Writing is easy until it isn’t. I don’t believe in writer’s block, but I concede there are reasons and situations which often derail our best intentions.

It sounds simple, to sit down and put pen to paper, fingers to the keyboard, and the pedal to the metal. Many would-be writers discount learning and developing the required processes. Hitting on a brilliant novel premise, navigating hard to establish beginnings, mucking through messy middles, and devising satisfying endings to create your masterwork, are the initial steps to completing your first draft. Next comes ego-crushing revisions, where you remove your darlings, followed by never-ending edits. No pressure there.

The worst part is writing reveals our lack of knowledge or competence. When the narrative stalls, leaving us staring at a blank page, and volunteering to clean the bathroom, it is a sure sign we need to pinpoint the cause. Sometimes the solution is obvious. Concentration is difficult when we become tired, preoccupied, or stressed, and the remedy is taking care of ourselves before we begin. Perfectionism, over-analysis, and fear of failure stop us before we even start.

Other times the issue lies within the story we are creating. Maybe the real problem is a scene that doesn’t flow, and it prevents forward progress. We must identify the specific point where we have gone wrong. Would our character react the way we have written? Is there a logic flaw? Did we engage in information overload?  Or are facts missing? The more detailed we are, the sooner we can devise creative solutions, return to our regularly scheduled work routine, and write our best story.

How do you ensure productive writing time?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

It happens to the best of us. We plan and schedule, set boundaries, minimize distractions, and we still get blindsided. A family emergency, a burst water pipe, a bout of flu, a flat tire, or an unexpected snowstorm slated for rush-hour can derail a meticulously crafted itinerary and creates a time jam. We live time-crunched lives where everyone’s default setting is “busy,” and we wear the badge with pride.

When situations arise, when we cannot manage, we shift into overdrive and sped down the road toward burn-out. Along the way, we begin our battle, declare war on reality and wonder why we can’t have our heart’s desire right now.

If your days are like mine, my schedule sometimes consumes every waking moment. Keeping yourself off the casualty list when everything goes sideways is often about your perspective. We want good things to happen. It is the impetus behind the work. But there is no reason to carry the burden alone. It is ok to ask for help. Asking is difficult, it hurts my soul, chips my ego, and proves I am human.

Part of the human condition is ambition, the need to leave a mark, improve our life, and lend a hand to others. A packed calendar is my ticket to making improvements possible and being dead dog tired at day’s end ensures a decent night’s sleep. I find when I have a compelling why help arrives at my door. Besides, it is better than sliding into cruise control and binging Netflix.

What reason drives your busy schedule?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

My daily writing periods are an opportunity to sow idea seeds. I prepare my space, set the conditions, and hope for a positive outcome.

Seeds come in a vast array of sizes, colors, and shapes. An epiphytic orchid has the tiniest seed. This baby, at 1/300th of an inch (85 micrometers), and 1/35,000,000th of an ounce (0.81 micrograms) is not visible to the naked human eye. From the mother plant, they float on the air, and with luck, they find a home with an ideal environment in the rainforest’s upper canopy, perfect for germination within a month or two.

Over 4 decades, a giant redwood attains heights of 100 feet and begins with a small 1/8-inch-long seed. The world’s largest seed belongs to the Coco de Mer Palm and weighs in at almost 40 pounds with a circumference of 3 feet. The seed reaches maturity in 6-7 years and needs an additional 2 years to germinate. Mung beans are about the size of a pea, and sprout by day five, ready to add to your salad.

I never know the precise identity of the concept I select until I sit to write. Some ideas drift with the wind. Is it a fluke they discover me, take root, grow, and deliver an exotic blossom? Other stories are epic, they anchor themselves deep in the ground, and soar skyward. Some require heavy lifting, never-ending endurance, and an ability to imagine a far distant future. The cosmos sometimes delivers my fiction in a flash, and by the bucket load. Images explode, words overflow, filled pages become a deluge, and my writing sessions run past the appointed stop time.

How do you nurture your idea seeds?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Poets and writers in the same category as seers and prophets? Those are interesting companions. And on a certain level, it makes sense. Sometimes I scribble, rushing to transcribe the fleeting images in my brain. I create my story with little regard for anything other than getting everything on the page before it evaporates. Later, as I re-read the words, I often find unintended meaning.

However, I don’t believe writers are bereft of wisdom. I feel they tap into their inner genius, accessing experiences, deep emotions, and disjointed facts as they mold, message, and convert thoughts and ideas into a physical manifestation visible to others. They hone their perspective to a degree where they develop their universal knowledge.

Daily writing develops the author’s sophisticated process, which further deepens their connection to instincts and inspirations. The precise mechanical applications may be an unconscious invocation, but the results show in the finished work.

Do you rely on your instinct when you write?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

The multiple ways a story can develop, form, and become written words on the page never ceases to amaze me. Sometimes I sit, and the writing is laborious. Each word is a struggle, sentences form with difficulty, thoughts are fragmented, and jumbled. But I continue because there are often golden nuggets in those disjointed ramblings. They only require a sane mind to rearrange and augment.

Then there are halcyon writing sessions, where words flow like water, time slows, and pages are filled with a minimum of perceived time and even less effort. We wish every writing session could be thus.

What tactics do you use on difficult writing days?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer