a bit of a stretch to the imagination, but I realized that if my life were to have a one-word theme, it would be creativity. I strive for creativity in my writing work, in my teaching career, and in my daily parenting. If you can find that one word, it can help you decide whether something new is a good fit for your life. Does it match your theme? If not, don’t add it.

This mindset was recently tested for me when I was made aware of a new job opportunity in my district. I was tempted by the higher pay and change in status. But ultimately, I realized the idea of working at this job made me feel creatively depleted, not creatively enriched. So I chose not to pursue it.

How Do I Find Time For My Priorities?

Next, take a closer look at your schedule. If you can, track your time for a week or two; you will likely find it enlightening. You can use a small journal, a spreadsheet, or an app like Toggl or Rescue Time. According to Laura Vanderkam, author of 168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think (and the co-host of the aforementioned “Best of Both Worlds” podcast) most people work fewer hours and get more sleep than they think. We tend to remember the interrupted nights and the twelve-hour days at the office, but those are often outliers. If you add up your hours of daily work (not counting things like lunch and Facebook breaks) and sleep, then average them out over the week, you may be surprised.

Even as a mother of two kids under six, I average 7.5 hours of sleep daily. A few nights a week, I’m woken up by a crying baby, but I make up for that time by sleeping in and taking naps on the weekends. I can choose to remember those nights of broken sleep, or I can look at my time tracker and feel reassured that, on average, I’m doing fine. Tracking your time can help with an overall sense of perspective.

If you can identify an area of your schedule where you feel you’re wasting time that could be spent on more valued projects, ask yourself three questions:

1) Can you get rid of it?

Does it really need to be your responsibility? A great example of this is housework; you could outsource laundry or cleaning. You could also negotiate for chores with your spouse that might suit you better: for example, driving the kids to their afternoon activities, and getting some writing or reading time while you wait, instead of making dinner.

2) Can you compartmentalize it?

If you have to do it, try to make it as efficient as possible. Every Sunday, I have a “kitchen hour” where I take care of all the weekly food prep like packing snack bags and washing produce, as well as other tasks like opening mail, filling out school forms, etc. During the week, if something crosses my desk, I can put it in the Sunday pile without a moment’s worry, because I know that I’ll get to it during my kitchen hour. This may not save much time, but certainly clears out mental space.

3) Can you find a way to enjoy it?

Sometimes we really need to do things that don’t suit our core values and priorities, or perhaps suit them in a roundabout way, such as going to an unproductive meeting simply because you want to show your boss that you’re committed. If you have to do it, try to get something out of it! Can you use your commute to work for thinking up funny haiku about traffic? Can you listen to an audio book about writing craft, or the DIY MFA podcast, while you’re running errands? Can you dance while vacuuming, or have a conversation with your child while folding laundry? If you multitask with the menial but necessary tasks, you may find more time to go deep with your creative work.

Keep in mind: a schedule is a necessary evil if we want to accomplish our life’s goals. But if things don’t go according to plan, be forgiving. If you need to sleep late one morning because your child woke you at midnight, and you end up missing your writing time, let it go. Move onto the next thing. The only way we continue to climb is by allowing ourselves to stumble now and then.

Does your schedule reflect your priorities? Why or why not? What can you do this week to make a change?

Leanne Sowul is a writer and teacher from the Hudson Valley region of New York. She’s the curator of the website Words From The Sowul and authors the “Be Well, Write Well” column for DIY MFA. She writes historical/literary fiction and memoir; her work is represented by Suzie Townsend at New Leaf Literary Agency. Connect with her at leannesowul(at)gmail(dot)com, at Facebook.com/sowulwords, or on Twitter @sowulwords.

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