I planned a relaxing writing weekend. It didn’t go to plan. Rescheduling a contractor, friends stopping by unannounced and the conspiracy of the pleasant spring weather foiled my best intentions. Then there was the family. Their faces are pitiful, they wave cookies beneath my nose, and turn the music loud enough to shake the house.  They know how to mess with my concentration. They coax my inner child to rebel and break my resolve.

It is prudent to succumb, cave to their antics, let loose and have fun. The best part is if you play your cards correctly, they will collapse, exhausted from the activity and the effects of fresh air. Within a house echoing with the sounds of peaceful slumber, rejuvenated and awake, the writer can work into the wee hours of the night.

How do you balance weekend family time with your desire to write?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

It’s a nice idea, booking a hotel suite, intending to stay an entire weekend. Doing. Absolutely. Nothing. After a few minutes, it starts. Barely a whisper, it flits around my mind. I shoo it away. But it persists. It doesn’t listen, and the nagging begins. My fingers drum the table, I flip channels, surfing from show to a movie, to the inevitable reruns. I’m not interested. I walk to the window, surveying the grand view, watch the people rushing on the street below me. In this room and the walls constrict, triggering my claustrophobia.

I can’t do “nothing” for an extended period. I am impatient. I need activity, physical action, a project to occupy my mind and exercise for my fidgety fingers. There’s a saying which connects the devil with idle hands. Whatever the cause, I must do something. It is what relaxes me and keeps me sane.

How do you unwind?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Complex subjects intrigue me. I dip my feet into math, science, statistics and their practical applications. I study history from ancient Greece to current events. Programs exploring the natural world and the vast array of animal species flicker across my tv screen. I read journals, question experts, and disappear into Google’s rabbit holes seeking a greater understanding of the day’s prevailing passion.

My desire drives my writing. Knowledge gives me the freedom to create even simple stories. Greek gods become characters, long-ago events provide dilemmas to solve, and oddities of nature inspire believable settings. The facts spark new ideas, incorporating obscure details, creates the challenge and I write, attempting to capture the tale’s evolution.

How will you grow today?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

People fail. I consider it a truism, and an activity we should aspire to challenge often. Tasks we practice and perfect, become rote. With memorized movements, the process is automatic, and our brain is no longer fully engaged. Our culture prizes efficiency and mastery of specific skill sets, which forces experts to learn minute facts in an ever-tightening circle. The culmination creates grand masters of hollow details we dissect into oblivion.  It leaves us with a deep void we can’t fill.

Risk taking is scary, and like a child learning to walk, it guarantees only the opportunity to stumble, fall, and struggle. The fact is, we only fail if we end the journey with the first difficulty. The trial of trying something new is also exciting and exhilarating. We experience the world from a different perspective. Our brain is engaged with a problem to solve. We choose whether our ineptitude is an embarrassment, or a grand adventure filled with wonderful discoveries. I opt to embrace failure and move forward to success.

What will you try today?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

They say the best stories reflect life. My experience says life is messy, difficult, filled with trials and tribulations. If the tales we write were all about rainbows and unicorns, they would feel unreal, unbelievable, and the reader would soon throw the book across the room. Or I would.

Writing fiction riddled with gloom, doom, and terror would be equally unsatisfactory. Mired in deep despair, when all is lost, I search, hunting for a glimmer, a flickering light beckoning at the tunnel’s end. I fervently hope the light is not a freight train barreling toward me. Lost causes, desperate situations hide miraculous resolutions. Wayward heroes discover novel ways to set things right. Despondent characters unearth, a reason to carry on. Novels which give me a reason to hope are the ones I cherish.

How do you balance light and dark in your stories?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

I don’t remember sending actual physical letters to my friends. The idea written words resonate with others across miles and time, intrigues me. We read Shakespeare’s words and we laugh, cry and fall in love, even though the words were writing almost 500 years ago. I often wonder if William contemplated the possibilities of future generations reading his work or if he considered his words would have a shelf life.

Sharing ideas, fears, hopes, and dreams are the basis for intimate human connections. Reading about characters in stories who face the same problems we face helps us realized we are not alone.

Why did you become a writer?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

I have experienced an uncanny phenomenon when I write, especially when I write somewhere other than my desk. As I write I often find myself searching for the right word or the correct direction for my story. As I search, grasping at straws, discarding overused words and lame ideas, serendipity conspires to hand me the solution to my dilemma.

A song lyric, a news soundbite, a conversation fragment, can ignite a spark providing all the right things at exactly the right time. The writing continues. The muse smiles.

Do random encounters fuel your writing?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

The skies have cleared, temperatures are rising, and the first tulip leaves are emerging from the earth. I look forward to my garden in its spring splendor, morning coffee on the patio, followed by writing alfresco.

For now, I wait and dream and write about lovely days.

I hope you enjoy your Sunday.

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

I don’t know if it is OCD, but I like when things are immaculate and ordered. There is something satisfying about having a place for everything and everything lives in its assigned spot. Clean house, sparkling windows and mirrors, freshly folded towels, spotless floors, and warm homemade cookies are my idea of a comfortable abode. My writing rituals are no less rigorous.

I set specific, time-sensitive and writing goals, which I scheduled and then analyze my progress. I demand high standards. Expecting perfection, my results are often less than gratifying, and yet better than I hoped. A clutter free desk and a blank document allow my mind to concentrate on writing without distraction.

What is your perfect writing environment?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Carving out creative time a challenge. Work, family responsibilities, mundane chores and an endless string of ‘must do’ items conspire to keep us from our endeavor. I have decided on a new tactic. I am attempting block scheduling. It is a learning process, for both me and the household. I am discovering it helps if I can disappear.

Coffee houses offer a clean getaway. A locked bedroom door is a second, albeit less workable choice for an untrained family. Noses sniff, puffing at the door’s bottom as they try to see what you are doing. Grubby little paws claw the door. Noise canceling headphones help muffle the constant crying, sobbing and begging on the barriers’ opposite side. If you are stalwart, they will eventually give up. That is when your pets launch their assault. I am off to the coffee shop.

How do you block out creative time?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer