When I sit down to write a blog, I enjoy looking out the window…usually. Today, something has happened with our dumpster capabilities and mounds and mounds of trash sit right outside my window, obstructing the view with plastic bags and cardboard boxes, along with other miscellaneous trash, in nearly five-foot piles! Hopefully the problem gets taken care of soon, but it reminds me as I focus on my writing that often I fill my writing space with junk, things that either don’t need to be in my mind or that distract me from being productive. As I set my schedule each week, I try to balance it with things that are useful monetarily, such as promoting my book or preparing for my next art market, with projects and weekly agenda items, such as this blog or my graphic novel. Over the last couple months, I’ve begun to embrace learning as a necessary trait for becoming a full-time writer.
The Business of Writing
The first thing that I’ve incorporated into my weekly schedule are online classes or promo tips for writing and art. This week I’ve followed a “Summer Writing Sanctuary” that has allowed me to view my writing as more than the next book that I’d like to publish. It’s reminded me that writing can be fun, and doesn’t necessarily need to have an agenda or even help me in any way. I hope that this thread of thought inserts itself into my future writing as I learn to lighten up!
One of the most important thing for me as an author is marketing my books and even my art in this season. I knew coming into this six-month challenge that this was my weak point. I have taken several classes and perused other social media platforms to improve the way that I market my art and my published books. I can tell that this will only get better with time, and I’ve learned to lean into the more fun aspects of sharing on social media, which include designing my own cartoons or sharing quotes from my favorite authors. Everyone does not want to hear about my latest book every time they log onto Facebook! While I am attempting to share consistently, I also want to share with my writing and art communities the little nuggets that make us love the creative process in the first place.
Writing Communities
I thoroughly enjoy my writing groups each week! The conversations that we have throughout each stage of our writing process and the encouragement as we tackle new things is so uplifting. It is significant when we have conversations that relate to our personal or work life, and I enjoy when someone has a breakthrough on how writing has helped them through a particularly tough time. During these writing sessions now, I am finishing up on some “storyboarding” elements of my graphic novel. Because of this, I’ve started to notice when my fellow artists pull out their pencil to doodle an idea or who show me their sketchbook of favorite drawing conglomerations. It reminds me that writing is just one of the creative arts.
Since I have been busier with art markets on the weekends and I have a couple of plein air shows coming up in the next couple of months, I decided to tackle my NaNoWriMo prep a little early. I snatched some books from the library and am using what resources I can to outline facts for my upcoming draft. At the moment I am hovering between creating another historical fiction book or drafting a narrative non-fiction, both of which I have attempted in the past and still remain manuscripts on my computer, ready for my next round of edits. The goal of NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) is to accomplish 50,000 words in the span of 30 days, essentially completing 100 pages of a first draft. I wrote the first draft of Reserved before my first ever NaNoWriMo, but a couple years later went back for edits. It will be published November first! (Fun Fact: At that time, it was still titled, Scent of Rain). Since I write daily, I am hoping that this will just be an added bonus to my creativity, and that I can slide it into my creative schedule while still producing new artworks during November. Time will tell!
Lighten Up!
As I tackle more things in the quest of the creative life (being overly dramatic is part of the writer’s MO, right?), I am being careful not to be too hard on myself. One of the women in my writing group said that she would hold me to it when I expressed my frustration with scheduling too much in one day and then not getting everything done. I am constantly fighting with myself to simplify how I do things because I have a tendency to want to accomplish everything– all at once! Working artistically each day has taught me the art (pun intended!) of fluidity in how I accomplish things, while giving me the openness to stay focused as I move through new things. I work half the week on writing and half the week on art, while 4-5 hours each weekend is focused on my current novel. I see the finish line in sight for this next graphic novel goal, and must remember: If I don’t get something done one day, move it to the next day’s list and start over after a good night’s sleep.
I do my very best to accomplish everything I have set out each day, but some days are more frustrating than others. Last week my car was giving me issues and I had to go to the dealership for a couple hours. The day before, I had run to the store at 7:00am, hoping to get a jump on the day, and the sand that I was seeking for my market weights were not available at the first store. I found it at the second store, but the new bags I ordered were delayed and I wasn’t able to used them for market later that afternoon.
Life happens! I tell this to others, but I need to remind myself of this a little more. My day will not always go as planned, but that’s part of the fun! I take what is thrown at me and try to use it in a way that is constructive, that teaches me something, or that helps encourage someone else. What conversations can I have with the person in front of me in line? How can I help someone who is also dealing with a day that is going all wrong? The best part: I can always use these not-so-pleasant stories in my own writing some day!
Scribble on,
Hannah Marie.
