We talk about getting back into the “flow,” feeling like an idea dries up, sometimes that creativity rushes and overwhelms, or drip-drip-drips when we want it to gush. Instinctually, we seem to realize that creativity, and expressing that creativity, is as essential to our wellbeing as water is to our bodies. Sometimes facing blocks is best-done head-on. For me, getting to the root of the problem is quickest when I come at it sideways.

Lucky for us—I have read (or am reading) two books that will open our minds and blast open our blocks, if you are brave enough to join me. Are we ready to be brave? Excellent. 

Creativity Is Mysterious

First, I will admit that creativity’s source is mysterious. Like water, it feels like it is all around us in the air we breathe and buried in the ground we walk on. Creativity can feel like it is only reliably accessible to a select few who know where to dig or who know when it will rain and are in the right place at the right time.

Poppycock and fiddlesticks. Creativity is open for all. And those doors never shut.

Second, I will also admit it’s possible that reading about writer’s block is another form of procrastination. 

BUT…these books I am recommending aren’t writing craft books. 

There is a good reason for that. I don’t go looking for books that will help me with writer’s block because I refuse to admit there is a problem. That is the first step to recovery, right? Completely refuse to admit there is an issue? No? Well, it’s my first (and only) step. Huzzah for denial! Works all the time! (Kids don’t try denial without adult supervision.)

Usually what happens is I am reading a book for some other reason—like I think it might help me deal with my anxiety about the future, or it seems interesting. Honestly, there doesn’t need to be a reason except I liked the book jacket. (I DO judge books by their covers!)

Those books are the ones that end up unlocking creativity knots I didn’t even know I had, and that is exactly what happened with the two books I am about to tell you about.

“Every now and then one’s mind is stretched by a new idea or sensation, and never shrinks back to its former dimensions.” Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.

Future Forecasting for Combating Writer’s Block

Stretching our minds is going to be so much fun! 

Imaginable: How to See the Future Coming and Feel Ready for Anything – Even Things that Seem Impossible Today by Jane McGonigal

Jane McGonigal is a future forecaster and game designer. I am already so intrigued, flipping over and reading the side flap.

I am about a third of the way through, and doing her “future imagining” exercises sounds terrifying after the last two years we’ve had, but it has unlocked a blind spot in my creativity I didn’t even know was there. McGonigal mentions these exercises help with creativity, but, honestly, I scoffed at it. 

I am not scoffing anymore. No scoffs! 

I have had three vivid dreams since I started these imagination exercises. Dreams in which I was an ancient Sumerian King fighting for his doomed kingdom, a small girl in India pitched against a global corporation, and finally, last night, I dreamed I was satisfied with everything in my life and utterly content. (Crazy right!?)

In completing the future scenario exercises, something has worked loose deep in my subconscious. There is something wonderful about tapping into your creativity while not thinking about writing. I used to paint when I was stuck on a plot point or scene, and now I know why. I needed to dip into that creativity well from another angle. Einstein used to play his violin. 

How Neuropsychology Is Catching up to Buddhism

You don’t have to be a Buddhist or a neuropsychologist to read book number two. The brief chapters are written in an easygoing style that is both straightforward and fascinating. 

No Self, No Problem: How Neuropsychology Is Catching Up to Buddhism by Chris Niebauer

Full disclosure: I have listened to this book about 4 times. There was such relief and joy in the support of right-brain thinking and a call for creativity that I felt bolstered and lifted as a creative when I read this book. 

Western society puts so much pressure on creatives needing to make money to be taken seriously, as if the art itself wasn’t the entire point. These judgments are left-brain perceptions. 

The premise of this book, that the “self” is in fact a myth created by our judging, pattern-seeking left brain, seems radical, nonsensical even. And so, I love this book. 

In the end, it isn’t whether the author’s premise is something I agree with or, frankly, even really understand. It’s the idea of my “self” as a concept I made up to explain the world has opened my mind.

Thomas Dewar said it best: “Minds are like parachutes – they only function when open.”

Open Minds, Defeat Writer’s Block

I encourage you to open your mind, open your heart, and see what happens to your creativity. 

This is a trigger warning for many people: you may have been told that opening your mind is dangerous. I can assure you from experience that this is not the case. 

You will not be lost if you are brave. You might be alone for a little while, but you won’t lose anything except that writer’s block. Keep learning, keep questioning, and stay curious. 

Be curious about your blocks, and come at them sideways with a book like the two above.

Is there a book that has pushed the boundaries of reality for you? A book that made you question yourself and your role in the world? If so, how did that affect your writing? Please tell me all about it and I will add them to my TBR list!

Tell us in the comments: What books have helped you break out of your writer’s block?

Angela Yeh is an East Coast Canadian native that lives and works in the great state of Texas. Angela is a black belt wanna-be who loves to garden, write about magic, and eat cake. She is the proud author of her debut YA fantasy novel, A Phoenix Rises, a finalist in the Dante Rossetti Book Awards for YA for 2021. She lives with her husband, two lovely human children, and three cranky fur babies. You can follow her on Twitter and Instagram or on her website.

The post Unlocking Writer’s Block Sideways appeared first on DIY MFA.

Thirty minutes after sitting down, I wandered down that same hallway a different person, my cheeks stained with tears and my puffy eyes hidden behind sunglasses. The experience had been cathartic. I bought my own tarot deck, the classic and widely used Rider–Waite–Smith deck, and once I’d made it back home to NYC, I promptly got down to the business of learning what the heck tarot was and how I could use it. 

What Are Tarot Cards?

Like a standard card deck, a tarot deck is made up for four suits (cups, swords, pentacles, and wands), court cards (kings, queens, knights, and with an extra position for pages), and aces through tens. Unlike a standard card deck which contains 52 cards, a tarot deck consists of 78-cards. And it’s those final 22 cards, referred to as the Major Arcana, that make a tarot deck a tarot deck. 

Simply put, the Major Arcana tell a story in 22 chapters, starting with the Fool (our innocent protagonist), stumbling through a meet-cute (The Lovers), advancing through an inciting incident (The Wheel of Fortune), hitting rock bottom (The Tower), and finding closure (The World). 

How Are Tarot Cards Used?

Most people who have heard of tarot cards are aware that they’re typically used for divination. You might go to a fortune teller and have your cards read, or trust in your own intuition and read them for yourself. When you do a tarot reading, you or the medium will lay the cards down in a specific design. This is called a tarot spread. You can think of a spread as an outline or plot map. Each spot in the spread has its own purpose, and the way the cards fall will give meaning to that purpose. 

But for the skeptics out there, tarot cards can be for much more than divination. They can be used for reflection and mindfulness. For example, I draw a card every morning and journal about what it brings up for me, both at the beginning and end of the day. 

The more you use the cards, the more naturally their meanings will come to you…and the faster you’ll get at interpretation when you start using the cards for writing. 

How Can I Use Tarot Cards as a Writer?

Tarot cards are a great tool for writing for many reasons. They’ve helped me beat writer’s block, brainstorm new book ideas, get through a challenging chapter revision, add depth to characters, or even inspire full-length fantasy novels. 

I love that you can use tarot cards in a rapid-fire way to generate some creativity and inspiration (draw a card until it speaks to you!), or build out more complex spreads as a novel outline. 

Let’s take a more tactical look at how you might use tarot as a writing tool. 

First of all, it’s important to note that there are both positive and negative cards, which makes it possible to build a mix of highs and lows into a spread. I, for example, often have a hard time being “mean” to my characters. When I am not sure how to add tension into a scene, I might draw a tarot card and see what that sparks. If it features a rushing knight on horseback, maybe I need a change of pace or something to go to battle for. If it features a sad-looking person, maybe I need some big emotional moment. If I draw The Emperor, maybe an external institution is making life hard for my protagonist. 

The court cards (king, queen, knight, page) can also be great for coming up with ideas for side characters. For example, say you’re writing a RomCom and trying to give your main character’s best friend more dimensionality. You shuffle your court cards, draw one, and see what it inspires. Maybe you draw a king and decide your protagonist’s BFF is a buff dude she formerly dated. Think of the delicious tension that could create in your story! Or you draw a page, and the best friend brings a lovely sense of innocence and optimism that balances out your snarky character’s personality.

You can also use the tarot cards to design on-the-fly writing prompts. Draw one card and then give yourself 15 minutes to tell the story of that card. Or design mini-spreads and build a story from there. Here are a couple of two- or three-card examples you might adopt as a writing prompt: 

• Card 1 = Protagonist, Card 2 = Antagonist
• Card 1 = Goal, Card 2 = Challenge
• Card 1 = Inner World, Card 2 = Outer World
• Card 1 = Beginning, Card 2 = Middle, Card 3 = End
• Card 1 = Protagonist, Card 2 = Love Interest, Card 3 = Meet Cute

And lastly, you can design longer spreads if you’re looking to build the outline for a new novel. For example, you might turn The Hero’s Journey framework into a spread. You shuffle your deck, lay the cards down all in their proper order, and then, if you’re like me, you turn that into a spreadsheet. You type up what the cards are showing you into the basic outline for your new project and can refer to it as you begin your writing journey. 

This will likely take you some time, as any plotting device will. But don’t feel compelled to rely solely on your own tarot card interpretive abilities—especially if you’re new to tarot. 

Another bonus of using tarot cards? There is a massive amount of online resources about the cards, especially if you’re using the Rider–Waite–Smith deck! Google a card and a wealth of knowledge and interpretations will come up to inspire you further. You can even Google a card and a topic to get more specific (like “Three of Cups” and “Career” or “Ten of Swords” and “Love”). 

Happy writing! And remember, you are not bound to the way the cards fall. They’re simply a tactile tool to jumpstart creativity and help you think outside of the box. 

Tell us in the comments: Have you ever used tarot cards in your writing? How did it go?

Ashley Christiano is a fantasy writer, experienced tarot reader, and professional astrologer. As The Novel Mystic, she combines the power of astrology, tarot, and creative writing to empower women, educate the astro-curious, and inspire her own storytelling. You can find her on her website or follow her on Twitter or Instagram to learn more or get your own reading.

The post Tarot Cards for Storytellers, Part 1: Beat Writer’s Block and Plot Your Novel appeared first on DIY MFA.

Why Engage Book Clubs?

First, think of a book club meeting as a speaking engagement. What would make a successful event for the host? For the group? What would entice them to recommend you to others or invite you back?  

As one example, I joined a local book club last month for an evening of laughter, food and book talk. The host welcomed me by introducing me to her friends and offering me a glass of pinot grigio. I felt right at home! Our chatter turned to school-age kids and shared interests. Right away, they shared how much they loved Goodbye, Orchid.

After enjoying appetizers, we migrated from the kitchen into the dining room with our dinner plates. Some members wanted to know if I’d known someone with an injury like the one my protagonist sustained. Others asked where I got the idea for the storyline.

These initial queries all circle around the top question…

The Top Question: Source of Inspiration?

The number one thing book clubs tend to ask comes down to this same line of questioning. Where did the story come from? What was the inspiration for the story?

In many ways, these questions are quite natural. Just like readers want to know the origin story behind our characters, they want to know why authors choose our subject matter. Reading creates an intimate connection between reader and writer, so it’s not unexpected for readers to want to know our personal inspiration. 

I love to kick off book club meetings with introductions and describing how Goodbye, Orchid came about. I share that my book was inspired by combat-wounded veterans, then provide the behind-the-scenes explanation of why that was meaningful for me at that time in my life.

From there, questions usually arise organically. Readers ask about specific characters. They talk about how they felt during pivotal moments in the story. The discussion will often generate more discussion. I love the feeling of readers getting more and more excited to discuss their experience with the book!

In case there’s a lull in the conversation, I also keep a few fun facts ready to share. For instance, with Goodbye, Orchid, readers love to hear about the character names, book cover design, and what’s coming next. In fact, it was encouragement from readers that convinced me to launch a Goodbye, Orchid series!

A Little Prep Goes a Long Way

Feel free to ask the host about expectations in advance. Some book clubs haven’t hosted an author before and will ask for your advice. I always reassure hosts that I’d be happy to lead the conversation and can facilitate the discussion to make sure everyone has an enjoyable time.

To prep, think about topics that may interest the group—what research did you do on the topic? Did you learn anything unexpected as you wrote your book? What’s your writing process like? I also stay flexible in the moment, always striving to help the book club have a fun, engaging experience.

For in-person book clubs, consider what materials you might like to bring. For instance:

• A clipboard and sign-up sheet for your email list
• A favorite pen for autographing
• Bookmarks or other giveaways
• Copies of your books for purchase as gifts

Virtual vs In-person Gatherings

Most of the above can be tweaked for virtual book club meetings (members can even bring a glass of their favorite beverage to their online book club!) Here are a few considerations for virtual gatherings:

1. It can be helpful to ask about book club norms. Do they like to put questions in the chat or to unmute and ask verbally? If they don’t have a preference, you can suggest ground rules so people know what to expect. You may choose an approach based on the size of the group. If the group is small enough, hearing from individuals can make the event more conversational and fun! If it’s a big group, you might ask them to use the chatbox or the “hand raise” function to keep questions organized

2. If the book club would like the author to lead the discussion, consider having an overall plan for the time together in mind. For example:

• You can kick off by introducing yourself and the book’s origin story, and then ask members to introduce themselves along with any of their questions
• If the member asks a quick question, you can choose to answer right during the introductions. Otherwise, jot notes about open questions and synthesize them into themes to address later. In either case, the answers and ensuing conversation often generate even more discussion, which makes for a fun gathering!

3. At the end, share your genuine gratitude for the time together and wrap up with any last thoughts or requests (more ideas on this below)

Extras

Consider offering downloadable book club kits. Readers can use these for their own book club parties, even if the author is not visiting. Book club kits can include discussion questions, a music playlist, sample menus and fun games.

I’m a member of Novel Network, a group that connects authors and book clubs, so I let book clubs know they can join for free and invite more authors to come speak at their future meetings.

Building a Long-Term Relationship

Readers who enjoy meeting an author may like to know how to support your work or keep in contact. Be prepared to offer suggestions such as: 

• Explain the importance of reviews and ratings and ask readers to follow you and leave reviews on Goodreads, Bookbub, and/or Amazon. People can mistakenly think of a review as a book report, so I like to reassure them that even a simple sentence or two is fine.
• Provide info on how to sign up for your email list
• Feel free to request that they recommend you to other book clubs or to look for your next releases

Lastly, ask for a photo and check if the book club members are comfortable having the picture shared on social media. If they agree, it’s a fun memory for everyone, and can encourage more book clubs to schedule time with you. My January book club posted this wonderful sentiment after they met me:

Feeling a little star- struck this morning. ?

Nearly fifteen years of book clubs and by far, our favorite meeting was last night, when Carol Van Den Hende, author of Goodbye, Orchid, visited our group. What an absolute honor it was to get to know Carol and her characters. She was delightful and answered our many questions! We can’t wait to read more from her. I highly recommend that you read Goodbye, Orchid and invite Carol to your next book club!

If you’d like to learn more about how to engage book clubs or to share your own experiences, please comment below!

Carol Van Den Hende is the award-winning author of Goodbye, Orchid, a public speaker, and MBA with 20+ years’ experience in marketing, strategy, and insights. Carol is passionate about simplifying marketing concepts into actionable steps that authors need for publishing success. Please sign up for Carol’s newsletter at https://carolvandenhende.com/contact or linktr.ee/cvdh

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It wasn’t until I started teaching writing, though, that I realized for some people, writing prompts aren’t exciting, fun, or inspiring. They’re dry, formulaic, and, at times, way too specific. They can even cause anxiety and a fright, flight, or freeze response. 

Prompts are supposed to incite action—the hand moving across the page, fingers tapping away—but if nothing happens, then you feel like a failure. A sorry excuse for a writer. 

At least, that’s what some of my students felt. Rather than produce, they gave up, and sometimes, they even got angry. 

Open Doors, not Prompts

A few years ago, I read Rebecca Solnit’s A Field Guide to Getting Lost and came across a quote that I reread, underlined, and put on my wall, and which eventually ended up in my own book, Words and Wonder: A Guide to Becoming a Creative Writer. She wrote:

Certainly for artists of all stripes, the unknown, the idea or the form or the tale that has not yet arrived is what must be found. It is the job of artists to open doors and invite in prophesies, the unknown, the unfamiliar.

Yes, I thought. The right word was door, not prompt; the right way of thinking of writing was as an invitation. We writers are explorers and adventurers, and we have to face the unknown with a sort of courage, a willingness to have awkward encounters or even scary ones. But the rewards are many, and we may even be delighted by whom we let in.  

Welcoming the Unknown

I started to think about how I approached the blank page, how I taught others to do the same, and what I could do differently. Many of the prompts I used from other writers and teachers were about things, for example. Many showed a picture and asked us to imagine what was happening in it. Static, removed, cold. 

I wanted to get away from all of that, and so I started to incorporate more of the personal, more of the sensual, into my doors. What did you eat for breakfast today, I asked, for example, what smells were involved? Now, write about a character unlike you who had a painful reaction to one of those smells. 

I thought about the elements, about nature, about how so few of us write outside. Could we, perhaps, write in bodies of water, a body in a body, and would it change the art? Why not try? As I started to change my ways of approaching prompts and pushing myself to be more creative, inventive, and unexpected, I realized that we were all surrounded, constantly, by doors. All we had to do was take that first brave step and open them.

What Must Be Found

The truth of doors is that sometimes, we don’t like what or who is on the other side. Often, what’s on our side—the known, the imaginable—is safe, comforting, and easy. We don’t have to think too hard; we can go into autopilot mode, like brushing our teeth or breathing. And autopilot is good for getting things done, but not great for creativity. To think, then, of opening doors as the writer’s “job” as Solnit states, is deceptively simple: once that door is open, the work has just begun, and who knows what will come inside? 

Still, at the end of the day, great artists never became great by playing it safe. Great artists must find the unfindable. Or at least try.

7 Open Doors: One for Every Day of the Week

If you’ve never opened a door, I’ve compiled a few of my favorites below. Some of these appear in my upcoming book, Words and Wonder, and some are brand new. Some are geared toward fiction, others poetry, nonfiction, and hybrid forms, but many have no specific genre. Start from the beginning, or at the end, or anywhere in between, and I hope that you always, always, use writing as an invitation.

1.Write this line down: 

“That summer, everybody was listening to that song. It was playing everywhere.” Next, look up and listen to this song: “Come Meh Weh” by Sudan Archives. Write whatever words come to you as you listen, whatever feelings you feel, whatever you see in your mind’s eye. If it helps, you can close your eyes for a minute, or for the entire song first. When the song is done, write a short piece of flash fiction or poetry. 

2. Write somewhere in water—literally. 

Take your notebook and write in the ocean, a river, a pool, or even your bathtub. Can you “become” water? Describe that for a page, or more. 

3. Choose an element from the periodic table. 

Do research on it for 10-15 minutes, then incorporate your findings into a scene of dialogue between three or more characters.

4. Choose a piece of your writing and create a playlist for it. 

This can be for a long project, say, a book, or perhaps for a poem or blog. Try listening to this playlist every time you write. Alternatively, make a writing playlist, perhaps filled with songs that make you feel calm and inspired in order to settle down at your writing desk with more ease.

5. Write a scene, essayette, story, or poem in which a syzygy occurs.

SYZYGY is defined as “the nearly straight-line configuration of three celestial bodies (such as the sun, moon, and earth during a solar or lunar eclipse) in a gravitational system.

6. Write somewhere unexpected today. 

This could be in your car, or in a diner, or under your bed, or on a slide. Put your body in a new (and safe, of course) place, and see what happens to your writing.

7. Sit down in front of a door, any door. 

Close your eyes. Imagine yourself opening it, and on the other side is someone or some being, you have never met before, but triggers a memory you forgot you had buried long ago. Open your eyes. Describe what or who is on the other side, and if you don’t know where to start, start like this: “we both knew that this was the day our lives would change forever.”

Tell us in the comments: Have you found any open doors in your writing? What happened next?

DANA DE GREFF is the author of Alterations, winner of the Rane Arroyo Chapbook Series. She has taught Creative Writing at the University of Texas at Austin, the University of Miami, Books & Books, The Loft Literary Center, Austin Bat Cave, Writing Workshops, and Writers.com. She’s the recipient of a 2021 Pushcart Prize Nomination and her work has appeared in Cosmonauts Avenue, PANK, Origins Journal, and Gulf Stream Magazine, among others. She works with emerging and established writers, helping them bring their books to life through creative tools, publishing insight, and mentorship. Words and Wonder is her first book of nonfiction.
Find out more at her website and follow her on Instagram

The post Open Doors in Your Writing appeared first on DIY MFA.

Amanda is a writer, book coach, and food writing columnist for DIY MFA. She began her career with acting and improv, she shifted focus to food writing which led to her being the first dedicated segment producer of Facebook Live for Time Inc.

While in that role, she oversaw more than 300 live segments and created the company’s Food Media Junket, bringing in James Beard award-winning and Michelin-Starred chefs for over a dozen food and lifestyle brands. These days, she helps food folks through the book writing process, helping them craft a story only they can tell. 

Her work has been featured by Cooking Light, Time, Southern Living, Food & Wine, and more. She lives in Nashville, but a piece of her heart will always belong in California.

In this episode Amanda Polick and I discuss:

• Why food writing can encompass so much more than just the “how-to” element.
• How to find your own voice and discover what is unique about you in your writing.
• The importance of challenging yourself as a writer and what you can learn in the process.

Plus, her #1 tip for writers.

About Amanda Polick

Amanda Polick is a writer and book coach. After saying “see you later” to her acting and improv career, she fell into food writing which led to being the first dedicated segment producer of Facebook Live for Time Inc. There, she oversaw over 300 live segments and created the company’s Food Media Junket, bringing in James Beard award-winning and Michelin-Starred chefs for over a dozen food and lifestyle brands.

With over 20 years of storytelling experience and helping hundreds of writers, Amanda now guides food folks through the book writing process. She believes in using her clients’ work as a whole to craft a story only they can tell. 

Her work has been featured by Cooking Light, Time, Southern Living, Food & Wine, and she’s a food writing columnist for DIY MFA. Amanda lives in Nashville, Tennessee now, but a piece of her will be in California forever. 

You can find Amanda on her website.

Link to Episode 385

(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 385: Life Lessons from Food Writing – Interview with Amanda Polick appeared first on DIY MFA.

I started my writing career just shy of 50, so I’ve been playing catch up with my writing craft. After DIY MFA 101 opened me up to the wonderful world of writing, I was hooked. I dove into a writing craft quest—taking more classes and listening to hundreds of podcasts over the next couple of years, but I still wanted to learn more.

I’m also a wanderer at heart, and one of my favorite places to be is on a trip exploring a new city or returning to one that I love. I learned in my twenties that I was much happier when I had a scheduled trip to look forward to; but since traveling wasn’t feasible for me in 2020, I made a concerted effort to spend more of my home-bound time focusing on my writing craft. 

I won’t lie. I still spent more time than I should have binge-watching TV, and my 2020 learning was a mish-mash of content that I picked out on the fly. But overall, my writing ended 2020 better off thanks to this decision. So, as I planned for 2021 and another fluid year ahead, I decided to up my game and focus on my quest for generating creativity and adding some of the specialty tools that are missing from my writer’s toolkit—rather than leaving it up to chance.

I invite you to join me on the 2021 Virtual Writers Sabbatical, which will hopefully inspire and challenge you to carve out focused time this year to grow your mind, sharpen your writing skills, have some fun, fill your heart, and finish 2021 stronger than you started it. Couldn’t we all use a little bit of that right now?  

So, if you’re ready, let’s get this Sabbatical started. 

Book Your 2021 Virtual Writers Sabbatical

First up is travel planning. Set aside 30-60 minutes to focus on the first four steps below. That should be enough time to get your initial itinerary set up and your back brain percolating on detours you want to take. Plan another 30-60 minute session the following week to finalize your plans and focus on the last step.

Check Your Calendar

When will you travel in 2021, and how much time can you commit to your Sabbatical?  Weekdays or weekends, full days or shorter sessions spread out, are some months better than others?  Find the happy medium between setting an unattainable goal that will defeat you and one that doesn’t move the needle. 

Most schedules are jam-packed these days, so you will likely have to stop doing something else. But even if you give up just one hour of television each week for the rest of the year, you will have spent as much time as if you had dedicated a week of vacation to your craft. 

Build Your Destination Bucket List 

Okay, now for the fun part. Brainstorm and jot down the activities that excite you:  

• Is there an online writing class or conference you can’t stop thinking about?  If not, ask other writers for recommendations.
• Is there a specific writing technique or skill you want to obtain or improve?  
• Does your To Be Read pile trend towards a specific genre, category, or author you would like to become an expert on?  
• Is there a writing group you’ve wanted to join?  Finding a writing group that’s a perfect fit takes time, so don’t rush this one. But, when you find your peeps, thank your lucky stars every day for them.
• Is there a writing podcast series (or two) that you can binge listen to?
• Non-writing hobbies can spark your writing inspiration and creativity genes. When was the last time you tried a new hobby?

Finalize Your Itinerary and Map Your Route 

You can always modify your itinerary and explore the side-streets you discover on your journey, but you need a roadmap to start with. Your bucket list likely contains more items than your time allows, so prioritize your list either by what inspires you or what you think will move the needle the most. Estimate how long the first five items will take, then pick the ones that fit your time target best. These are your starting destinations. 

Block off time in your calendar to start your first tour. Bonus points if you block off time now for the whole year. Otherwise, make sure to calendar your second tour when you finish the first, and so on; and reassess your destinations periodically.

Seek Traveling Companions

Sabbaticals are often meant to be spent alone, but writing is already a very solitary experience; so consider inviting others to join some of your tours:

• Host a Zoom call with your writer friends to share what you learned at an online conference – and ask them to do the same. 
• Join a writing critique group.
• Start a book club focused on the trends in your TBR pile.
• Invite your friends or family to binge watch the streaming series you just finished reading. Then analyze for them how it differed from the book and which you liked better. (Better yet, get them to read the book with you first!)

Pack Your Bags, Build Your Playlist, and Pitch Your Tent 

Now it’s time to focus on How and Where. First, pack the supplies, books, and non-perishable snacks you’ll need in a travel bag; so you’re ready to go if a time slot opens up at the last minute. Then, purchase your entry tickets to courses in advance, so you don’t waste your trip time surfing the internet. Subscribe to podcasts and create or download your writing music playlist now. Finally, find a secluded place in or around your home, car, or community where you can spend your trips. 

Share Your Destinations and Rediscover Your Creativity

My 2021 Virtual Writers Sabbatical destinations include completing a book coaching class; improving my Show, Don’t Tell skills; doubling down on my writing community and critique group involvement; reading multiple books on creativity, story building, coaching, and editing as well as rebooting my fiction reading which I struggled with last year; and binge watching TV shows and movies set in Ireland and the U.K. as research for my story. 

An early lightbulb moment emerged for me during a book coaching class exercise I did on “My Why.”  This is different from identifying your protagonist’s theme. Rather, it’s closer to identifying your purpose—why this story, why now, why…, why…, why…  The assignment seemed straight forward until I sat down to do it. It took me six attempts to finish because each attempt turned into hours of cathartic journaling and inspiring insight on why I chose Maddie to be my first leading lady. I loved the exercise so much that I shared it with my critique group. Have you thought about your Why?

An early read for me was Creativity, Inc., which I’ve been recommending to anyone who will listen; but more on that in a future post. 

I can’t wait to swap stories on our adventures throughout 2021. Good luck, and off you go…

What are your 2021 Virtual Writers Sabbatical destinations?  

Let us know in the comments or on social media!

Richelle Lyn is a compensation & benefits attorney and HR executive, who is now chasing her second career as a writer. Her favorite reads are mysteries and contemporary fiction, and she is writing her first YA mystery novel. She loves her tea hot and her coffee iced. She calls South Florida home, but her favorite place to be is on a trip. You can check her out on Instagram (@MindYourGapTrip) and Twitter (@Richelle_Lyn_).

The post Create Your Own Virtual Writers Sabbatical appeared first on DIY MFA.

Even if we fail miserably, I suppose we can’t help but try to define introversion, since quiet nuts are hard to crack. But in doing so, others misunderstand us further and miss the point. 

So, what is the point? 

The point is, introverts are merely more thoughtful and their thoughts are loud even if they appear quiet. In the time they are not speaking, they are listening and observing, taking notes of the subtleties and nuances in human relationships and life’s oddities. 

Even if not the first to speak up, they are potentially sitting on a powderkeg full of funny ideas that would make a great collection, once polished and put on display. And that’s just step one in our quiet quest for world domination. We might even be capable of more, given the chance to prove it.

Is a tongue-tied, self-conscious artist still capable of making art? Undoubtedly. And further still, is a “quiet” person capable of writing humor? Absolutely!

Read on, fellow introverts and curious extroverts, about how writing humor is something introverts do best:

On being “quiet” vs “loud”

Studies now show that this “quiet type” is only one of the four types of introverts. Being introverted doesn’t necessarily mean shying away from the spotlight. Any thoughtful introvert will tell you that this initial definition does not, in fact, define who they are in the slightest. 

Susan Cain, for example, has been vocal about the fact that introverts are not shy. Others have also said if they are reticent, it’s for a good reason. And finally, I know the author of Don’t Underestimate the Quiet Ones (They’re the Ones Who Actually Think) would be insulted by the insinuation they are only selfishly “concerned with their own thoughts and feelings and not external things.” Many introverted people even admit they are more extroverted than people realize.

If you are an introvert who might still have misgivings about humor writing or whether you are capable of it, you would do well to learn how being “quiet” can benefit you. In my previous article, Writing Humor When You Don’t Think You’re Funny, I dispelled the myth that humor comes naturally to funny people and they never have to work hard or try. 

Famous humor writers collectively admit to being anxious and questioning when trying to write humor and assert that it requires a lot of introspection and time spent. Thinking and listening are two key traits necessary for writing humor. Without them, you essentially lose the ability to express yourself honestly, and without introspection you can’t provide the comedic element of self-deprecation. 

And if you are often the one speaking, it’s more than likely you are not listening. Humor writers, such as David Sedaris, make their living listening, overhearing, and people-watching.

They call it “observational” humor for a reason.

Examples of funny introverts

When people often think of humor and comedy, they think of stand-up comedians. They think of being on a television show or in a funny movie. They burn these iconoclastic images of what is funny into their brain and assume every single one of those people is an extrovert in real life. To be funny is to be a clown, willing to embarrass yourself to get a laugh. To be loud and audacious is to be funny, right?

According to Scott Dikkers, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of “How To Write Funny” and the founding editor of The Onion, “Jerry Seinfeld, Robin Williams, Conan O’Brien, Ellen DeGeneres, Mitch Hedberg, Steven Wright and Richard Pryor are just a few famous comedians who are or were introverts. The list of behind-the-scenes writers and other comedy professionals who are introverts is probably even longer. It might be easier to make a list of the comedy professionals who aren’t introverts.” How is this possible? Many of the people on that list have been considered loud and outgoing by many of their peers, some even unbearably so. Dikkers also wrote about succeeding in comedy as an introvert  if you would rather take his word for it.

How being an introvert feeds into comedy and fosters it

Now that you may have dispelled your own misgivings about whether you can be both introverted and funny, it’s time to “get out there” and further dispel the myth that introversion = laziness.

The most obvious way a budding humor writer can work on their craft is by writing humor, which in itself is a reclusive act. But they can also benefit by interacting with other humor writers. They can observe Youtube videos, Twitter, and other social media interactions, and other ways they “perform” and create without having all eyes on them at all times.

Improv can also help an introvert be better able to think on their feet. Comedian Steve Hofstetter wrote an amazing book about how his introverted nature changed forever when he started taking improv classes. This book points clearly to how improv is a great medium for introverted people and reshapes their thinking about how to be funny.

Improv can get the funny ideas and thoughts out more quickly for a more reticent introvert. But one of the greatest benefits is learning how to collaborate in a creative process and how it fosters communication. It is a tenant of improv that there isn’t just one funny person in the group stealing the show, but everyone actively works together to be funny as a whole. This can be a beneficial practice in helping extroverted and introverted people coexist within the same funny sphere. 

But fellow introverts, I implore you to not attempt to shove yourself into a box where you are uncomfortable and don’t fit. Rather, find the thing that works for you.

Catharsis for introverts

Introverts consider themselves…introverted, for lack of a better word. For example, a person might prefer to maintain a level of personal comfort to chaotic performance schedules but still enjoy performing. They might initially recoil at the thought of public speaking but then actually be good at it.

So, what do you call a person who does not actively seek out and feed off attention much the way extroverts tend to? Or someone who can burn out from extended periods around other people? A drag? Can a person like that have a sense of humor or even be funny? Of course!

On the surface, introversion seems counterintuitive to humor. But contending with all of this new information, is it?  Could it be that humor is a tool introverts use to cope with how their introversion is interpreted or how they interact with “external things”?

In order to accept that we can be both introverted and funny, we have to dispel some myths about what is “funny.” In the next installment, I hope to share three simple ways for all writers (even introverts) to start writing humor. After that, I hope to define humor as a genre and the evolution of it historically. Stay tuned!

Amy Ayres has three novels in progress and is querying two. When she is not in her office writing about terraformed planets, multiple personalities, and Irish folklore, she is hanging with her awesome tech-savvy hubby, stepson, and RubyCat. Visit amymarieayres.com. You can sign up for her Newsletter where she sends out motivational tips for new writers and her special brand of humor. You can also find her on Twitter and Instagram.

The post On Writing Humor as a Funny Introvert appeared first on DIY MFA.

This distinction was never more apparent until October 2018, when I overheard some colleagues in the English department office of the high school where I teach, talking about an article one of them had published in a local newspaper.

“I’m a writer, too,” I said. “I’m writing a novel.” 

“Really? Have you published anything?” one asked.

I shook my head, instantly regretting that I had mentioned anything about the dream I’d had since I was seven years-old. Being unpublished means I’m not yet an author, but it also feels like having no proof that I’m even a writer. But I know I’m a writer because I have a writer’s life.

I wanted to explain that 22 years earlier, in my other life as an aspiring writer and stay-at-home mom of three, I had written an article that was published in Long Island Parents Guide, a monthly circular that was mostly ads for preschools, clowns for hire, tutors and day camps, with a few articles thrown in for parents in the know. 

But I didn’t. That was so long ago, it hardly mattered. And just because I had written an article, it didn’t mean I had any business writing a novel.

Why did I feel so insecure about my writing? Why was I seeking outside validation for my childhood dream? And, more importantly, why hadn’t I finished said novel years ago when I first started writing it?

Life of A Writer: Motivation

When my colleagues continued their conversation into the hallway, I was left with the newest teacher in our department (who was in her early 20s) to contemplate my unfulfilled dreams of being a published writer, and therefore, an author. 

The cliché goes that all English teachers are wannabe writers, and in my experience, it’s more true than not. 

“I’m actually writing a novel, too,” she said.

“Wow, that’s cool,” I said, slightly jealous that her author career was getting off the ground so young. I was 46 and still in the same position at the starting line.

“Are you doing NaNoWriMo?” she asked.

“NaNoo What What?”

She laughed and explained what it was. I hustled back to my classroom and promptly Googled it.

Within three minutes I was all signed up, excited to have a reason to get back to that novel I was so motivated to write over a decade earlier..

Life of A Writer: Conception

As a fairly new ESL teacher back in 2007, I was shocked by how many of my students said they abhorred reading. Remembering myself as a kid and teen who devoured books, I simply couldn’t wrap my head around the idea that they could wring no enjoyment out of losing themselves in the mind and heart of a character, whose thoughts and feelings can often feel more real than one’s own.

In my classroom, I chose books I thought my students would like, stories about young people facing big obstacles and how they grow strong enough within to overcome them, stories like Oliver Twist and Huckleberry Finn. While some students liked them, the majority did not, so I added texts with Hispanic/Latinx characters to better reflect the identities of my students. We read The House on Mango Street, Buried Onions and Esperanza Rising. 

Although more students seemed to enjoy these stories, I realized that what they really wanted to read was a book about a character more like them: a new immigrant, possibly undocumented, adolescent, who speaks both Spanish and English, and who struggles to embrace a new life while desperately missing their old one.

After doing a little research, I concluded that so few books like this existed, my students would only be able to read one if I wrote it myself. (This was the case in 2007. Gratefully, the situation has improved but there is still more catching up to do.) 

Therefore, with my students as my inspiration, I started working on a new novel just for them.  It was exhilarating because it was a win-win: they would get a story more reflective of their experiences and I would finally achieve my dream. Soon, I had joined a writer’s group and got a lot of positive feedback during our critique sessions. 

Then, after a few months, I got distracted by some problems in my personal life and I stopped writing.

The Perfectionism Trap

Alas, my first NaNoWriMo in 2018 was the newest addition to my growing collection of failed writing experiences that qualify as fodder for an Expectations vs. Reality meme. On November 1, 2018, I accomplished uploading the first several chapters of the novel I had begun in 2007, and nothing else. 

Several days passed with no writing done, and by November 11, I calculated that I was around 18,000 new words behind if I wanted to achieve the 50k goal. Knowing I would never be able to catch up, I did what any self-respecting perfectionist would do in such a situation: I gave up. Not only that, I further preserved my honor and reputation by refusing to write a single additional word for at least another year.

A New Beginning

Flash forward to NaNoWriMo 2019. Since my first attempt at this annual event didn’t gain me any new words, I was committed to finishing that book the second time around. By the end of November, I had written roughly 15,000 new words. While I wasn’t a winner, the event created some momentum for me, and I continued writing a little every few days for the next couple of months. I also started consuming writing podcasts and books on craft as if they were Oreos. 

Truth be told, I consumed plenty of actual Oreos, too.

In January 2020, I stumbled upon an open registration for an online writing course starting on February 1. The course was Rachael Herron’s 90 Days to Done, in which she teaches how to write a novel from start to finish in 90 days. I wanted to register, but I was worried about committing money to the achievement of a dream which had eluded me thus far.

To be honest, I was more terrified of not finishing. Again. Of failing. Again. Of proving myself wrong. (Or was it right?) Again.

The more I thought about it, the more I believed there was a reason I hadn’t heard about NaNoWriMo until 2018. There was a reason I had recently become obsessed with listening to writing podcasts, reading books about writing and Googling all I could about the writing craft. There was a reason I had found a writing course that would be starting in mere days.

The Universe was telling me that moment was the exact right time for me to get serious about my writing or I would die regretting it.

So, I listened to it, trusted it, and followed its advice.

After my first class with Rachael, I decided to start over from scratch, but with the same basic character and plot ideas I had developed thirteen years earlier. I spent several days outlining the plot, fleshing out my protagonist and developing the story and character arcs. I started writing the first new words on February 14, 2020.

I wrote for at least an hour a day, six days a week. To my surprise, I was averaging about 90 minutes and 1800 words per day. I wrote and wrote and wrote.

And then something unimaginably awful happened.

You can read all about it in the next installment of this column. Stay tuned for Episode 2: The Unthinkable Happens. 

Anita Ramirez is a writer and teacher who transforms dispassionate teens into lovers of books — one reader at a time. When she’s not teaching Hispanic/Latinx literature and composition to her high school students or linguistics at the college level, she’s revising her first novel, a YA contemporary featuring bilingual characters. She loves the poetry of Pablo Neruda, teen movies from the 1980s and café con leche.

The post Life of a Writer: Episode 1: And So It Begins appeared first on DIY MFA.

Make no mistake, this kind of writing is rife with pitfalls. We often get too didactic, too preachy, and no reader likes to be told what to do. Other times, we end up preaching to the choir, only persuading those who already agree with us. (Now, there’s a legitimate argument that this, too, serves a purpose in validating your reader’s perspective, or outrage, and spurring them to action.) A related problem is when our focus is too limited, tied to one culture, subculture, place, or time period. (Like when I was a high-schooler writing endless op-eds about eliminating home room.)

None of this to say writing for change is a bad idea. Where we would be without books like Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring that changed people’s minds about pesticide use or Martin Luther King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” that spurred people to protest for racial justice?

That’s one thing I want to emphasize: never forget our first job is to write well and true, to make art, to move reader’s and maybe change lives

Another is this: All change, arguably, comes from stories. Stories move us  

Here’s one more: Good writing for change should also be about change.

Change happens in the action of the story: change in the world, in the character or the narrator.

Change also happens in perception: the narrator’s, the character’s … and the reader’s!

Let’s look at five particular ways to approach writing for change:

1. Bear witness for yourself 

Many years ago when I was assigned my first class teaching memoir writing online, I was shocked by how many stories I read about abuse, emotional and physical.  Perhaps ten of the fifteen students wrote about it. I thought “What are the chances?” Then I taught another class, then another, each one had about the same number of hard stories. Finally I realized: This is the world in live in. 

Memoirists often ask: Does the world need another story about X?  The answer is YES. I needed to read that many stories to recognize how widespread abuse is in our culture. Ditto for disability, for racism, for misogyny. So many hard subjects are swept under the proverbial carpet. The first step to changing any problem is recognizing it exists!  This is what writers of autobiography or memoir or creative nonfiction can do!

In “Black in Middle America” Roxane Gay simply describes her experiences as a black woman in mostly-white communities, the way she can never escape feeling out of place. She bears witness to effects of racism that are more subtle than those of overt discrimination.

2. Bear witness for others 

Writers of creative nonfiction can also write about something that has happened or is happening to others. This can be in the form of investigative journalism or it can take a more lyric form. In “Dawn and Mary” Brian Doyle bears witness to the heroism of two women by packing their stories into 750 words, using only their first names, using the tools of poetry: repetition, refrain, sound to pack a punch. One pitfall of bearing witness for others is when you become condescending or when you appropriate a story the subject could writer for themselves. In “Dawn and Mary” Doyle eloquently gives voice to these women who are no longer alive to tell their own stories.  

3. Use myth or allegory … and turn up the volume!

You can use a mythical figure or an allegory to expose a person or a dynamic without pointing a finger directly. (Animal Farm by George Orwell is a classic allegory of how socialism can go awry.) Native American writers Robin Wall Kimmerer uses the figure of “The Windigo” to decry the behavior of many Americans, and one in particular, without naming names. It arguably allows her to be even more scathing than she would/could be otherwise, to “turn up the volume” on her voice. 

4. Write a letter … to the future

The epistolary form can be means of creating intimacy. In “Dear Soon-to-be-Sprout” Elizabeth Rush uses it, unexpectedly, as a call to arms for collective action to combat climate change. The letter form personalizes her urgency, but also reaches out to the reader. She addresses most of her letter to “you,” her unborn daughter, but she slyly also slips in an occasional “we” as in this sentence. “I want to say to you, little seed, change is that only thing that is true, and it starts when we join one and one to make more than two.” And just that, the reader is implicated and invited, too. 

5. Try a “found essay”  

I mentioned earlier the danger of appropriating someone else’s story or voice. One solution is to quote them, as in “Transgender Day of Remembrance” take snippets of other texts and put them together. (How long did it take you while reading to realize this was the case?) This technique is most often used in poetry, in what are called “found” poems, but Torrey Peters takes it a step farther in creating this rightly harrowing “found essay.” 

PROMPT Option 1: Write a letter

List three experiences you have lived that others may not share (perhaps you were raised rural or in a nontraditional family, maybe you have a disability or identify as L.G.B.T.Q) 

Choose one and write a letter to a child-to-be about this experience and what you hope will change for him/her/them

OR Write a letter to your former self reassuring him/her/them of all that has changed

PROMPT Option 2: Bearing Witness

Write about someone acting heroically, big or small, at some risk to himself, someone you know about or someone you’ve heard about recently in the style of “Dawn and Mary”

OR Try a “found essay” with bits and pieces of news articles or testimonials that speak to the experiences of an underrepresented group in the style of “Transgender Day of Remembrance”

Ana Maria Spagna is the author of several books including Uplake: Restless Essays of Coming and Going, Reclaimers, stories of elder women reclaiming sacred land and water, Test Ride on the Sunnyland Bus, winner of the River Teeth literary nonfiction prize, 100 Skills You’ll Need for the End of the World (as We Know It) a humor-infused exploration of how to live more lightly on the planet, and two previous essay collections, Potluck and Now Go Home. Her first novel for young people, The Luckiest Scar on Earth, about a 14 year-old snowboarder and her activist father, appeared in 2017. Ana Maria’s work has been recognized by the Society for Environmental Journalists, Nautilus Book Awards, and as a four-time finalist for the Washington State Book Award. You can find her at www.anamariaspagna.com and on Twitter @amspagna

The post #5onFri: Five Approaches to Writing for Change appeared first on DIY MFA.

Writing advice is everywhere. You can’t turn a corner without tripping over another ‘amazing’ piece of advice that will make you a better/more successful writer. There is general advice that works for a lot of people, it’s true. The problem comes in the assumption that if it works for a successful author, or if it works for a lot of people in general, then why wouldn’t it work for you? However, you don’t write exactly like anyone else in the world, and likewise, no writing advice works for everyone in every situation.

Now you may be thinking: “Okay, so how do I know what writing advice to take?” That, of course, is where your writer’s intuition comes in. With a little bit of awareness about your writing process, and some trial and error, you will be able to tell if any given piece of writing advice is helpful or potentially harmful to your process.

Let’s look at the common, oft-repeated bit of writing advice: “Write every day.”

Now why would this writing advice be helpful? Well, writing every day gives you consistency in your schedule, it helps you build a habit of writing, and it means you’re making progress with your WIP every day. All great things. And for some people, this advice works well, such as people who need that looming expectation of writing *every day* so they don’t put off their writing indefinitely.

I, myself, do need structure, but Fridays are my one full day of work topped off with date night with my husband. Could I make time to write? Of course. But I chose to allow myself that day off from writing. Sometimes I write anyway, but very often I don’t. For me, the advice to write every day is good, but with a slight tweak in order to work with how my life is structured.

For certain people, however, the advice to write every day simply does not work. Perhaps they only have time to write on the weekends, or maybe that’s just when they’re the most productive. Perhaps they work best in face of a looming deadline, or are the type of person who pours out 5k words in a day and then needs a few days off to recharge. For some writers, trying to write every day is not helpful and may actually cause stress or a decrease in productivity. In this case, the advice should be discarded.

So how helpful is this particular advice for you? Well I can’t answer that, but your writer’s intuition can! The easiest way to find out if a piece of writing advice will work for you is to try it. In this case, try writing every day for a minimum of two weeks, long enough that you get over the awkwardness of the new process, so you can see how it actually works. This may sound like we are simply taking the advice, but the important bit is that after each writing session, you want to evaluate how the writing session went. How distracted were you? How productive? Was it a struggle at first that eventually began to feel comfortable, or was it stressful every day?  And most importantly, how are these answers different from how your writing normally progresses?

After two weeks, look back at your notes on your experience with the piece of writing advice. Consider whether it helped you or not. If it did, then keep it up. If it didn’t help, then pass on it. And if you’re not sure, then try it a bit more. There is no hard and fast rule on how long this process will take. You want to give any writing advice a fair try, but it is also important to evaluate how it’s working for you at regular intervals. I evaluate how my writing is going every week or two so I can shift as needed. It’s possible that a piece of advice that has worked for you in the past will stop working with a new project or circumstances, or vice versa.

As you try more advice, your writer’s intuition will grow and evolve. It will take less time for you to know whether a certain piece of writing advice is going to work for you or not. That advice my mentor gave to me? I knew right away, because I had tried something similar before and knew it didn’t work for me. The important thing is to keep trying new things in your writing, so you build a process that makes you the most productive you can be in a way that works with you and your schedule. It will take a bit of work, but it will be worth it.

Laura Highcove has a degree in computer science, which is obviously why she is a fantasy writer. She is influenced by anime, video games, table-top gaming, programming, horses, and Norse mythology in no particular order. She currently lives in beautiful Blacksburg, Virginia with her computer, two cats, and husband. Her psychic abilities have not yet developed, but she remains hopeful. If you’d like to learn more about her, head over to her website and sign up for her newsletter (and get a free short story) here.

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