Category: Creative Writing

  • Creative Experimentation: A Cure For Perfectionism & Stuckness

    Creative Experimentation: A Cure For Perfectionism & Stuckness

    Sometimes when I arrive at my novel writing, I don’t know where to begin or what to write. But I know it’s still valuable to show up for it and spend consistent time with it each week, even if all I do is stare at it and produce nothing – or nothing but trash! I’ve learned that productivity is far less important than dedication.

    So, this one is about encouraging you to just show up for your writing, whether or not your writing seems like hot garbage, or whether or not you write something at all. Just stay in the habit of it.

    The Habit of Showing Up → Creative Experimentation

    Habits are important, so they say. They definitely have helped me to ease into the real, deep work much more smoothly. All too often when I feel blocked, it’s just due to a lack of movement in general. Sometimes, you just have to move at all, anywhere, just to get unstuck enough to eventually start drifting toward where you actually want to go. Like a barnacle scraped off its rock to catch some current throughout the seven seas.

    Here’s a big lesson that I picked up from The Creative Act by Rick Rubin: experimentation is important to the creative process. It’s the phase where you don’t judge anything. You don’t shut any idea down. Nor do you go seeking ideas necessarily. You just let whatever comes come, and you’re just okay with it. Put everything in your back pocket. It may be useful someday. Even the garbage. Creative experimentation allows you to foment and formulate what you’re actually going to say later. And staying in the habit of showing up provides you a consistent space for experimentation, even when you feel you have nothing to say. (Once you let go into the experiment, you’ll likely end up finding that you have plenty to say after all.)

    Right now, you might be thinking something along the lines of, “If you’re going to create something, and go to all the trouble of producing something concrete out of thin air, then it ought to be something worthwhile. It “should” be worthy of the resources it takes up: materials, time, energy, focus, etc.” To this, I will gently push back: sometimes, it’s freeing to create fluff! Maybe that fluff turns into something of actual substance later. What comes out of you is not for you to judge, after all. You are just the secretary for your muse.

    An “Anecdon’t” on Perfectionism

    My process with writing novels has been interesting. I ended up back-burnering my first novel (a dystopian sci-fi) because I realized I didn’t yet have the skill that this particular project required. I thought at the time that I lacked writing skill, but ultimately, it was really about not understanding my creative process and what it needs. Ultimately, it was really about perfectionism.

    For instance, I was too attached to structure, and it was hindering my motivation and creativity. I also struggled quite a lot to actually take the time to sit and write the damn thing, all because I put so much pressure on myself to do it all exactly right – exactly how the outline says: oh and don’t forget all these 19 important details that need to be included in this scene. It was all so scripted and controlled that the muse didn’t have space to breathe.

    Having come from this, when I began work on my current novel (a DnD-inspired fantasy tale), I went into it with an entirely different energy: it’s not all that serious.

    I dove headfirst into this novel intending for it to be a throwaway project. I thought, “Let me just get my crappy first novel out of the way so that I can become good enough to work on the sci-fi one.” Ironically, this fantasy novel has now shown me a beauty that is entirely its own, and I’ve come around to appreciating it far more than as a throwaway. Still, having the permission to not take it so seriously freed me from most of those perfectionistic tendencies from before.

    And now, I know a few things about novel writing that may not be “the way it’s supposed to be done.” Did you know that…

    • You don’t have to write things in chronological order.
    • You don’t have to have a complete plot outline. You also don’t have to follow your outline completely. You are allowed to be completely unstructured and unorganized, or as much as you want.
    • You can spend your writing session not writing, as long as you are bringing your calm attention to the project. Or, you can just free-write until something interesting emerges.
    • You can create hooks or not care about creating hooks at all.
    • You can write for a specific audience or not care about writing for marketing goals at all.
    • You don’t have to write at the same time every day. You can if that works for you, but you don’t have to. You can write whenever, however, and whatever feels best and easiest and most fun in the moment.

    This laissez-faire mindset might free you up enough from perfectionism to introduce your process to genuine creativity, rooted in curiosity and experimentation, as it did for me. And, as a result, you might just learn to have deeper trust in uncertainty and in the muse.

    On the Value of Shit

    So I will leave you with this question: what might open up if you were to be at peace with making something terrible and not worth the resources it uses? Your work is never actually going to be terrible and unworthy, of course. But cultivating an attitude where you can accept making a big steaming pile of shit frees you from the perfectionism that has been putting so much pressure on you to make a magnum opus.

    As I like to say in my fiction editing work with clients, “Don’t try to write perfectly or even well. The goal of writing is to generate a big steaming pile of shit. Only in editing do we take that raw material and begin to sculpt something beautiful.”

    So no, this may not be the greatest piece you’ll ever write. This one can just be an experiment. A “just for funsies.” That’s okay. If anything, that attitude is precisely what could usher it into actually becoming your magnum opus.

    Wouldn’t that be ironic?

  • Dungeons and Dragons: A Framework for Inspired Creative Writing

    Dungeons and Dragons: A Framework for Inspired Creative Writing

    I have been playing Dungeons and Dragons for a few years now, and like anyone else who has played for long enough, I have a long list of backpocket characters. They often come to me at the most random times, or during mundane moments, or after hilarious banter with my partner:

    Him: Okay, if you could choose your name, what would you go by?

    Me: Oh, I don’t know. Something pretty and magical like Ruthian Rose.

    Him: No, that sounds too fantasy. It’s got to be a real name. OR, if it’s going to be a made-up-sounding name, it has to be ridiculous.

    Me: (saying the first thing that pops into my head) Quizzard Litorga.

    Him: LOL WHAT?!

    Me: Haha ‘Quizzard Litorga’ sounds like a kobold wizard.

    Him: What’s a kobold?

    Me: A tiny lizard person. Yeah! As a wizard, he’s probably a genius by kobold standards so he grew up really lonely among his folk. Picked-last-for-boofball-every-time kind of thing, you know?

    Him: Boofball?! Lol did you just make that up?

    Me: Yup. So anyway. Quizzard learned magic so he could conjure up friends. Now his goal is to find the great dragon masters of the world and learn magic from them so he can build an army of best friends. So like, he has an innocent heart but actually ends up doing some awful shit. Oh, and he talks in a cliché anime hero voice because he spent way too much time alone playing puppets to feel like he had friends lol.

    *    *    *

    DnD is a table-top roleplaying game that has been around for decades. There are multiple editions but they all follow pretty much the same basic rules and structures. The beauty of having experience with a framework like this is that it serves as both a series of preset building blocks and as a creative constraint. You can easily apply it to your other creative work and find troves of ideas. Whether or not you are a TTRPG enthusiast, here are a few ways you can use the framework of Dungeons and Dragons to inspire your creative writing with unexpected character choices and original story arcs.

    Character Archetypes

    The most obvious way to use the DnD framework is in building original characters. In the Player Handbook, there are 12 classes and 9 races to choose from. In the wider world of the Internet, you can find dozens more races, classes, and even subclasses that others have homebrewed. These traits can help to inform the fundamental aesthetics, energies, and motivations that go into a character.

    And that doesn’t mean there have to be “tortles” in your world, for instance…or even elves and dwarves and the like. Maybe you are writing a fictional piece that takes place in our world, without a variety of humanoid races. You can still use the traits of a tortle to describe a character. What about them is akin to a turtle? Maybe their characterization depicts a slow manner of speech and movement, or a weathered exterior, or seemingly ancient wisdom. Allow your imagination to run with every metaphor you can think up, while staying within the creative constraint of the racial or class archetype.

    Rules of Magic

    If you are writing fantasy, then it is already obvious how the vast library of magic spells and effects available in DnD could contribute to your fictional world. That said, the same can be true for those writing sci-fi, which is arguably a sub-genre of fantasy in which technology is the “magic.”

    If there are divine interventions or miracles in your story, which god or goddess in the DnD pantheon might be most akin to it? How might you take that framework and tweak it to make sense for your story and add originality? If there are magical abilities in your story, which of the eight schools of magic might it belong to? Or can you come up with your own original type of magic that isn’t covered by those eight?

    Roleplay For Dialogue

    I’ve talked with a lot of writers who have said that they struggle to write believable dialogue. My suggestion is usually to spend a week or more just listening and noticing the conversations they hear in everyday life. However, if you have a background in TTRPGs, improv, or acting — or you don’t shy away from such things — then my suggestion is to roleplay your written characters.

    First, you might need to find a friend or two who are willing to roleplay with you. Inviting others into the creative process with you can create a liberating atmosphere where play, experimentation, and unexpected turns can thrive. That said, you also don’t have to bring others in if you aren’t comfortable sharing your creative work or have other personal reasons. In that case, you may enjoy the challenge of roleplaying multiple characters yourself at the same time.

    With your roleplay buddies assembled (or not) and briefed on their characters, the next step is to find your character in your body. Connect with their emotional state in the scene you are exploring. Meditate for a few minutes on what they want: both their overarching motivation and their immediate goal for the scene and the tactics they might use to get it. With this somatic and emotional preparation, you are now ready to jump into the roleplay.

    Try to stay immersed in the given circumstances and the present moment. Don’t break character if you can. Make sure to remember that most basic rule of improv: “yes, and…” Otherwise, let go and have fun! Record the roleplay session so that you can revisit the phrasing and dynamics that emerged when it is time to write your dialogue.

    Ask the Dice Gods

    DnD is a game that uses dice to determine various outcomes. Does my character succeed their stealth check and get by unnoticed? Are they strong enough to resist an enemy’s grapple attempt? Do they possess enough intuitive insight to notice a subtle calling? Anytime there is a decision to be made that depends upon a character’s abilities or choices, the dice are rolled. So, if you are at a stuck point in your writing and you’re not sure what might happen next or what a character might do in a situation, try this: outline six different options and then roll a d6 (six-sided die) to choose.

    The dice gods can be cordial some days and vicious other days. But they always get the last say. What they determine is absolute law. So set the intention to hold yourself to their verdict, because intention is powerful. If you go in with the intention to fully commit to whatever outcome is chosen, then the magic of chaos is guaranteed to transmute your faith into the choice that is truly meant to be.

    That said, if you find you are not happy with what the dice gods have mandated, then you have your answer. Thankfully, creative writing is not a game of DnD, and you don’t have to follow what the dice say if you don’t want to. The important thing is that you received the clarity you asked for.

    There are other ways to involve the magic of probability in your creative writing. It doesn’t have to be limited to dice. For instance, author Pierce Brown of the Red Rising series is known for drawing names out of a “Hat of Death” to determine which character must die. Another idea is to set your intention and ask your question, then pick up a book, flip to a random page, and see if the first sentence you read sparks any answers. You could also try any form of divination, like drawing tarot cards, casting runes, or consulting the I-Ching.

    Wrapping Up

    Dungeons and Dragons offers a pre-existing framework that can help to generate ideas, whether you’re working on character design, magical world-building, dialogue, or making important story decisions.

    What other ideas do you have for applying DnD frameworks to your creative writing? How has it helped you make character choices or discover a character’s voice? What crazy decisions have been made for you by the dice gods?

    Let me know – I’d love to hear how TTRPGs have inspired your creative writing!

  • Mindful Listening: A Doorway into Creative Flow

    Mindful Listening: A Doorway into Creative Flow

    Today, I was called to advance my craft by reflecting upon my failures. A big failure for me when it comes to creative writing is just sitting down to do it, especially when inspiration isn’t already present. I’m not the only one who struggles with this. Just doing it is often the hardest part of the creative process for many writers. So what type of resistance is that, and how can we work with it?

    The First Step of the Creative Process

    I’ve been doing a good job lately of keeping a consistent daily writing practice, even if I only do a few minutes of journaling. But I know I could do more, or get started sooner and more easily, or maybe have even more time for writing if it weren’t so hard to get warmed up into it.

    That’s the point of resistance, isn’t it? Getting warmed up. By that, I mean getting settled into the sense of slowness, warmth, and safety that I need to enter a flow state. ‘Warming up’ in this sense is a matter of nervous system regulation: specifically, of transitioning.

    Our nervous systems aren’t designed to make sudden starts and stops and twists and turns. Suddenness usually puts us into one of the dysregulated states of fight, flight, freeze, or fawn, and it is very difficult to be creative or playful in these energies.

    Therefore, the first step of the creative process MUST ALWAYS be safety. Or else the rest of the process will be like a night of insomnia: restless, unsettled, uncomfortable, forced.

    Mindful Listening As a Threshold to Safety

    Synchronously, I happened to read the section in The Artist’s Way on Listening. It did a pretty fair job of summing up the solution I’ve been narrowing in on lately. Let’s see a few main takeaways:

    • You’re doing the writing wrong if you’re trying super hard to think something up. Just get some random, meaningless words down instead. It should feel easy. There should be no work involved, no effort-ing.
    • The Creator (or the muse, the genius, Spirit, God, the higher self, the collective consciousness, or whatever you like to call it) is the one doing all the work; you are just a conduit. “Expect the universe to support your dream. It will.” -Julia Cameron
    • The story you are writing already exists in its entirety. Your job is to listen for it, watch it like cinema in your mind’s eye, and write it down like a good secretary.
    • “Listening is a form of accepting.” -Stella Terrill Mann

    Listening is the key. Listening means the same thing as mindfulness meditation, safety, and (for me personally) privacy. Mindful listening means slowing down, being present, letting go of thoughts and fears, listening for whatever else is arising spontaneously.

    Art happens when the mind is enjoying a simple, comfortable world.

    I find that when my mind is full of those overexcited voices, intrusive thoughts, fears and doubts, it’s because I am not using my physical ears. I am listening internally too much. Artists are often sensitive or introverted types, gifted at listening inwardly with keenness. And yet if we go too far along that side of the spectrum toward inward focus, we disconnect our consciousness from our bodies and physical reality, which is the only thing that is actually real.

    So, it’s a catch-22. Yes, have a rich inner world and explore it indulgently. And also, don’t forget to come back to earth. To do this, you must find ways to place your awareness on the external world. Mindful listening is just one option.

    Here is a simple mindful listening practice to try out:

    1. Put your focus on the tactile sensation of sound hitting your eardrums.
    2. Notice sounds around you that are highest in pitch, then medium, then lowest in pitch.
    3. Notice sounds around you that are closest to your body, then in the immediate vicinity, then quietest or furthest away from you.
    4. Let in all sounds from all of these separate ranges at once. Imagine letting your conscious awareness fill the world outside of you, rather than staying inside your head.
    5. Allow curiosity to lead your listening flow. This means, don’t get stuck on any one sound. Don’t hold onto expectations. Meet each sound as if hearing it for the first time.

    Speaking of Curiosity…

    Sometimes when I practice listening, I am able to slow down and find some peace and calm, but I still feel resistance to the writing work. Do you experience that, too?

    I think this resistance comes from an implicit construct that many of us in Western cultures have: the belief that work is supposed to be hard. And our inner child responds to this with: “I don’t want to do something hard!”

    For instance, I feel resistance to figuring out where to pick up again in my novel writing, to thinking logically about what happens next, and to trying really hard to make it ‘good.’ This, and every other form of resistance, is just judgment.

    When we get to this stage, curiosity may be the remedy. Curiosity is judgment’s opposite. It allows, rather than critiques. It flows, rather than tries. It pulls you along playfully, rather than asking you to grind it out effortfully.

    Curiosity about my fictional world allows me to feel excited about diving into another realm. Curiosity about the characters helps me uncover motives and backstories with ease. Curiosity about what could happen next (not what should) pulls me along toward discovery, rather than pushing me begrudgingly toward high standards.

    A simple definition of curiosity is the desire to explore, which is inherently delightful, fun, and easy. It is motivated from a place of love and meaning, a place entirely free of judgment. With a curious and open mind, we can ask questions instead of reaching for answers. We can let go of needing to have it all figured out and instead let the question float away into the dark ether, trusting that the answer will be given to use from our Source when the time is right.

    Reflections

    Your somatic system and creative process are unique. Not everything discussed in this blog may resonate with you. So I’d love to hear what does and doesn’t work for you and what other ideas you have. And as you continue on your creative journey, feel free to borrow these journaling prompts to help you cultivate your relationship with your muse:

    • How important is nervous system safety to your creative practice? In what ways do you (or do you fail to) provide yourself safety?
    • How might the practice of mindful listening help to bring your awareness back into your body, external reality, and the present? Would some other somatic mindfulness technique work better for your system?
    • Is creativity supposed to be hard? Is work supposed to be hard?
    • How might you reframe your resistances and creative blocks as forms of judgment?
    • Rather than thinking about what to write, what questions do you have about your story so far?
  • An Allegorical Fable About Neurodivergence, Belonging & Acceptance

    An Allegorical Fable About Neurodivergence, Belonging & Acceptance

    I wrote this short story to conceptualize the diversity of human neurotypes and to normalize the vast differences in nervous system requirements. This metaphor has helped me to release internalized ableism and find greater acceptance around my self-care needs as a person with neurodivergence, and so I like to share it with anyone I encounter who is currently in the throes of the burnout cycle. I hope that anyone who reads this will find renewed self-acceptance. You deserve to allow yourself everything that you actually need!

    No matter what type of plant you are, you belong here on the earth.

    Part One: The Desert Orchid

    Once upon a time, an orchid lay withering on the desert floor. The barren heath was a paradise for cactus and creosote bush, prized for their fibrous epidermis and ability to hoard moisture in a world of lack. All the other desert plants frequently scoffed at the orchid. The aloe was especially cruel, calling her lazy, sensitive, useless, because of the way she lay crumpled and sunburnt on the sand.

    She told herself, “I must be lazy, sensitive, and useless, because of the way I lay crumpled and sunburnt on the sand.”

    One day, when the orchid was at the brink of death by dehydration, she dreamt of the world beyond, which was plentiful in cool rainwater and light shade, nourishing soil and gentle pollinators. She spent what she accepted were her final hours in this life mourning for the life she could have had, if only she had been born there, or if only she had been born different.

    ‘Lo and behold, the little orchid lived to see the sun rise again the next day. Looking down at herself, she saw that she was in a pot now! She realized that her roots were plump with water, and her chapped leaves felt soothed under a light mist. And beside her was a woman, a beautiful woman with silver hair and fox-like features, driving a cart through the dust. The little orchid rested.

    Part Two: Unique & Rare Beauty

    The woman brought the little orchid back to her shop in the big city. The orchid was restricted to her little pot, but she felt safer here in the temperate indoors and the partial shade on the windowsill. The woman would come sit with the orchid every morning and speak to her. Though the orchid could not understand the strange sounds the woman made, she appreciated the woman’s nurturing presence.

    By the next day, the orchid was better hydrated but had grown sick. Her leaves were yellowing and her roots were rotting. The woman would speak and ask questions, but the orchid did not know how to give answers. She knew no answers. She had no idea what kind of water, soil, and light she really needed.

    The little orchid thought to herself, “I must be lazy, sensitive, and useless because of the way I lay sick and unwell in this pot.”

    The orchid asked for loamy soil, but her health did not improve. She asked for clay soil, and her flowers dropped. The woman repotted her into tree bark and moss, and the orchid cried and cried against the transition for days, but it ended up feeling quite cozy. Now, the orchid felt snug and safe in her pot, but she still wasn’t sure about her relationship with water. Too much water, and she felt like she was drowning. Too little, and it was like being back on the heath. Mists were okay, but weren’t enough to slake her thirst. Her roots shriveled as the days and weeks went by. Just as she had begun to feel hope, she was back to feeling disappointed again.

    One day, another orchid appeared at her windowsill. This one was much bigger and healthier. The big orchid told the little orchid that all she needed was for her roots to be submerged in water for several minutes and then taken out to let the water run off completely. The little orchid thought that sounded preposterous!

    “But that’s so much work! And it’s so complicated! I shouldn’t NEED that much! All the other plants only need a light sprinkle every other month!”

    “We are not like other plants, are we?” said the big orchid with a sympathetic smile.

    The woman came to sit with them by the window. Her expression softened as she looked upon them. By now, the orchid had begun to build keen sense of this woman. Though the little orchid still could not understand her words, she had begun to understand the intention and emotion behind them. The woman seemed to be expressing her appreciation for the orchids’ unique and rare beauty.

    “Unique and rare beauty…?” The little orchid looked at herself and went quiet, pondering for some time.

    Part Three: Abundance

    It came time for the weekly watering. The woman bathed the big orchid first, setting him to soak for several minutes. The woman then went to the little orchid, who trembled and developed blight at the mere thought of being exposed to so much water. She felt guilty for needing so much care from the woman! She couldn’t understand why this woman had been helping her for so long! She couldn’t see what use she offered in return, especially when her requirements were so complex!

    The woman asked the little orchid if she could bathe her. The little orchid felt squeamish, but ultimately accepted the soak. It felt…okay. No–it felt great! It felt amazing to be immersed in this much water! She wondered if it was alright. Shouldn’t she be less greedy? Shouldn’t she need less water? Shouldn’t she use less so that others can have some, too? But the woman reassured her that she was not taking up resources as there was plenty of water available for all her plants. The little orchid slowly allowed herself to drink… and then she drank and drank and drank….

    Part Four: The Aloe

    After six months of the Weekly Watering, the little orchid was beginning to feel much healthier. Her leaves were a lovely dark green. Her root rot had been cut away and covered in cinnamon to heal. She was even developing a flower bud or two! But then one day, the woman brought home a succulent plant. It was the aloe from the desert! The little orchid recognized him at once.

    At the Weekly Watering, the aloe said, “Wow, look how much water you consume! How spoiled you are!”

    The big orchid was about to jump in, but the little orchid beat him to it. She said, “You can have that much water, too. Just ask!”

    The aloe asked for the same amount of water, and the woman obliged. But the aloe felt like it was drowning! It grew sick and tired from being so waterlogged all the time.

    “How can you stand this?” the aloe said. “I feel like I can’t grow new leaves. I can’t take deep root. I can’t even sit and enjoy my life!”

    The little orchid said, “I know what that’s like. That’s how it was for me in the desert.”

    The aloe looked at the orchid with newfound sympathy. “I had no idea.”

    “It just wasn’t the right environment for me. Just as this isn’t the right environment for you. I had to figure out what my unique orchid needs are and be willing to ask for them and accept them. You should do the same.”

    The aloe then asked the woman for sandy soil, which she gave. He asked to be put in the center of the windowsill, where he would get the most light, and she obliged. He requested that she water him only once a month, for the Weekly Watering wasn’t working for him, and that was fine by her. After four months, the aloe had begun to thrive. He was shooting up plenty of new leaves, and the old leaves had grown immensely long. His enormous form even provided the perfect amount of shade for the two orchids, who went into full bloom.

    “I wish I could be as beautiful as you,” said the aloe.

    “You are beautiful, in your own way,” said the big orchid.

    “But you guys make flowers!” said the aloe.

    “I am only able to make flowers because I allowed myself to have what I truly need, without guilt or judgment,” said the little orchid. “You should do the same.”

    Soon enough, the aloe began shooting up a big beautiful red flower, too. The three plants sat happily on the windowsill in their full glory, and the woman admired each one.

    The End.

    Thanks for reading!