3 Ways to Make Space for Yourself

I love data and statistics.

Statistical analysis helps reveal to us what we cannot see. Statistical analysis also helps to makes sense of what we think might be happening.

I also love my readers.

My readers are the reason I write. Sure, I write for my own benefit, but any writer worth their salt is lying if they said they didn't care whether their material was ever read.

Loving both analysis and my readers, I present the following graph produced by Blogger:

The most popular post on this blog, out of 24 posts, is "2 Ways to Keep Writing in Times of Crisis" with 153 page views. The next most popular post is 62% less popular at only 58 page views.

What is it about the "Times of Crisis" most that made it so popular? I won't bore you with my own detailed assessment. Rather, I want to present a hypothesis that I believe is supported by the number of page views on the top four posts.

My hypothesis is that we are all desperate to find space for ourselves in a world convincing us that our personal well-being is no longer a priority. 

So, what to do with this information?

Here are 3 ways that I work to make space for myself, regardless of what is going on around me:

1) Establish sacred spaces. Whether your "space" is a period of time (let's say, your lunch break or 20 minutes after you first get home from work), or whether you create an actual space that is only meant for you, establishing (and maintaining) sacred spaces will help to provide a vehicle for whatever it is that you need in your life.

2) Honor your preferences. If part of your "self-indulgence" is having a great cup of coffee while you start your day, don't grab a gas station brew or settle for whatever happens to be available at the office. No. Wake up a few minutes early to make a French press cuppa, or, if you're like my partner, you'll have a French press on-hand at the office. Maybe you have a particular way you like your desk set up. Or, perhaps you enjoy taking your breaks outside. Whatever your preferences are, honor them in your daily life, even especially when others attempt to sideline those preferences.

3) Take time to consider before making a decision to commit. Too many times, we often feel pressured to provide immediate answers to "will you," "could you," "are you" questions. The next time someone asks you to make a decision about whether or not you want to get involved, say, "Thank you for asking. I'll think about that and let you know tomorrow." It's that simple.

I hope these posts continue to provide some insights and creative sparks for my readership. In the meantime, make space for yourself. Remember that you are your greatest resource for living a fulfilled life.

The #1 Enemy of Creative Types (And How to Avoid It)

I once had a student that would not put pen to paper. They were paralyzed. They had a five page paper due in two days and they had not written one word.

"What do you think is the problem?" I asked. 

"I have writer's block," she answered. 

"What do you mean by 'writer's block?'" I asked. 

"My mind is a complete blank. I literally can think of nothing to write about. I don't even want to think about this paper anymore because when I do, I just feel drained. This assignment is depressing me and I haven't even started it."

My student wasn't experiencing writer's block. She was experiencing something even more sinister.

Apathy.

But wait, I hear you say, how can one be said to be apathetic if there's evidence of trying?

The answer is that if you, as a writer, go chasing after topics and ideas about which you are not thoroughly interested, sooner or later, you may find yourself unmotivated and indifferent about your writing practice.

From Art Made From Books. Find it on Amazon.

My student's error occurred when she felt she had to pursue a topic that was completely out of her line of passion. She talked to me at length about what she has tried writing about and, from the attitude she displayed in listing these topics, even I was beginning to feel depressed about the assignment.

"Why are you taking this course?" I asked. 

"Because I'm really interested in parts of African cultures," she replied. 

"What parts?" 

"No, it's really off-topic," she replied.

The course I was teaching focused on peacemaking and conflict mitigation in the Sub-Saharan region of the world.

"Just tell me what it is about African cultures that made you enroll in the class." 

"The music," she answered.

Ah ha! As is sometimes the case, this student had a tangential interest in the course and was now struggling to situate her interests with the topic.

Without hesitation, I seized the moment.

"How do musical traditions in Sub-Saharan African countries contribute to peacemaking and conflict mitigation?"

You should have seen my student's eyes light up. It was as if a light had been switched on.

Long story short, the student left my office in a hurry and, on Friday morning (with a smile on her face), she proudly presented a very well-written and interesting paper on the topic I had suggested in our meeting.

What is irritating about writer's block is not that we can't seem to think of anything to write. The problem is that we have plenty to write about, but can't seem to capture the words for the thoughts zipping through our heads.

The lesson here is that, if creativity is part of our living, part of what we are expected to do as a function of our employment, we can sometimes get caught up in the actual assignments and lose sight of our passions. Sure, we all have to engage in topics that are not directly in our line of passion, but as creative people, we owe it to ourselves and our audience to find ways to incorporate our passions in everything we do. 

So the next time you feel yourself begin to panic or lose interest in an assignment, re-evaluate how you approach your task. Recall those topics and ideas about which you are really passionate, and then ask yourself how you can incorporate them into the work you must do. You, and your audience, will benefit from this practice.

Happy writing!

2 Ways to Keep Writing in Times of Crisis

From Art Made From Books. Find it on Amazon.com.

I have struggled for the past few days to come up with a brilliant topic for my next blog post. My struggle stems from living inside a whirling gyre of obligations that require my immediate and undivided attention.

Or, at least, that is what it seems to be.

But rather than fight "block" that often accompanies one or more life crises, I decided I would provide two ways to use your times of crisis to fuel your writing.

1) Write when you feel least like writing. How many times have you come across articles describing the multitude of "types" among writers? Are you a plotter or pantser? Are you a midnight writer, early riser, or mid-day muse? Do you write alone in a quiet organized area, or do you venture out to scribble while on a crowded train into the city?

Crisis doesn't care about your comfort zone. In fact, crisis requires that you step out of your comfort zone and complete tasks sans your comforts.

So, instead of waiting . . . and waiting . . . and waiting . . . and becoming more anxious about the fact that your perfect conditions for writing are too far out of reach, just start writing. Keep a writing instrument and something to write on with you at all times. And just start writing.

By calling upon yourself to do something in a time of crisis or in less than ideal conditions, you will not only improve your abilities to perform the task, you will quite possibly find that you gain a different perspective and understanding of the task at hand.

What better way to develop an exciting plot twist than to use your own life's plot twist as a catalyst?

2) Find ways to make writing part of the solution. For many young and novice writers, writing can, at first, seem to be part of the problem. What I mean by this is, writers sometimes see their writing practice as a problem to be solved, something 'other' that must be delicately folded into the otherwise normal aspects of the life they already possess.

When crises arise, even experienced writers may be tempted to put their writing on the back-burner, unable to justify fitting their writing habit into the day-to-day of managing difficult and threatening situations.

But if writing is your love, your passion, and your sanity, find ways to make writing a part of navigating and overcoming crises. Maybe the answer is submitting to trade magazines and trying your hand at freelance work. Perhaps writing a policy note or program evaluation note relevant to a job opportunity is the answer. You may even find that your crisis and your response to the crisis are excellent fodder for a personal essay or book. Write a proposal and see what hits.

Facing crises should not mean temporarily putting aside our paints, our pens, our dancing shoes, our music, or whatever activities we, for whatever reason, deem as impractical to finding appropriate solutions. These are the times when we need to harness our creativity and make use of our passions.


If you are going through some difficult times in your life, don't give up on the things that make you happy. The things that give you joy make enduring crises worth the struggle. 

Hang in there and happy writing!

2 Unconventional Tips for Starting Any Writing Project

If you have any experience in writing, you will understand me when I say that sometimes you have to stop and listen to what you have written. 

For academics, especially, we can fall into the habit of mashing and smashing words into a page to MAKE. THEM. FIT. *exasperated sigh*

But words, stories, and even written reports are, if you will permit me, alive and not easily bullied into existence. 

When we ask ourselves and our students to take a step back from writing before continuing to proofread or make additions or revisions, what we're really saying is that we need to listen to what we've written and ask ourselves 1) if what we hear is what we meant to say and 2) whether our writing is giving us hints as to where to go next with our project. 

But what if you struggle to put words on a page in the first place? What if you find yourself staring at a blank page attempting to divine some sort of message from beyond about how to even begin your writing project? 

How do you listen to your writing before you've put pen to paper?

Keep Your Inspiration Close at Hand

If you're sitting in front of a blank sheet of paper or a blank screen frustrated that you cannot seem to find a way to begin your project, I'm going to assume that something has inspired the content of what you are about to write. 

What is that inspiration? A book you read recently? A photograph? A conversation you overheard? A cause? A news article?

Kurt Vonnegut mug (thank you, Brother!), novel notebook,
and the picture that first inspired The Translator

Whatever it was that made you sit down and think, "This is what I'm going to write about," have that close at hand. 

The photograph that gave me the idea for The Translator sits framed on my desk. I've been known to take it with me when I write in other locations. I also have a copy of my father's end of tour report for his Volunteer Physicians for Vietnam position. That hangs just behind me in my office. 

When I work on my PhD and other academic or policy writing projects, I have news reports and pictures from the field that keep me working, keep me pushing to think deeper and write clearer. When I remember that the substantive focus of my research is often the reality of others, I am inspired to start writing from that place of purpose and urgency. 

Sometimes, just by having inspiring images and stories around you, you will hear what it is about those things that makes you want to write and that is where you start.

Don't Always Start at the Beginning

When you tell someone a story out loud, how do you go about doing so? Do you start with the punch-line? Do you provide an exorbitant amount of background information before you begin? Do you introduce the lesson or theme first?

Now, when you're writing, how do you begin? 

Most of us will admit that, more often than not, we start writing with the introductory sentence. Then we muddle through the beginning paragraphs, careful not to stuff them with too much information, but cognizant of any lagging that might occur. 

And then we obsess over those first few pages that we begin to lose our direction. This often leads to abandoned projects or, in the case of academic writing, really sloppy drafts.

Try this:

Start at the end. Or, start at a point (be it a scene, or an argument, or other aspect of your project) that you find particularly interesting about what you are writing. 

Read this. Seriously.

Just write it down. And keep writing until you start to hear the story unfold. You may gain greater insight into what is necessary in your introduction or first chapters. If you begin in the middle, you may find that you can assess what needs to happen before your pivotal point and what must necessarily come after.

In the First William Morrow Deluxe Modern Classic Edition (2014) of John Irving's A Prayer for Owen Meany, the author describes his process of beginning a novel with the end in mind. It is only after he understands how the book will end that John Irving writes a killer first sentence that is both intriguing and relevant to the entire novel. 

However you choose to begin your writing project, remember that the best way to stick with that project is to trust in your process. By honoring your own writing process and allowing yourself to find your own method of writing, you will not only produce better writing, but you will find yourself striving to see these projects through to completion. 

Happy writing!