I love this reminder! Iām working on my first manuscript, a middle grade detective novel, and the fear of writing badly definitely keeps me from the page, so thanks for this encouragement!
What a great reminder. I'm working on pieces of flash nonfiction and prose poetry that I'd like to make into a collection. When I'm stuck, I despair. Then I do something else, like take a walk or stretch or make a cup of tea or take a nap. Then if I'm still stuck, I read some poetry. If I'm still stuck, I read something I don't understand, like an article on quantum physics or neuroscience. At this point I usually find something to spur me on.
HI Nancy, I'm working on organizing a backlog of poems to see what I can shape into a ms. I've realized I enjoy creating/making new work so much more than editing/revising/organizing. But I want the poems to live outside of my hard drive. Thanks again for your newsletter ā it's a marvel!
Love this and this newsletter; I squeal a little when it hits my inbox!
After *gestures at the last few years*, I'm finally making time three-four days a week to write, after work and it's been so nourishing and needed, it takes my breath away. Even when it's only 15 minutes, it's still 15 mins of words that I didn't have before.
I'm working on a poetry collection that I feel like I've been writing/living since I was a kid; growing up in abusive family and how to grapple with that as a parent now.
Nancy!! Thank you for including me and my work in your newsletter. Iāve been reading your poems and crying too!
When Iām stuck I always go back to the sketchbook or free-writing, to revisit my objective, to see if I can make something more real but less obvious. Worst case scenario, I have to go to a museum, in which I will get something out of it or be so totally distracted by my own work I go home and actually get somewhere.
Canāt wait to put your sticker on my notebook š§”
I'm working on a mish mash of poems with no other goals at this point. When I get stuck I read fiction or other poet's work, hand quilt or dig in the dirt. Rejection rates are quite high for poetry submissions so I've been thinking, this winter, why write if these things don't get published.....and the answer, of course, is the art of creating is its own purpose and reward. Write I must, good or bad... it is ok to make bad art so write more, be less careful. Molly O'Dell 254 Culpepper Ave Buchanan, Va 24066
I plan to give stickers to other writers at our next week writer's camp. Thanks
I'm working on making time for writing poetry each week, but I can't seem to prioritize it when other things come up. It helps me immensely to read other people's work first when I get stuck, but the real struggle is making reading and writing poetry a priority in a busy schedule.
I struggle with the tension of wanting to be part of a writing community (mostly on-line for now) and the inevitable comparisons that I make when reading the work of others. I crave and fear feedback in equal measure. I need to give myself permission to make art for me and to feel the joy in what I do, good, bad or anything in between. Thanks for this reminder!
I like this sentiment a lot! I need to get back into freewriting and writing to prompts more regularly because I feel like Iām out of ideas. I hit a wall during lockdown and still have not gotten out of itā¦ itās been difficult to generate new ideas.
This was exactly what I needed to read tonight. After months and months and months of not working on my fiction stuff (in lieu of doing lots of Substack stuff), I sat down and wrote 198 terrible words on my long neglected novel. They will likely not be something that I keep or that can be polished into something better, but they are 198 words that didn't exist on my screen before and that is allowed to be enough, I think.
Right now I'm working mostly on personal essays to document some of the thoughts and feelings I've had throughout my life that I've never before attempted to put into words. One part of this involves a monthly project where I ask someone in my life questions throughout the month and then write something during the final week based on what comes to mind when I think about their answers. One thing that really helps me when I get stuck is to just set a timer and consistently write for however long the timer is set for. Usually it's just about 10 or 15 minutes, but this is usually enough time for me to actually make consistent progress when the process of writing any type of finished piece feels overwhelming. Another thing I have been considering recently is attempting to write my first short story. I have never written narrative fiction before, and I honestly have no clue where to even start. However, I think that exploring completely new territory might ultimately give me more confidence and direction in my writing practice.
You asked, "What do I do when I'm stuck?" I tried this during Jami Attenberg's recent "Mini 1000 words of summer" event, and it was a mind-blower for me. Here goes: I chose a scene from my book and chose a character in that scene who wasn't the protagonist, then did a freewrite of the scene from the perspective of that character. All kinds of wild, intriguing, and useful insights came out of that. Now that I'm deep into revising, I'm going back to these freewrites and using the flavor, the motivation, or in some cases the actual words in my manuscript. Try it, you'll like it. :-)
These are so cute! I'm working on my manuscript on sorority rhetorics, and I have an external due date! What's helping me these days is keeping my time non-negotiable for the week and not each day. This has made for some loooong weekends, but it's keeping me motivated in the week to get in my time as much as able. Your newsletter also helps!
I love this reminder! Iām working on my first manuscript, a middle grade detective novel, and the fear of writing badly definitely keeps me from the page, so thanks for this encouragement!
What a great reminder. I'm working on pieces of flash nonfiction and prose poetry that I'd like to make into a collection. When I'm stuck, I despair. Then I do something else, like take a walk or stretch or make a cup of tea or take a nap. Then if I'm still stuck, I read some poetry. If I'm still stuck, I read something I don't understand, like an article on quantum physics or neuroscience. At this point I usually find something to spur me on.
HI Nancy, I'm working on organizing a backlog of poems to see what I can shape into a ms. I've realized I enjoy creating/making new work so much more than editing/revising/organizing. But I want the poems to live outside of my hard drive. Thanks again for your newsletter ā it's a marvel!
Love this and this newsletter; I squeal a little when it hits my inbox!
After *gestures at the last few years*, I'm finally making time three-four days a week to write, after work and it's been so nourishing and needed, it takes my breath away. Even when it's only 15 minutes, it's still 15 mins of words that I didn't have before.
I'm working on a poetry collection that I feel like I've been writing/living since I was a kid; growing up in abusive family and how to grapple with that as a parent now.
Nancy!! Thank you for including me and my work in your newsletter. Iāve been reading your poems and crying too!
When Iām stuck I always go back to the sketchbook or free-writing, to revisit my objective, to see if I can make something more real but less obvious. Worst case scenario, I have to go to a museum, in which I will get something out of it or be so totally distracted by my own work I go home and actually get somewhere.
Canāt wait to put your sticker on my notebook š§”
I'm working on a mish mash of poems with no other goals at this point. When I get stuck I read fiction or other poet's work, hand quilt or dig in the dirt. Rejection rates are quite high for poetry submissions so I've been thinking, this winter, why write if these things don't get published.....and the answer, of course, is the art of creating is its own purpose and reward. Write I must, good or bad... it is ok to make bad art so write more, be less careful. Molly O'Dell 254 Culpepper Ave Buchanan, Va 24066
I plan to give stickers to other writers at our next week writer's camp. Thanks
I'm working on making time for writing poetry each week, but I can't seem to prioritize it when other things come up. It helps me immensely to read other people's work first when I get stuck, but the real struggle is making reading and writing poetry a priority in a busy schedule.
I struggle with the tension of wanting to be part of a writing community (mostly on-line for now) and the inevitable comparisons that I make when reading the work of others. I crave and fear feedback in equal measure. I need to give myself permission to make art for me and to feel the joy in what I do, good, bad or anything in between. Thanks for this reminder!
I like this sentiment a lot! I need to get back into freewriting and writing to prompts more regularly because I feel like Iām out of ideas. I hit a wall during lockdown and still have not gotten out of itā¦ itās been difficult to generate new ideas.
This was exactly what I needed to read tonight. After months and months and months of not working on my fiction stuff (in lieu of doing lots of Substack stuff), I sat down and wrote 198 terrible words on my long neglected novel. They will likely not be something that I keep or that can be polished into something better, but they are 198 words that didn't exist on my screen before and that is allowed to be enough, I think.
Right now I'm working mostly on personal essays to document some of the thoughts and feelings I've had throughout my life that I've never before attempted to put into words. One part of this involves a monthly project where I ask someone in my life questions throughout the month and then write something during the final week based on what comes to mind when I think about their answers. One thing that really helps me when I get stuck is to just set a timer and consistently write for however long the timer is set for. Usually it's just about 10 or 15 minutes, but this is usually enough time for me to actually make consistent progress when the process of writing any type of finished piece feels overwhelming. Another thing I have been considering recently is attempting to write my first short story. I have never written narrative fiction before, and I honestly have no clue where to even start. However, I think that exploring completely new territory might ultimately give me more confidence and direction in my writing practice.
You asked, "What do I do when I'm stuck?" I tried this during Jami Attenberg's recent "Mini 1000 words of summer" event, and it was a mind-blower for me. Here goes: I chose a scene from my book and chose a character in that scene who wasn't the protagonist, then did a freewrite of the scene from the perspective of that character. All kinds of wild, intriguing, and useful insights came out of that. Now that I'm deep into revising, I'm going back to these freewrites and using the flavor, the motivation, or in some cases the actual words in my manuscript. Try it, you'll like it. :-)
These are so cute! I'm working on my manuscript on sorority rhetorics, and I have an external due date! What's helping me these days is keeping my time non-negotiable for the week and not each day. This has made for some loooong weekends, but it's keeping me motivated in the week to get in my time as much as able. Your newsletter also helps!
Kathy, love this post and the reminder that it's ok to make bad art!!!! I need this every day. And I love your new logo. You rock!