Set yourself up for a creative year!
5 tips to trick yourself back into effortless writing.
Dear Readers, Writers, Creative Friends,
January will soon be over and in the Land Where I Live Down Under, offices are getting back to work, kids will soon be back to school, writers can get back to their desks and artists back to their studios. (Phew!)
But after being in holiday mode (where you find yourself thinking — isn’t this how we are meant to live 24/7?) it’s not so easy. It can take a bit of effort to pull yourself back into your creative routine.
Here are some tips that might help….
One: REMEMBER, YOUR CREATIVE WORK IS THE THING YOU LOVE TO DO MOST IN THE WORLD. If you are thinking of it as a grind, a burden, an impossible task, then yes, it’s going to be tough and you are going to do everything under the sun to avoid it. And if you are an avoidance addict like me, holidays have a way of letting the old habits creep in. If you need some help with this, consider updating your subscription to paid member today to receive my very useful Avoidance Buster Workbook. With exercises to help you identify and deal with the fears that feed our procrastination and avoidance, it will help flush out the tired old voices that keep holding us back.
Because yes, I’m afraid we still have to deal with the Negative Critic, the Sneaky Sabateur, the Ribald Resister, the Nagging Nanny and all the others who regularly turn up to torment us. And if you are thinking you got rid of them in all the workshops and courses you attended, all podcasts you listened to in 2023 — think again. I’m sorry to tell you, they never really go away, they just cleverly morph into new Grizzly Gremlins in a different guise.
What I’m trying to say is: Two: BE KIND TO YOURSELF, don’t beat yourself up by listing all the things you DIDN’T achieve in 2023. Instead, Three: MAKE A LIST of all the things you DID achieve, not just in your writing or artistic life, but life in general, and give yourself a pat on the back.
Three A: MAKE ANOTHER LIST. Now write down all the things you WANT to achieve in 2024. It’s great to use a large sheet of paper for this exercise, think big, be expansive, imagine in your wildest dreams what you want to shoot for. Be specific — if you want to be published, state the publisher’s name and the date of publication, visualise the cover of your book — colours, design and all details. If you want to go on a creative residency in an exotic locale, dream up the country/continent and time of year. If you want to have an exhibition, put down the name of the gallery, how many paintings/pieces you will sell and for exactly how much.
Three B: DON’T WORRY YOURSELF INTO TO WRITING, JUST MAKE A LIST!
If you are having trouble getting back into your writing, if you are forcibly resisting— start by making a list, using dot points, not really writing, just jotting, just getting a few ideas down, keeping up the momentum with observations, descriptions, thoughts — whatever comes. Try speeding up, slowing down, don’t stop, keep going for ten minutes or so. Read back over it, underline the good bits. If you are up for it, put one of the underlinings at the top of a page and go again. Do this every morning as a warm up, as a sneaky way back into the writing.
PS. Did you know there is a genre called List Poems or Category Poems. Check out examples here. Some of my favourite readings in workshops I lead esp. when travelling, are very simple and moving lists of observations. Here is a great example from artist Jo Lane who took her first steps into writing on our 2023 India trip. Read more pieces from our extraordinary India odyssey here.
Four: BE POSITIVELY PREPARED FOR OBSTACLES. We know they are just around the corner, but I wasn’t a Brownie and Girl Guide for nothing. Not only did they show me how to cook a full traditional roast dinner over a campfire (and a few handy knots) but they taught me how to Be Prepared for anything.
Four B: Make another list — of obstacles you anticipate to your creative process and how you will deal with them. The most common obstacle most people have, is to do with time. We all fantasise about the time we will have one day — when the kids leave home, when I get my long service leave, when I finish my next contract, when I retire…
The big Q I ask all my writers is:
Five: WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO GIVE UP FOR YOUR WRITING?
It’s quite confronting isn’t it? Maybe it sounds more scary than it really is. But this is what it comes down to. Making a committment. We do it for relationships, marriage, children, work etc. but how many of us are willing to give stuff up for our writing?
I’ll leave it with you to contemplate. Love to hear what you come up with! Tell me in the comments or by email how you are going to fit writing into your busy life.
As I say in my Avoidance Buster Workbook…
‘The writing itself, once you get down to it, doesn’t take long. It’s everything you do to avoid writing that takes up all the time. If you put your mind to it you could write a book on a weekend!’
WRITERS JOURNEY TRIPS HEADING OUT IN 2024/25. Make another list (hehe) of the ones you want to join! Click on trip title for more info!
Haiku Walking in Japan, Mar 27 – April 1, 2024. Easy walks along ancient rural pathways trodden by Buddhist monks, to view 1000 year old rock carvings on the remote Kunisaki Peninsular. Not too late to book, still one spot left!
Sensing Italy, June 4 – 15, 2024. Still room! Three days writing in Florence before our eight day Italian village immersion. Eat, Write, Taste! A total Italian indulgence. Let us know asap if you can join.
Gascony Residency, June 19 – 30, 2024. Only 3 places available, book now! A 12 day mentored residency at Relais de Camont near the village of Duras (yes!) in the South of France. Please send EOI asap!
Moroccan Caravan, Feb 10 - 24, 2025. Will book out, so get in early! Two days each in Tangier, the Blue City and Fez before we head out into the Sahara for our desert retreat. If you’ve never been to Morocco this is the way to go. Booking now!
OTHER NEWS
Draftbusters Online has recommenced, we are one week in but there is still room to join if you want to. The next monthly module after this one will commence on Feb 19. Draft Busters is for published or unpublished memoir writers, novelists, script writers, non fiction writers, scribblers and doodlers in all genres, who want to seriously progress their long term writing project. Two sessions per week on Zoom. Sign up for a monthly module (4 weeks). Contact Jan if you would like to join. Motivation Mondays 10 - 11.30am AEST: meditative writing exercises on diff areas of writers craft. Set goals for the week. Feedback Fridays 3.30 - 5.30pm AEST: bring 1000 words of your current writing project to read and receive feedback.
Our monthly Free Online Workshop, conducted on Zoom, is on today, Sunday, Jan 21, at 4-5pm AEST. They are usually held on the third Sunday of the month at 4-5pm AEST. All welcome. Contact Jan for Zoom deets.
A BIT OF HISTORY AND HOUSEKEEPING FOR NEW SUBSCRIBERS.
In April 2023 I began this Substack to present weekly episodes my travel memoir, Looking for Duras, a Mekong Journey. I received great support, encouragment and feedback from WJ subscribers, which is still ongoing. It’s been a great exercise and I recommend it to all writers who want to get their work out there and re-energise their writing process. If you missed some or all of the chapters you can find them here. (Scroll to the bottom to read in order).
You might have noticed I am no longer posting weekly. I can’t say there is a predictable pattern but it seems to happen on a random Sat or Wed, although today I’m posting on a Sunday.
If you need any help with your writing or creative process don’t hesitate to get in touch. Have a creative weekend!
Jan
PS. Don’t forget to upgrade your membership today if you want to receive the Avoidance Buster Workbook. Existing paid members can also receive it on request.
This is exactly what I needed to read today. Thank you.
HI Jan can you please share the draftbuster :-)