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!

3 Ways to Confront Writer's Fatigue

Let's be real.

Some days, it is really really difficult to get anything done, let alone work that gives you anxiety for one reason or another. 

If you are like me, you are often pulled in different directions because your curiosity gets the best of you. I love to learn and I love to get involved in activities and groups that I find interesting. My problem is, I don't know when to put on the breaks.

It is absolutely insane for me to be working on a dissertation (remotely), a full-length novel, personal essays for magazine publication, and consultant research.

But I am. 

And you know what?

I'm producing the work that I need to produce. I am completing projects of which I am proud. And I very much enjoy the writing process. So while I can't say that I am always in love with all aspects of what I do, I can say that the privilege of writing, of making the written word a central part of what I give to the world, gets me out of bed and in my office when my anxiety and frustration are maxed out.

Starting my work day with a bowl of coffee and the cover of my novel on my desktop. I don't work on my novel every single day, but having this cover on my desktop never fails to inspire me to keep going.

Not everyone is great at multi-tasking. I actually don't consider myself a multi-tasker. I consider myself well equipped to compartmentalize, at least with regard to intellectual and writing pursuits. But if I had a dime for each day that I struggled to move beyond feelings of anxiety, despair, frustration, and even fear with regard to my writing projects, I would be able to concentrate on nothing but finishing my novel. In a large cabin. By a lake. With room service.

Here are three ways that I deal with writer's fatigue. I hope they are useful to you, or at least provoke your own thoughts regarding how you might better manage whatever obstacles keep you from enjoying your writer's life:

1) It really is, honestly, okay to say no. I still struggle with this statement. Saying no, from my perspective, means missing out on opportunities for myself, as well as opportunities to help others. But what I have learned is the more I say 'yes,' the more I forget meetings and deadlines, the more stress I put on my personal relationships, and the lower the quality of my work.

2) You do you, even when others don't quite get it. This is not to say that you shouldn't take into consideration the constructive criticism you are bound to get. I live for constructive criticism, probably to a fault. I've had to learn that, not only is it okay to stick to your guns, so to speak, but in doing so, you're not just producing material, you are producing material that is uniquely you and, therefore, value added to the world.

3) Allow yourself to dream and get excited about your dreams. Everyone has seen those tag lines that implore us to 'follow your dreams.' My father always reminded me that dreams are just dreams unless you turn them into goals. This is true. But if you don't allow yourself to think beyond your measurable goals, you run the risk of losing the energy and excitement that led you to those goals in the first place.

For more tips for writers, check out the other posts on this blog, or visit my Write. Just Write. Pinterest board.

Happy writing!

When You Just Can't Even

Unless you've been living under a rock (And if you do, I don't blame you. I have a proverbial rock under which I occasionally spend entire weeks), you've probably heard the phrase, "I just can't even," uttered once or twice.

Amiright?

I avoided adopting this phrase because, truthfully, I wasn't even sure I understood what it meant. The following is a list of possible meanings that I compiled based on (mostly) my students' use of the phrase, as well as headlines, Pinterest posts ("pins," I suppose), and Facebook updates:

1) I'm not giving up, I'm just not ready for this at the moment.
2) Nothing about this makes sense.
3) Something or someone is so ridiculous, I have no idea how to respond to it or them.
4) I am too stressed out to think about this situation right now.
5) Everything I know is a lie.

Jenna Marbles, comedian and internet sensation. Visit her website at your earliest convenience: http://jennamarblesblog.com/.

What I didn't like about the phrase was that it glorified escapism. To say that one, "just can't even," was to be dismissive to the problem or situation and to balk at the effort it would take to consider and deal with the issue at hand. Considered in this way, it is no wonder that memes began exploiting the classist, gendered, and racial undertones of the phrase.

That's science.

As time went on, I began to observe a more equal distribution of the use of the phrase. That is, I began to notice that all sorts of demographics were employing the phrase and for a variety of reasons. What I found to be particularly interesting in this regard were the myriad reasons for which people "just couldn't even." These reasons ranged from parenting woes, to observing the behaviors of others, to failed communication attempts, to news media stories, and the list goes on and on.

Another privileged white girl that just can't even . . .

Long story short, I resisted using the phrase because I was 1) unsure of it's meaning and 2) what meaning I could surmise was antithetical to the way in which I strive to approach the difficulties and challenges that life presents.

But then, after weeks of being very ill, after feeling as though I was beating my head against the wall during my job search, after uprooting my life several times, only to learn that I would be uprooted once again, after meeting obstacle after obstacle with my dissertation, articles, and other publications, after months of focusing on being as positive and hopeful as I could possibly be, given circumstances, I uttered those six words: "I just can't even right now."

If you're a teacher, I'm sure there have been times when you just couldn't even with this.

After I said it out loud, after I made a verbal admission that I just could not handle what was happening in my life, that I was exhausted, despondent, and lonely, I realized how ridiculous it was to feel that I "just couldn't even." Because I could even. I was, in fact, and had been for months!

The subject of the phrase, for me, was pushing forward with a chapter of my dissertation, the latest draft of which is so iron-clad that I feel confident in submitting it to potential employers as a demonstration of my abilities. The subject was also overcoming my illnesses in order to continue being a supportive partner, as well as making progress on my job search. I have had interviews and offers for positions. I have been given the opportunity to submit original research proposals to national and international scientific institutions. I can even. I did even. And I will even.

You know it's a problem when Beeker doesn't even.

"I just can't even" is not a phrase to be used with any amount of seriousness. I'm not trying to be a buzz-kill. I understand the ebb and flow of pop culture. But I encourage the use of discernment with regard this phrase because of the underlying assumption it makes about the deliverer: That one does not have the intelligence, resourcefulness, compassion, or will to overcome difficulties.

If you find yourself exasperated about this or that, think about how you're addressing your situation and how the attitude you adopt might affect, not only your actions, but the way in which other people perceive your character.

Making a mantra out of "I just can't even" may be doing more long-term damage than you think. Rather than belittle yourself by declaring incompetence, consider other phrases and mantras that stay truer to your personality and abilities. Unless, of course, you just can't even.