Karinwritesdangerously

« The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little extra. » Jimmy Johnson

« There’s no traffic jam on the extra mile. »
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Giving a little bit extra is extremely satisfying and energizing, whether it’s on a running path or the page. So often, when it comes to our writing, we think that we can motivate ourselves by setting ambitious, high-flown goals. But in my experience, this approach can backfire: Instead of pushing forward, we end up paralyzing ourselves. We haven’t reached for the moon, we’ve reached for Mars—and we feel overwhelmed or defeated when we fall short.

Here’s another,more productive strategy: If we ask a little more of ourselves during each writing session, then slowly but surely, we’ll gather strength and momentum.

Sometimes, when I’ve been writing or revising for a few hours, I’m tempted to stop, but so often, if I decide to push on a little farther as a way of challenging myself to “go the extra mile,” I find myself playing with a few more paragraphs and an intriguing idea pops out of them. Who knew?

As you launch your writing sessions, whatever your schedule or your goal, why not experiment with “extra miling” in some form? You might decide to keep writing a while longer than you planned to, or to finish one chapter or scene and then forge ahead into the next. When you do, you might surprise yourself and keep going—you might just find your second wind. Make this a habit and who knows where it might lead?

Here’s something else I’ve learned: When you give more than expected, your muse will sit up and take notice. Write on!

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“It is impossible to enjoy idling thoroughly unless one has plenty of work to do.” Jerome K. Jerome

Distraction and disruption — they count among the greatest banes of the writing life and it’s a rare wordsmith who is immune from them. Over the past few weeks, a mix of social and emotional demands short-circuited progress on my writing. While this gave me a refreshing break, getting back on track has been a rocky road. A few helpful lessons learned if you find your own rhythm interrupted:

View disruption as temporary: When your daily regimen begins disintegrating, whatever the reason, it’s easy to go global about it and feel that you’ve sacrificed all forward motion forever: “I’ll never finish this book,” or “I’ve missed another short story deadline, I’ll never get published.” Forget the drama and just view the disruption as a “blip on the radar screen” — a minor speed bump, not a car crash.

Forget from 0 to 60: When you decide the time is right to regain your momentum, give yourself a few days of transition. Don’t expect to go full throttle. Get back into your groove by degrees — and before you know it, you’ll be going full steam ahead.

Visualize yourself working happily: Revisit your moments of enjoyment when your work was perking along and you were feeling fully engaged. Let yourself dwell on how much you accomplished and how great it made you feel. See yourself working intensely and happily. Recapturing the joy and pleasure you derived from a fruitful writing technique is probably the best motivator you can use to make it your own again. 

So think “blip on the radar screen,” ease on down the road, renew your sense of satisfaction, jump-start yourself with joy, and write on!

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“Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue.” When Daniel James Brown began his book about the 1936 U.S. Olympic rowing team, he took as his model Laura Hillenbrand, author of the wonderful bestsellers, Unbroken and Seabiscuit:

“When I first started The Boys in the Boat — I mean, the day after I decided to write the book — I had an old paperback copy of Seabiscuit, and we were going on vacation. So I threw it in my suitcase and I spent the whole vacation dissecting it. I put notes on every page in the book, just studying all the writerly decisions she had made: why she started this scene this way and that scene that way, and the language choices in how she developing the setting…I went into the whole research project with a list of guidelines, which were drawn from this close study of Seabiscuit.”

What a masterful approach! The more I read about writing and listen to authors discuss how they develop their stories, the more often I discover that they don’t cut their stories from whole cloth: As part of their creative process, they “borrow” what they need and then transform it. A few more examples:

As a young man, Ernest Hemingway committed huge sections of The Bible to memory because he wanted to fully absorb its cadence and lyrical language patterns so he could use them as the scaffolding for building the stories he wanted to tell. 

When Junot Diaz was writing The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, he found himself struggling to find a structure for his novel and happened to pick up The Perfect Storm. While this nonfiction book was about a topic wildly different from his novel, there was something about the book’s structure that gave him a way to shape his own story.

When Christina Baker Kline was writing her bestseller, Orphan Train, she heard about a new novel, Like Water For Elephants. Reading it gave her the germ of an idea about the way her own story might unfold that led to the framework she used.

The message for us in all this: Read, reflect, reimagine. Don’t feel that you’re copying if you feel inspired by another writer’s choices: “Borrow” what you need and make it your own. When you do, you’ll be following a long and storied tradition. Write on!

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« You can’t wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club. »

« The hardest thing in the world is to put feeling, deep feeling, into words. »

« The most beautiful stories always start with wreckage. »

Jack London 

Today, January 12, is Jack London’s birthday. He was born in 1876, light years ago, but his short stories and novels remain classics and are still widely admired for their energy and elegance. Jack was offered $5.00 for his first story, but he persevered and went on to become a beloved worldwide celebrity and one of the first writers to achieve wealth solely through his fiction writing. I came across an article featuring his advice for writers—it seems tailormade for us:

From “Getting into Print” by Jack London, 1903:

“Don’t dash off a six-thousand-word story before breakfast. Don’t write too much. Concentrate your sweat on one story, rather than dissipate it over a dozen. Don’t loaf and invite inspiration; light after it with a club, and if you don’t get it you will nonetheless get something that looks remarkably like it. Set yourself a “stint” and see that you do that “stint” each day; you will have more words to your credit at the end of the year. [London wrote 1,000 words nearly every day of his adult life].

“Study the tricks of the writers who have arrived. They have mastered the tools with which you are cutting your fingers. They are doing things, and their work bears the internal evidence of how it is done. Don’t wait for some good Samaritan to tell you, but dig it out for yourself.

“See that your pores are open and your digestion is good. That is, I am confident, the most important rule of all. And don’t fling Carlyle in my teeth, please. 

“Keep a notebook. Travel with it, eat with it, sleep with it. Slap into it every stray thought that flutters up into your brain. Cheap paper is less perishable than gray matter, and lead pencil markings endure longer than memory.

“And work. Spell it in capital letters, WORK. WORK all the time. Find out about this earth, this universe; this force and matter, and the spirit that glimmers up through force and matter from the maggot to the Godhead. And by all this I mean WORK for a philosophy of life. It does not hurt how wrong your philosophy of life may be, so long as you have one and have it well. 

“The three great things are: GOOD HEALTH; WORK; and a PHILOSOPHY OF LIFE. I may add, nay, must add, a fourth — SINCERITY. Without this, the other three are without avail; with it you may cleave to greatness and sit among the giants.”

What a goldmine of helpful advice — let’s apply as we all write on!

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A few sparkling gems from Self-Reliance by Ralph Waldo Emerson:

“A man should learn to detect and watch that gleam of light which flashes across his mind from within, more than the lustre of the firmament of bards and sages. Yet he dismisses without notice his thought, because it is his. In every work of genius we recognize our own rejected thoughts: they come back to us with a certain alienated majesty. Great works of art have no more affecting lesson for us than this.”

“A man is relieved and gay when he has put his heart into his work and done his best; but what he has said or done otherwise shall give him no peace. It is a deliverance which does not deliver. In the attempt his genius deserts him; no muse befriends; no invention, no hope.
Trust thyself: every heart vibrates to that iron string.”

“But do your work, and I shall know you. Do your work, and you shall
reinforce yourself.”

« Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.’
Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Catch on fire with enthusiasm and people will come for miles to watch you burn.”
John Wesley

My trusty Century Dictionary positively bubbles over when it comes to defining “enthusiasm.” First it gives the Greek root meaning: “be divinely inspired” and “possessed by a god,” then its current usage: “absorbing or controlling possession of the mind by any interest or pursuit; passionate zeal; ardor…” An “enthusiast” is “…a person of ardent zeal.”

“Ardent” — now, that’s another savory word: “Burning, fiery, or hot;” also, “glowing, as with feeling, eagerness, zeal.”

To be burning, glowing, fiery, consumed by passionate zeal — what a gift! Wouldn’t it be thrilling if we could bring an abundance of ardent zeal, boatloads of it, to the page whenever we write? With our minds and hearts on fire, what power our words would have: How they’d swoop and linger!

Who wouldn’t want to be ardent and passionate instead of lukewarm or lackluster when it comes to the energy we bring to the page? Can we strengthen our “enthusiasm” muscle? Yes, according to Frank Bettger, author of the classic guide, How I Raised Myself from Failure to Success in Selling. It starts with a rousing chapter on the life-changing impact of enthusiasm well worth reading. A few inspiring tidbits:

“Can you acquire enthusiasm, or must you be born with it? Certainly, you can acquire it!”

“Enthusiasm isn’t merely an outward expression. Once you begin to acquire it, enthusiasm works constantly within you.”

“It will help you overcome fear, become more successful in business, make more money, and enjoy a healthier, richer, and happier life.”

“When can you begin? Right now. Just say to yourself, ‘This is one thing I can do.’”

“How can you begin? There is just one rule:
To become enthusiastic — act enthusiastic.”

“Put this rule into action for thirty days and be prepared to see astonishing results. It may easily revolutionize your entire life.”

A bold promise, but enthusiasm delivers: Write on with ardent zeal! 

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In our apartment, the dining room was my father’s office. In it was a big black desk anchored like a ship in a small ocean of papers and books. My dad was a writer back then and that was where he worked. I didn’t know what working was, but I knew it was important, because when he did it, we had to be quiet.

At three or so, I was just tall enough to peek over the edge of his desk and survey its exotic treasures: Pens! Pencils! Paperclips! Pudgy pink erasers! Pads of yellow paper! Writing had to be fun, that much I knew. Because when you were doing it, you could be very messy and no one gave you a hard time about it. In fact, the messier you were, the more you were working and the harder you were writing.

One day, a miracle occurred. My dad handed me one of his beautiful, brand-new yellow legal pads – the golden fleece, it seemed to me – and a shiny yellow pencil with its very own pink eraser on top. “I want you to write a letter to my editor, Mrs. Pumpernickel. Tell her I need more money!” my father said.

No matter that I didn’t know what an editor was or what money was or where to find Mrs. Pumpernickel. No matter that I didn’t know the alphabet or how to read. I was writing! I took my shiny pencil in hand and set to work, covering page after page of my legal pad with bold, confident squiggles. I finished my letter and handed it to my father. He looked over my chicken scratches carefully, nodding as if he understood every word perfectly. I couldn’t have been prouder if I’d won the Pulitzer! Then he fished in a desk drawer, pulled out a gleaming white envelope, and tucked my letter inside. “We need to mail this right away,” my dad said. What a thrill! I was hooked — and I’ve been writing ever since.

Today is my dad Albert’s birthday and this story is written in his honor. He’s one of the biggest reasons I became a wordsmith. Write on!

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“If we like a character, then we want to see her do well and we’re willing to follow her around and invest our time and interest in rooting her on in her struggle. But it’s important we know some essentials about the character so we can get to like her. The trick is to avoid stand-alone description or exposition and to instead show your character in action.” Les Edgerton

One of the most fascinating — and frustrating — aspects of writing a short story, play, or novel is orchestrating the first impression your main character makes on readers or viewers. How you introduce your character sets the stage for the tale you want to tell. I’ve wrestled with this in my novel, so I know how challenging it can be. 

As Les Edgerton summed up the challenge, it involves revealing rather than describing, which can be tricky. The author of several writing guides, here are a few of his tips for making your characters shine:

1. Keep physical description minimal: A character’s physical description doesn’t do much to draw a reader in—it’s the character’s actions, or interests that attract attention. Leaving readers free to imagine your character is a simple but powerful way to hook them.

2. Reveal through action: I think it was Emerson who once said (I’m paraphrasing here): show me what you do and I’ll tell you who you are. What your character does or chooses not to do, speaks volumes. When we learn that his or her behavior is either characteristic or a departure, we begin to understand who they are or think they are or want us to think they are. And it’s all fascinating!

3. Instill depth: A compelling way to draw readers into your story is to intrigue them by giving them a tantalizing glimpse into your main character’s inner life and the dangers ahead. When readers feel they’ve peered into emotional depths, they become attached and engaged—and keep reading!

Wonderful advice to ponder and apply as we all write on!

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“I know some great writers, writers you love, who write beautifully and have made a great deal of money, and not one of them sits down routinely feeling wildly enthusiastic and confident. Not one of them writes elegant first drafts. All right one of them does, but we do not like her very much…Very few writers know what they’re doing until they’ve done it.” Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird

We’ve all been there: We’re expectant. We’re determined. We’ve carved out a juicy chunk of time to write our little hearts out. And we end up staring at a blank or our only output is a few lame paragraphs that we feel like throwing into the wash along with our laundry.

There’s a simple solution for this if it’s happening to you right now or you think it might happen some time soon and you’re dreading it: Give yourself permission to write badly.

Go easy on yourself!

That’s right! Take a leaf from Annie Lamott’s wonderful guide, Bird by Bird, and embrace her wise and generous advice: Lower your standards. Don’t go for an “elegant first draft” or even an elegant set of words or paragraphs. Just start writing, holding on to the belief that you’ll figure out what you’re doing as you go along.

Here’s another tip: Get yourself a notebook — nothing fancy — and write longhand. Somehow this makes the whole act of writing seem more playful, more casual, less fraught with expectation and self-judgment. Just sit, pen or pencil in hand, and scribble away. I find colorful inks and cheerful pencils help.

Give yourself a week or more of writing sessions like this. Look back over what you’ve written the day before if you want to — or don’t bother; just keep writing. At some point, take stock of what flowed from your mind and pen. More than likely you’ll be surprised. There will be a sentence or phrase here and there that you really love — that provokes and challenges you. You may even find whole paragraphs that hold the seeds of something exciting: a story perhaps, or a way of describing a character that was eluding you.

If you’re feeling playful, you can even pluck three words from the ether and start writing around them. If you keep going, chances are you’ll arrive at something worth salvaging and exploring. 

There’s already so much pressure out there: to produce, to publish, to prosper, to prioritize, to prance and preen in print. Don’t know where all those “P’s” came from, but they just popped out. You get the point. All this performing can be exhausting: It can rob us of the fun and joy of practicing our craft. If all this is getting to you, why not take the pressure off for a while? Just “freelax” as my son Alex used to say. Yes, let’s all just “freelax” and then write on!

An inspiring story about the power of words:

One wintry day, eight-year-old Myles Eckert and his mom Tiffany were hurrying Across a parking lot to a restaurant in their hometown of Waterville, Ohio. Myles glanced down and saw a $20 bill. Since there was no one around to return it to, his mom said, “I guess it’s your lucky day,” and let him keep it.

Inside the restaurant, Myles considered buying a video game, but then he saw a soldier and his wife sitting nearby. He asked for a piece of paper and wrote this note:

Dear Soldier,

My dad was a soldier. He’s in heaven now. I found this $20 In
the parking lot. We like to pay it forward in my family. It’s
your lucky day! Thank you for your service.

Myles Eckert 

Myles never had the chance to know his dad: Army Sgt. Andy Eckert. was killed in Iraq when Myles was only a few weeks old. But because every soldier reminds him of his dad, he decided to say thank you and “pay forward” his windfall to Lt. Col. Frank Dailey, an Ohio National Guardsman. Lt. Col. Dailey responded with a heartfelt, “Thank you. This is an honor!” and donated the money Myles gave him to charity. He was so touched by the note from Myles that he told his daughter, who shared the story on Facebook. Soon Myles was receiving $20 from strangers.

When he had a total of 50 $20 bills, he asked his mom to donate the money to Snowball Express, a charity that helps kids who’ve lost a parent in the line of duty. Soon, word of this donation made the local and national news and inspired more contributions, including a $1 million grant from a corporation. In the end, Myles and his thank-you note generated an incredible $1.8 million in support for the Snowball Express. 

Lt. Col. Dailey, became close to both Myles and his mom. He continued to be inspired by the words Myles wrote long after and once said, “I look at his note every day, and it gives my life direction.”

A piece of paper, a pen or pencil, a handful of simple, heartfelt words: This is all it takes for magic to happen. The words we write or say — or leave unwritten or unsaid — matter. Write on!

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