Changing Seasons of Writing

For the last couple of years, I've been having trouble settling down to write a new novel. Since the nineties, I used to rip right into them very quickly, but that feeling of eureka in the planning stage has been eluding me. I would find that even when I devised plans which might have some merit, I couldn't force my enthusiasm to jump on board to the extent it used to. Since that sense of fizzing anticipation was once my green light, I didn't want to move without it. I knew there wouldn't be much point anyway. That strong drive to woo others to share my love of my plots and characters had been my motivator.

For some time, it distressed me if I thought about it too hard. I thought I had a case of writer's block, and faced all the frustration and loss of identity that went with it. Acquaintances would ask, 'What book are you working on now?' and I'd mumble something about sifting through ideas. On one hand, I really wanted my mojo back, but on the other, it was nice to have a break from all the emotional energy it took, which I'd been drawing from for several years, and one project after the next. Because my characters often had some pretty tough issues going on.

Anyway, this photo of my local wetlands in the summer heat seemed an accurate picture of what I thought my creative mind resembled then. A desolate looking dust bowl. But I didn't want to admit it to anyone.

Then one day it struck me that I was still writing the same volume anyway. The writing pads and pens I was flying through were still the same as before, and so were the number of hours I'd sit at my computer typing. I assumed I'd developed writer's block, but I was simply writing different things. One was a factional account of my grandfather's life, based on the prolific notes my Dad had asked me to type for him. I also wrote lots and lots of blog posts, including numerous lists and reflections about reading and writing. The source of my writing hadn't dried up at all. It had simply changed direction, at least for a period of time. I guess it can happen.

In fact, when it comes to ideas for blog posts, my mind is like this. The exact same spot, but during last year's floods. And that water got even deeper, so you couldn't see the bridge at all, because it was completely submerged.

I understand marketing advice to be clear about our personal brands, so we can convey them to the general public and our target audience. And I'm loving the new genre series, which are cross posted on this blog and Christian Writers Downunder. Passionate authors with a wealth of experience in what they write are sharing the wisdom they've gleaned over many years. I look forward to each new one, and the interesting details we might learn. Yet at the same time, I've been learning that I need to be flexible enough not to get so set in my own rigid decisions about what I write that I close myself off from the Holy Spirit's gentle nudges. Fearing that my writing time might be over, just because I wasn't working on a novel, was my own idea, and not necessarily God's.

At the moment, I'm considering the possibility that there may be no more contemporary Christian dramas from me. They might be a season of my life that really has dried up. Perhaps some things are for a particular time, and then a drive to move on to something else catches up with us. Maybe our spiritual antennae should be always primed to pick up new possibilities in the air. It makes a lot of sense that since we're all different, something which might be a lifelong mission for one person could be stepping stones for another. And of course, the outcomes that eventuate may be way different from the outcomes we plan anyway. (Of course I won't say that I'll never, ever write another one, because by the same token, I might be wrong. Some day a new idea might come.)

Author and doctor Rachel Naomi Remen wrote a personal testimony in her book, Kitchen Table Wisdom. It's a long time since I read it, but it went something like this. She'd planted a wonderful rose garden, intending to enjoy the blooms from a particular room of her house for many years to come. One morning, she glanced out the window to see a magnificent buck (male deer) standing in her rose garden, munching her new rose buds with great relish. He was so stately and majestic, with his spotted hide and elegant, spreading antlers that she couldn't help catching her breath. And something whispered in her heart, 'You thought you were planting this rose garden so you could enjoy the splashes of colour. But it turns out the real reason you planted it was so you could attract and enjoy visits from this awesome fellow and his friends and family.' And so it turned out to be.

In a similar way, I'm liking what I'm writing at the moment. I thought I started my book review blog just so I could request access to brand new releases from Net Galley. But maybe a more far-reaching reason turns out to be so I can ponder all sorts of ideas I'm getting from books, new and old, and making connections between different stories which help me see the world in ways that wouldn't have occurred to me otherwise.

And I thought I was just doing my Dad a quick favour when I agreed to type out his notes, but it turned out to be a consuming idea which gripped me for longer than I ever expected. For anyone who enjoys contrasting shots as much as I do, and what the great outdoors can show us, those are a couple more glimpses of my daily walk in different seasons.

Paula Vince is a South Australian author of contemporary, inspirational fiction. She lives in the beautiful Adelaide Hills, with its four distinct seasons, and loves to use her environment as settings for her stories. Her novel, 'Picking up the Pieces' won the religious fiction section of the International Book Awards in 2011, and 'Best Forgotten' was winner of the CALEB prize the same year. She is also one of the four authors of 'The Greenfield Legacy', Australia's first and only collaborated Christian novel. Her most recent novel, 'Imogen's Chance' was published April 2014. For more of Paula's reflections, you may like to visit her book review blog, The Vince Review.

Identity Crisis!

By Andrea Grigg

Twenty years ago this month, I ventured back into the world of primary school teaching. I’d been a stay-at-home mum, and had enjoyed three terms of ‘freedom’ once our third and youngest child had started school. Now, I was ready to dip my toes back into the Sea of Education, and see if I still had what it took.

What with moving countries, working in the clerical department at David Jones in Sydney, getting married and moving to the Gold Coast as well as having three children, it had been a long time since I’d been in a classroom, and I missed it. Missed the kids and the satisfaction of seeing them achieve and grow, missed the camaraderie with my colleagues, missed being part of a vibrant school community.

I filled out the paper work, started relief teaching at the same school my children attended, and loved it! I was back! Eventually, I was given a three-week contract, which ended up being extended for the rest of the year, and was then offered permanency.

I’ll never forget pinning on my identification badge. I wasn’t just Andrea Grigg anymore, I was Andrea Grigg, Teacher.

Of course, over the years I’ve belonged to many other groups too, some formal, some informal. I was a Christian, a wife, a parent, a musician, a singer, a worship leader, a soccer mum, a life group member … lots of things. Most of all though, I was proud to be able to answer the question, ‘And what do you do?’  with, ‘I’m a teacher.’

Unfortunately, I burned out. In 2010, I went from full-time, to part-time, which actually made things worse. Three years later, I had to give in my badge.

But you know what? It wasn’t hard, not hard at all. I had a new identity. I was a writer!

I finished teaching in 2012, the same year my first book, A Simple Mistake, was published. I used the next year to get well, then finished my second book, Too Pretty, which was published in 2014. And then it all went to custard. I had writers’ block.

 Best thing that could have happened to me.

You know that song, ‘Heart of Worship’? It’s always been a favourite, and even more so now. It talks about the music fading and everything being stripped away. That was me. I wasn’t a teacher anymore, and I certainly couldn’t call myself a writer because I wasn’t writing! All the ideas I’d had flying around in my head vanished the moment I sat down at my laptop.

So who was I?

You know, the frustration of writers’ block got so bad, I didn’t care if I never wrote another thing. The thought lasted only a few days, but it was essential I went through the process. Because it was during those few days that something was engraved on my heart.

A couple of years earlier, I’d read a statement somewhere while waiting in a doctor’s surgery, and I’ve used it shamelessly ever since:

We’re not human doings, we’re human beings.

At first, it was simply a reminder to stop rushing around like a mad thing. Now, it has added meaning because of Acts 17:28: ‘In Him we live, and move, and have our being.’

Who gives me purpose? God. Who do I belong to? God. Who made me? God. Who am I? God’s child.

I am a daughter of the King. He has saved me, and filled me, and given me everything I need. He holds me in the palm of His hand. My beloved is mine and I am His.

If I never sing another note, never write another word, it doesn’t matter. Those things don’t define me. They’re not the essence of who I am. God is.

I am Andrea Grigg, daughter of the living King.

Maybe I should order the badge :) 

Andrea Grigg lives on the Gold Coast, Queensland, and is a writer of two contemporary Christian romance novels, ‘A Simple Mistake’ and ‘Too Pretty’. Her Christmas novella, 'All is Bright', will be released September 27 in a boxset along with five other authors, entitled, 'An Aussie Summer Christmas'.  She would love to connect with you via: 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/author.andreagrigg?ref=hl

Twitter: @andreagrigg https://twitter.com/andreagrigg

Email:    andreagrigg@live.com

Six Steps to Breaking Writer's Block

Writer’s block. That mysterious phenomenon where the writing hobby or job you once loved more than chocolate turns into the equivalent of a broccoli casserole. 
When your mind is all locked up, what can you do? 

Sometimes my mind feels like this.

I had about five different contributing factors collide at once recently, giving me my first real case of writer's block. Here’s what worked for me to break it: 

1.       Have a break. 

Sometimes it's not easy to fit in around deadlines, but removing that pressure does allow your creativity to breathe again. 

2.       Watch and read whatever you want.  

It can be trashy. It can be sad. It can be that weird indie movie your workmate told you about. Just consume a lot of whatever tickles your fancy.  For me, this meant half a season of I Dream of Jeannie (my housemate bought the box set for $17), a good dose of New Girl, and sprinklings of Blindspot and Once Upon A Time.  On the reading side of things, I read a book by Smart B****** Trashy Books which discussed the romance genre over the decades. Simply reading about character types and favourite plot lines made me excited about writing again. From there I downloaded a whole tonne of samples of romances from authors I’d never tried before. I didn’t end up buying a single one of them, but just tasting a whole bunch of new writing was encouraging.  

3.       Take your priorities to God. 

Evaluate your current priorities and give them to God. See if any changes need to happen. Go to Him for strength and remember, at the end of the day, it's His love that gives our lives value and purpose, not our writing. 

Has God set your priorities?

4.       Stop judging yourself and others. 

I don't know about you guys, but here's how it goes in my head: 

1. I see something I don't like in someone else's work.  
2. I vow never to make that mistake.  
3. I realise I've made that mistake.  
4. I try really hard to make my writing perfect and eradicate that mistake.  
5. I lose my mind.  
6. I remember that it's impossible to be perfect, and trying to strive for it is killing my ability to write. 
7. I stop criticising others, and myself. 
8. The words peek their eyes around the corner of my mind and try to decide whether it's safe to return yet or not. 

So take my advice, save yourself the pain, and tune out that nasally voice in your head that critiques everyone's work. 

 

5.       Write some trash. 

It doesn't have to be good. It doesn't even need to make sense. Just get some words on a page and have fun doing it.  

Write something. Anything. Just for fun.

6.       Look for patterns in what you’ve enjoyed. 

It's impossible to see in the midst of writer's block, but once you've saturated your brain in some mindless entertainment, there's definite patterns in what content you enjoy. Find those themes and let them increase your passion for your writing project.  

Those steps are based in my own recent experience, but I'd love to hear wisdom from all you writers out there! What's your favourite method for dealing with writer's block? 

Jessica Everingham is an Australian writer. She prefers the term 'writer' because it's too hard to say 'eLearning developer, former journalist and aspiring author' all in one sentence. She is busy editing her contemporary novel, Hating Jeremy Walters, and planning her next work.She loves to catch up with fellow readers and writers via Facebook (www.facebook.com/jessicaeveringhamwriting), Twitter (@JessEveringham), Goodreads or over at her blog. Smoke signals also acceptable.