Tag: improve

Creative Self-Care

A creative life brings much joy and excitement where it’s easy to forget that it is work. And as with all work, the mind and body tire when passion pushes on in a hedonistic surge, and more so when creating new worlds peopled with exciting characters doing extraordinary things or making the ordinary quite exciting.

 

 

 

 

Putting the foot on the brake when exhaustion sets in does not send the creative muse into permanent banishment—quite the opposite. A brief pause, a day or perhaps two, refuels the creative well with the elixir needed to push to the next level of creative intentions. It is only the physical act of doing that is on a temporary hiatus to clear the mind to absorb new inspiration, the sights, sounds, movements, to see the everyday and old with refreshed eyes.

The pause could be time spent to catch up on much needed relaxed reading, beach walks, feeling the outdoors, meandering in a museum, taking in a movie, going to the theatre, or out to breakfast or dinner with yourself. Me time invigorates the creative mind and spirit. Although most creatives work in solitude and might crave company, it is elected carefree time alone, whether in a crowd or on a private beach, that eases mental exhaustion generated by passionate overwork.

 

 

 

It is the creative’s passion that invests extensive time, and intense hard work to produce a work of art, be it a manuscript, painting, a sculpture, or music. The ultimate piece, the artwork outside the physical form has its own story to tell as one of sheer commitment for the love and euphoria generated by creating—early mornings before the world wakes, late nights, and oftentimes all night, fobbing off distractions and knowing when to say no to external demands irrespective of who makes the demand.

Only the creative knows what matters most.   

Allow the self to enjoy one’s own company away from the work to fine tune the energy and inner wellness of the mind and body without the noise of mental chatter. The creative soul needs that one-on-one with the self.  Decide if this one-on-one with the self should be a weekly, fortnightly or monthly date. Go out for coffee with yourself. Take a walk on the beach alone. Human gregariousness is always there to pick up when the time is right.

 

 

Work and life…life and work are indistinguishable for the dedicated creative

 

Have you ever set a date with yourself? Go to your favourite place once a week, alone, for a month and journal your thoughts and feelings. Something that might surprise you is that you will return after each date teeming with ideas for a new project. Time out is beneficial for productivity—the energy and freshness ignite thinking outside the four walls of a writing/creative/workplace space.

 

Fill the creative well with some time out.

 

Never be afraid, or think it selfish to enjoy your own company—you are your own best friend, number one in your tribe.

 

 

Just as we free-write in our journals every day, that private time with intimate words on a page—quite a different energy to drafting a manuscript—in the same vein, getting out of a regular creative space be it in an office at home, or elsewhere, is a self-made retreat for the creative spirit. Going AWOL for a day is liberating for creative energy, for all energy! Try it!

 

Make a date with number one. Enjoy your own company and return blessed and refreshed.

 

 Happy Creative Rest!

 

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Creative Mindset: Flex and Extend

 

Routine is necessary to accomplish a finished product. The creative benefits from a routine that maximises goals and intentions.

Rote, however,  harms creative growth when curiosity is denied in favour of robotic daily ‘doing’ that limits the capacity and capabilities of the mind. Rote erodes enjoyment, takes the fun out of creativity if allowed to fester in mindlessness.

 

 

 

Once we relinquish the act of questioning, debating, and learning alternative ways, the creative quest goes down the rabbit-hole

 

Open to what others are doing successfully in their creative pursuits. Debate with the self, first, to test how to improve our creative patterns and when we observe or flex to alternative methods, before embracing them, then we are on the route to extending the creative mind.

What we read is as significant as what we write. As a fiction writer, it is essential for me to move beyond restricting myself to only reading fiction.

Get out of the box – mind the bog

 

It is imperative that we read judiciously selected, respected successful forerunners of the craft of fiction—past and present—for inspiration on the ways in which we can flex the mind. Engaging with the information gathered is the actual flexing—then question what does not sit well.  Argue why this is so, look for alternatives to the arguments that have surfaced. Never ignore your internal unrest without asking why and how. Why am I unsettled by this? How should I address why I feel this way? We learn to flex and extend our skills from observing first and then listening to what is around us. The inner well is deep, but testing the waters from the ocean of talent available deepens and brightens the path ahead.

The choice to extend ourselves is within our grasp to refresh or radicalise how we create. Flex to invite minor changes, analyse what is working for you, and incrementally extend to achieve more.

Like muscles that face a new physical challenge which is overcome by gradual flexing and extending, achieved through the art/act of trying—not rote, but being open to challenging the self, so too, the creative mind grows.

 

Photo Credit: My Life Through a Lens (Unsplash)

 

Creative and Critical

As creatives, we ought to be critical thinking beings—not cynical but critical. Herein is the source for debate to generate fresh waves of thinking and doing.

Watching a documentary, for example, on an unfamiliar topic that holds some interest is beneficial for starting the mindset extension with exposure to new knowledge. This opens inner and external debates that arise from the observation phase to grow the knowledge base and experience on the subject/topic. 

Extend listening skills to enhance creative growth without visual distractions by listening to podcasts that present new knowledge to stimulate thinking without the bias of the visual effect. The brain rain received generates novel ways of thinking or questioning how we can reinvent old patterns.

 

 

Never stop asking why, how or what can I gain from this?

 

 

As fiction writers, we should seek to understand the values that differ from our own to invite creative ideas to emerge from this openness to what lies outside of our inner workings.

I ground my novels in, in our angst and joy we are one under the sky of humanity.’ Inclusivity is my pre-wired emotional mindset because I have lived my formative years under South Africa’s apartheid regime’s divisive rule.

 

Suggested Reading

Try reading all or extracts from the following non-fiction books to open new vistas of understanding, or to deepen your understanding of human relations, justice, and politics, if this is of interest.

Essays – George Orwell

The Source of Self-Regard– Toni Morrison

The End of Imagination – Arundhati Roy

Caste – The lies that Divide Us – Isabel Wilkinson

 

 

Pick up, or do something different—something you have never read or done before and observe, reflect and note by writing what it stirs within. Get past the initial discomfort then decide if you want to extend what you do and how you do it.

 

When we flex the mind in a new direction, there’s discomfort at first, when extended, it fuels passion and ignites creativity

 

 

How do you flex and extend the mind in your creative pursuits?

 

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Doing Thinking Creating

 

A creative life calls for a balancing of our daily demands for a true representation of talent and untapped possibilities.

 

Too much doing becomes a mindless mission – routine for the sake of routine.

We rise – we shower – we go to work – we return home – dine – go to bed – and do the same thing the next day.

Thinking and overthinking generates zero doing as we are suspended in thoughts playing over, and over again – a scratched vinyl turning the whys in a dizzying circular dance until bitterness creeps in and a stony countenance is set to stay.

 

The quest for wonderment in everything around us generates positive energy but wait a minute, too much leaves a rose-tinted view of life. Floating through life this way might be an enjoyable ride until reality bites knocking the air out of the bubble and the fall could be a crushing blow.

 

Mindset balance in a creative life is essential to achieve an outcome both in the accomplishment of the product and a sense of self-satisfaction. This balance preserves the self.

 

Creativity involves breaking out of established patterns in order to look at things in a different way ~ Edward de Bono

 

Doing is vital to finish what has been started. The danger is when doing is obsessive. Unhappiness seeps in as exhaustion from too much doing consumes body and mind.

 

Thinking is the main ingredient, but overthinking can spiral out of control and have the opposite effect on creativity by becoming judgemental and critical of self, society and soon everything about life, leading to mental decline. The mind can heal you or kill you harks at how dire balance is.

 

      The chief enemy of creativity is good sense ~ Pablo Picasso

 

In a creative life being driven by passion requires the ability to know when to shift the dial. Enjoying the creative process is as important as doing the slog to get to THE END. No good work is created without the slog. But the balance between work and play results in a far more fulfilling outcome with the bonus of a healthy body, mind and the spirit of joy for the long haul.

 

This birthday that is the resolution for my older self, but in this order — think, learn, create, and enjoy. Revise new ways and start over.

 

May you find your creative balance. Too much of one thing denies the joy of many missed aspects of life that have the potential for new ideas and new ways of thinking.

 

Here are some inspirational lines to prompt a quest for a creative life.

 

 

Go forward in your balanced creative life.

 

 

Through Australian Eyes

As 2020 dawns it will be remiss not to look at the world that is changing before our very eyes.

 

Through Australian eyes, sadly, the ongoing bushfires have encircled our lives affecting health, and mindset with loss of human lives, homes, fauna and flora — this impacts the creative soul and spirit which is closely aligned to the natural cycle of life.  There is an unease that wants answers and quick solutions to a problem that has been steadily growing.

As we cry, ‘climate change’ — it is more about necessary unified ‘human change’ to rectify that which ails our burning country. Change can be initiated by ongoing fostering of awareness that we all have a part to play to improve the state of our country, the world and subsequently the human condition. As writers, this awareness becomes a moral obligation, as I see it. Books/stories are valued for the message/s they extend to make us aware that our angst is a global issue.

 

Natural disasters multiply around the world causing human decimation, yet the power to minimise this rests in human hands. I draw the analogy to writing, the creative arts — the passion exists, but a huge effort is required to produce quality art — passion without persistence is naught.

Literature today will speak into all our tomorrows about human negligence and irresponsibility in the quest for more. Like the wars of the past and those that exist in the here and now, it is a time for soul searching and a coming together to rectify that which has gone awry. Like editing a manuscript, we cannot take out without replenishing with good, better, and best to improve the story, poem, or essay — likewise, constant extraction from the earth must be restored.

Healing is not a band-aid fix to the problem — it takes a mammoth collaboration of all sectors of society to reach out and do what is necessary — cut back on all forms of pollution/emissions for a purer balanced tomorrow.

It’s never too late to begin afresh if it matters, like revisiting a manuscript to cleanse, to be rid of that which is not necessary, to clear the waters for something brighter, purer, clearer and better.

 

Let’s make the 2020’s a healing decade of body, mind, spoken and written word, the spirit, relationships and heal the earth we live on and from.

All positive contributions matter — raising one life, saving one wild animal or property is the beginning of survival from extinction by fire or other natural or human ills that befall the planet.

As we look forward to a bushfire-free future,  let us remember we all have a part to play to save this beautiful land we call home.

 

Have a safe and happy entrance into the next decade. May it be filled with many blessings.

May peace abound and the earth receive the blessing of rain, may poverty and pain diminish.

 

Happy Reading, Happy Writing and Publishing.

 

Please add your comments below:

Writing Through Adversity

 

Writing has been well documented as having therapeutic value. Do you keep a personal diary, or a journal to record moments that are significant to you?  Would you write a memoir or autobiography? Have you tried poetry writing?

 

Fiction is an avenue that has therapeutic benefit when writing about angst through fiction or poetry. This has value in reaching readers who might face a similar situation. Receiving a reader’s comment on connecting with a character or situation makes writing move from the realm of fictional entertainment to enhancing life, creating a sense of belonging through the power of story/words that whisper,  ‘there are people who go through this, you are not alone, it’s not you…’

 

Human difficulties like our joys are universal and part of our shared humanity regardless of demography or any divisive label. We learn from each other, we share with each other — altruism is part of our human ‘feel good’ makeup. We feel good or secure in knowing that challenges are not unique. This is where fiction like a memoir/autobiography/biography and poetry has the ability to say, ‘I see you, I hear you, I feel your situation.’

 

‘In our angst and joy we are one under the sky of humanity’

 

Oftentimes something heard, something seen, or read triggers the imagination to create a story/poem — these seeds have their origin in human experience. Everything in life has imaginative storytelling potential. Historical fiction is a genre whereby much from history or literature is reimagined to suit a particular context adding timelessness to a story. 

 

Poems and stories, when turned inward, create… growth… healing… self-awareness

 

Shakespeare’s The Tempest reimagined by Margaret Atwood in her novel, Hag-Seed is an example.  Prospero becomes Felix a theatre director in a present-day context —  he is grieving the deaths of his wife and daughter and has been backstabbed by an aspirational colleague. His vulnerability is an evocative point of connection with the reader. Professional or workplace strife present timeless human dilemmas, but when tastefully explored as a novel’s premise or ideas, it has the potential to speak to many isolated, lonely individuals — there is no shame in being vulnerable. Shame sits on the shoulders of those who abuse vulnerability. The most endearing people, in reality, are those who have experienced hardship, financially, in grief or loss, abuse or ill-health — having walked in the shoes of many with struggles, wires empathy — as human experience should be if we hope to coexist in peace and harmony.

Fiction can remind us why it is essential to be true to who we are in our expressions of self and in our interactions with each other. 

 

 

In Souls of Her Daughters, Dr Grace Sharvin who heads a busy medical ER has unimaginable frailties but her strength is in her capacity to reach out to others while fighting her own demons. 

 

Life’s lessons come from the adversarial people met, and they become the basis upon which writers craft their villains. A little bit of this and a little bit of that blended in a cauldron and hey presto! The (im)perfect villain is born! The good people we meet shape perspectives on why adversarial individuals have no place in a shared world.

Timeless heart-warming and gut-wrenching stories on life’s challenges and celebrations.

 

 

 

Literature is a luxury, Fiction is a necessity — GK Chesterton

 

 

and

Albert Camus said,  Fiction is the lie through which we tell the truth.

 

Who can argue with such pearls of truth now? 

 

Life, literature, news of the day, and history portray human experiences that provide inroads to new fictional stories and evocative poetry that connect rather than divide by exposing, celebrating, loving, grieving and understanding what it really means to be human. We all, whether real or fictional are indeed not alone in adversity. 

Which novels and poems would you recommend to readers on overcoming adversity? Have you read A Spark of Hope?

 

Rear View, Front View

We hear and read much about goal setting with the onset of a New Year.

The rear view must be kept in sight to negotiate the lift-off to the front view, to minimise errors and risks that need refining − that backward glance reminder is significant as the new year begins

https://youtu.be/W7LeO7bfpgU

Looking back on the not so distant past year, its exit makes it a rapidly fading memory as we are caught in the fountain of eternal fireworks that kick-starts the New Year if we linger on the threshold of the New Year,  we might not move forward fast enough.

With everything in life, we get better at it when we do it over with a new spin, a new attitude and a passion to achieve the best we can.

 

We are human after all, we can only get better with a little effort and skill.

 

How do we keep the rear view in focus while running to the front view?

Wild Horses Can’t Hold You!

– Make a list of your past successes
– Make a list of some past shortcomings
– Match them against each other
Now decide what is worth pursuing and what should be culled. Work at culling first and shutting down that rear mirror. Pick up the shortcomings that need attention – make them a priority, review, add-in, refine and polish. Repeat the cycle a few times. Once this is defined as the way forward, look at the new front view,  you want to see,  and advance at a speed and pace that is comfortable for you.

Continue reading “Rear View, Front View”

Tools of the Writing Trade

 

 

My writing career started in a somewhat circuitous way with writing stories for an audience of one for many years until a story emerged that ran through to become my debut novel, Across Time and Space. It was then that the decision to publish emerged with some coercion from those closest to me.

My journey was a cart before the horse situation as all that I am about to outline to you happened after my debut novel was in the process of being published by a publisher.

It is for this reason that I decided to write this post to pass on what needs to be done, in the initial stages, before the process of writing begins.

 

As a writer, aspiring writer or fully-fledged published author we all need additional writing tools to sharpen the craft for an enjoyable and less stressful writing journey.

What do you do? Where do you go to set yourself on your merry, enjoyable writer’s journey?

 

Here are a few questions:

Before you begin writing:

 

  • do you have a plan for your writing journey?
  • are you following influential writers?
  • are you reading extensively into your preferred genre?
  • are you attending book festivals and conferences?
  • have you started creating an online presence?

 

 

Before you publish:

If you self-publish you should consider all of these and if you are going the traditionally published route some of these steps have to be undertaken as marked by my asterisk

 

 

 

  • do you have a Goodreads reader/author profile?
  • have you set up your Amazon account and author profile in the countries you hope to sell your books?
  • do you have a Kobo account?
  • do you have an iBooks account?
  • do you have a Draft2Digital account to have it all done for you?
  • do you use Ingram Spark/Createspace/Smashwords or all publisher/distribution channels?
  • do you belong to writing organisations online or groups in your hometown?
  • do you have a Facebook Page/Meta where you create an engaging presence?
  • do you have a Twitter/X Account?
  •  do you have an Instagram account?
  • do you have a website or blog site?
  • have you started blogging and have an engaged audience?
  • if you are self-publishing, do you have a freelance editor and cover designer enlisted?
  • have you bought your ISBN for your book?
  • have you registered your title?
  • have you lodged your book with the National/State Library (Australia)
  • if your books are in public and school libraries- have you registered for PLR and ELR?
  • do you have proof-readers?
  • are you able to enlist legitimate (ARC) reviewers?

 

While you are writing

What software do you use?

  • do you do a handwritten first draft?
  • do you use  Microsoft Word to type up your manuscript?
  • have you sourced other software to write and format your manuscript?
  • would you dictate your novel? do you have the software for your audio needs for dictation?

 

After you’ve published your book:

  • How do you market your book?
  • Even if you are traditionally published  –  you have to do your own marketing. The onus is upon you to get your book out there.
  • Will you have a ‘live’ book launch or will you have a Facebook or website launch of your book?
  • Will you be open to giving talks to aspiring writers?
  • Will you engage the media?
  • How much will you invest in marketing your book? Consider the ROI and check all options.
  • Do you want your books in bricks and mortar stores only?
  • Do you have print and eBooks published?
  • Have you considered creating an audio version of your book?

 

 

After my roundabout entry into writing and publishing, I am trying new tools for my third book and will report back in a few months on how I fare with my new researched tools.

I encourage you to continue pursuing your writing dreams and hope you can take something away to begin your writing journey.

 

The world will be a dreary, sad, isolated place if our stories were not written and shared. – Mala Naidoo

 

Please share where you are in your writing journey and what works fantastically well for you in the comment box below. If you are thinking of starting out,  let’s  begin the shared conversation today.

 

Happy Reading and Writing!

Research and Sensitivity in Stories

A post read recently suggested writing from a knowledge base and not from imaginative creations that might be insensitive if writing about mental illness, physical disabilities, emotional disorders etc. While I agree with being sensitive by not causing injury to others, art should mimic and extend reality if understanding and connections are to be formed.

The question is – does one have to proceed with caution when creating a character with mental illness or a physical disability in a novel?

The depiction becomes insensitive when it supports stereotypes, insults, separates and denigrates actions and situations the character is placed in. To create a character who overcomes a difficulty by honing other powerful skills or having amazing support from family and community to achieve goals is indeed not insensitive but rather supportive of what a cohesive humanity is – certainly a message for raising the lot of the human condition.

The foremost purpose of writing, fiction, in particular, is to entertain the reader more than to inform. However, if the writer is able to strike a balance between entertain and inform, the reader is likely to gain valuable understanding from such a piece of writing. If written without dictating what is right and wrong then sensitivity should prevail and the writer is more likely to connect with the consciousness of the reader which might motivate the reader to read more books by the same writer.

When entertainment and purposeful information are included in a work of fiction, a level of research is necessary to sustain the story to its logical, authentic conclusion. If the storyteller/writer has first-hand experience of events, social issues, illness, particular ways of thinking and behaving then research is not the prerequisite as it would be for a nonfiction book that covers specialised areas such as crime, history, science, psychology, culture, economics etc.

Research will not go amiss in fiction writing, it should add colour and depth to the story plot and character representations. When creating characters with a medical condition, research around the condition or perhaps speaking to a medical specialist on how the condition manifests will add authenticity to the story. How much research should one engage in is dependent on how significant that character is to the overarching story or plot. Striking a seamless balance between the story and research is essential to avoid having the story appear like an ‘unofficial’ handbook or textbook. Shaping characters in true to life situations are more likely to lead to an enjoyable reading experience. For the writer to create authenticity in a story, it is necessary that the purpose of writing is to entertain first and then inform on matters that pertain to character and plot.

The writer has to give voice first to what he or she is passionate about. If one is to expose the harsh reality of particular situations prevalent in society, then that which makes the reader uncomfortable is equally necessary. We bandy around that we need to be ‘moved’ for change to occur – to be ‘moved’ is either happily or unhappily so, with joy or sadness. If we are to be catalysts for thought change through writing fiction or nonfiction books, it should come with some thought-provoking messages – George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four might leave readers either grateful that they have control of the decisions they make in life or it might result in a re-examination of whether they are indeed free.

Fiction and nonfiction books are of equal value to the reader when they create thought change or thought searching connections.

What do you think? Should sensitivity be at the heart of all our writing? Should the writer entertain, inform and shock the reader?

I would love to hear your thoughts. Please comment below.

 

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