I love being in the spray, speeding across the lake’s surface with waves crashing into the hull. The boat slams into the trough, bouncing hard, water sprays, the motor turns, and the propeller spins, driving us forward. I am anxious, exhilarated, and aware of the dangers lurking in each swell. If we capsize, chances are, I will drown because I cannot swim. I don’t let it stop me. I take precautions.

Sailing fascinates me. It is intuitive that sailboats, with the wind at their backs, can easily reach their destination. But how do they return when it blows straight at them? Shooting into the wind is a misnomer that requires physics. You place the boat’s centerline at an angle to the wind, catching the sail, while the wind’s force and the water act on the keel to send the boat racing forward diagonally to the desired harbor. Alternating from a port tack to a starboard tack sends the vessel in a zig-zag course home.

I see similarities in reaching my goals. Some days I run with the wind, moving faster than the gale with little effort on my part. Then the winds change, and my progress demands tacking and jibing to advance toward my target. I could blame the air currents for my shortfall, or I can work with what I have, set my course, and adjust my sails.

How are you doing on your goals?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Making tea is an art. A Japanese tea ceremony is an elaborate affair. The host sends invitations, prepares a room within specific guidelines, and creates a menu of yummy snacks. At the appointed hour, the hostess greets her guests, ceremoniously cleans the implements, makes the matcha, and all parties observe rituals, steeped in a rich history dating to the 14th century.

Rooted in Zen Buddhism, the participants embark on an inner journey similar to meditation. Science upholds the idea, confirming the ceremony brings deep calm and even spiritual reflection to those involved. The specific steps engage all five senses and both sides of the brain. With each sense engaged, both spears of the mind work in unison. Living in peace and harmony, free from competing interests, we reduce our stress levels and relax. This intersection is where the world opens, and reflection runs deep.

When I take breaks, my goal is to reestablish balance. Mini vacations let me step away from my work. Alternate activities keep me occupied on one issue while the answers to another problem find a home. But first, I need a cup of tea.

What rituals restore you and allow you to finish your projects?

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Keep on writing. Jo Hawk The Writer

What is your definition of “Impossible”? Something no one has done? Or something you don’t think you can accomplish? I couch my “impossibilities” as problems seeking answers. That interpretation creates solvable equations, and solving them requires effort. If the goal is doable, it’s a matter of completing the required work. Climbing Mt Everest is possible, over 4,000 people have reached it, but it comes with a price. Your hope of attaining the summit may cost you your life. Naming the Impossible’s entrance fee leaves the rest to you. Are you willing to ante up?

The solution’s phase two is commitment. Find your burning desire, and bolster your resolve to complete the work that will advance you toward your goal. Don’t expect others to support you because chances are they won’t. Grow accustomed to failing. Soichiro Honda once said, “Success is 99% failure.” The key is picking yourself up and continuing the journey.

Another trick is to stop doing stupid stuff. Any unnecessary activity is an excuse, a self-sabotaging barrier. Try cultivating your inner parent. It helps if you create a voice in your head telling you to quit playing games and get your homework done.

Life presents daily challenges, and without impossible challenges, where would humanity be? I prefer to take charge and transform my world from a guided tour to a self-directed adventure.

What is the cost of your “impossible” dream?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Life presents limitless choices, so many we can become paralyzed, unable to move forward. Sources suggest we make a staggering 35,000 choices each day. Theoretically, we can achieve anything we make up our minds to accomplish. But making a choice means we deny ourselves hundreds of alternatives. Performing the task requires time, and time is the limiting constraint.

Daily, you will need to eat, sleep, and perhaps commute to your employer for eight hours of work. Those activities will consume two-thirds of your day. Your free time, the remaining eight hours you can play a game, watch tv, go for a walk, or write your novel. Priorities set in your discretionary hours are the ones that may define your life.

These precious hours I manage and control, optimizing each second. I limit and constrict my other obligations, so I can push more time into doing the things I love. Writing, reading, expanding my mind, spending time with family, they are the non-negotiables in my life.

How do you manage your priorities?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

I have fallen into a trap. I love learning, reading, researching, investigated, studying methods, structures, and discovering tested results. There is always more to discover, one more how-to book another master study video packed with useful tips, proven formulas, and essential processes.

My head swims in data, opinions, and self-serving advice. I need help to escape the onslaught of self-proclaimed gurus and charming charlatans whose primary goal is beguiling fools. Their intent is to separate suckers from their money while offering regurgitated axioms lifted from their peers. Thankfully, I have finely tuned BS detector, and have seen my share of long copy sales forms, Call to Action ploys and countdown clocks.

When did learning devolve? Goggle grants us easy access to popular answers to any question asked. How many classes must we attend? How much research is too much? How many questions must we ask before we realize we learn best by doing? Hard work, effort, and failing are life’s finest teachers. If you claim to be a painter, you must pick up a paintbrush, dip the bristles in paint and apply it to a canvas. A would-be gardener should have dirt under their fingernails. A comedian ought to consider telling a joke or twenty. Perhaps a writer might want to entertain the thought of stinging a few words together.

Like George Carlin’s saleswoman implies, helping kind of defeats the purpose of doing it yourself. The work creates a deeper understanding of the rules. It provides a tangible context where we experience the consequences of our decisions. We internalize the process, and we truly learn.

When do you jump into the doing part of learning?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

We face hundreds of choices daily. We make mundane decisions without a thought. What to eat for lunch, the route we take to work, each may seem inconsequential. But we often opt to pursue a new career or move halfway around the globe, life-altering moves, taken with little regard to consequences. Large or trivial, each decision has the potential to impact the quality of our world.

Conscious reflection leads to a developed philosophy as opposed to relying on emotions and gut instincts. Writing, reasoning, and contemplation allow us to lead an examined existence, one worth living, they say.

The process boosts my rational mind and organizes my thoughts. Through my work, I discover clarity and direction. It helps me develop a phenomenal vision of the future. Cultivating extraordinary farsightedness grants me the ability to imagine a destiny built on intention. Living in a manner aligned with my core values crystalizes as I compose.

The more I write, the more self-fulfilled I feel, which feeds my reasons for continuing my ritual. Now there is a nice Catch 22.

Why do you write?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

For the creative types, creativity is not just something we have – it is how we live. We can’t imagine a life where we are not creating things. It is a process that is essential to our existence.

In the book Artistic Creation: A Phenomenological Account by Jeff Mitscherling, and Paul Fairfield, the authors state Victor Hugo’s advice to other writers was to:

“Steep yourself for a few days… in the new world whose master you are to become. Lock yourself up with your characters and look them in the eye. Do not be afraid of the vague approximations that come to your mind- The outlines always swim about just before the work finds its feet and begins to walk.”

These instructions are fun, and they offer a glimpse into the workings of the creative process. Sometimes. It is not unusual to play with a concept for days, weeks, or months. A few ideas marinate for years before they coalesce.

Other times, the idea springs to mind fully formed and ready for prime time. The exact transformation is not important. We chase the thrill to create.

How do your ideas come to you?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Writers tread in giant footsteps forged by literature’s titans. They face great expectations, brave colossal odds, and wear many hats. They cast a critical eye on their initial story idea, countless drafts, rewrites, edits, and elicit further criticism from beta readers, editors, and agents. They fearlessly build their author platform and tackle marketing. It’s a wonder any books get published. The entire process is a test of imagination. A writer must imagine their reader flipping through the pages of the finished work and trust they will be transported into the author’s alternate reality. 

It requires vision, perseverance, and diligence. It is not an easy road. So, why do we writers, write? The answers are varied, as different as snowflakes. Authors create stories to aid understanding of a confusing world, to experience unlimited freedom, and to share unique ideas with people we will never meet in person. We pen deep emotions to encourage others, to heal, to start transformations, and to help interpret our own minds. A finished work gives us a sense of accomplishment, of a job well done. Oh, I suppose some novelists are writing only for the money, but it’s not my first consideration.

What drives your writing?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Sometimes words don’t come. We get tired, and we block the free flow of words. The result is frustrating, and it can grow into a debilitating problem. Joni has the right idea. The best remedy is to change the flow. Change your movements, do something different, push writing from your mind. My answer is allowing my hands the freedom to engage in activities they know well.  It allows my brain to rest. Completing chores around the house, working out, crocheting a scarf or a blanket, or using my sewing machine creates needed space.

Rote activities shift my brain into neutral, it clears a space, leaving a void.  The universe despises voids. They are filled with the scary prospect of the unknown, and the universe demands that voids are filled. That is when inspiration strikes, and I am soon back at my keyboard, filling blank pages with another story.

What activities help you clear the way for your story?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Once upon a time, I dreamed great dreams. Wide-eyed, optimistic, and sure-footed, I stepped into a world filled with possibilities. Help arrived at my side, to caution me about the perils of real life. They warned me survival was difficult. Constructive criticism delivered with sharp tongues abraded my skin. They held me down, held me back, stopped me in my tracks. 

Fear whispered in my ear and fed on my last ounce of courage. Numb, my spirit sank into the nightmare. I struggled to find my way and bought lies from the snake-oil salesman. I worked harder, but it all fell apart They laughed, saying it didn’t matter how hard I tried. 

Crushed and broken, I thought I would die. A tiny child’s hand touched mine. She woke me and promised to save me from the nothingness that consumed me.  She showed me the answers, the ones I once saw in my dreams. 

“Life goes where you place your focus,” she said, “Keep your eyes on your dream.”

My attempts to fly failed because I forgot to aim high. To leave the darkness, I only needed to reach for the stars. I listen to my drummer beating a cadence to drown the naysayers. The strength, the passion, the persistence, they live in my dreams. 

Do you remember your dreams?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer