Writers in the Storm

By Kris Maze

Writers could all use a healthy dose of focus and productivity and you can look anywhere and see a recommendation for Meditation. From your dentist's office to various phone apps, the benefits of meditation are promoted, lifted high on the pedestal of Zen, promising peace and a better life.

But even though I wanted to try the practice, I questioned what qualified as meditation and wondered which experts supported the recommendations.

What value could I expect as a writer if I invested the time to incorporate it into my routine?

I’m Afraid I’m Doing it Wrong!

My first barrier was an irrational worry that calming my mind would somehow make my mental focus worse. It's an unlikely scenario, but I worried.

I see meditation as a tool in the "writer's wellness toolbox." It is an avenue to tap into flow, to diagnosis what distracts you from writing, and to stay more physically fit. Meditation comes in several forms, but they all have an inner calm and focus as their primary goal.

The Mayo Clinic supports meditation as a health activity (which of course means, check with your doctor first!) There are several types of meditation, which I'll describe for you, dear writer, and samples for you to try with your own pens if you dare.

Meditation is considered a type of mind-body complementary medicine. Meditation can produce a deep state of relaxation and a tranquil mind.

-Mayo Clinic

Guided Meditation

The one is most used when listening to a guide describe mental pictures that you find relaxing. Listening to prerecorded stories with soothing voices, or any quiet listening you do that conjures up positive images of places or situations that relax you, can be considered a guided meditation.

Writing Themed Mediations are readily available and easy to queue up on YouTube. Try these examples:

• Meditation for Writers: Meet Your Muse
• Meditation for Writers: See Your Setting
• Writing Meditation for NaNoWriMo
• “You Are A Writer”

Mindfulness Meditation

Writers have an advantage when it comes to mindfulness. It is kind of our superpower. This term refers to being aware of one’s surroundings, and then accepting them. 

As writers, we play close attention to our five senses, taking notes on the smells and sounds around us, and noting what our characters might hear and see in our manuscript settings. Mindfulness often comes to writers as easily as breathing, which is also a component of this method.  So, what do we have to lose? If people-watching were an Olympic sport, writers would bring home those precious medals.

To meditate with mindfulness, you can begin with focusing on your breath. Let your mind wander a little and examine your thoughts and emotions. Identify how you are feeling and what you are thinking and avoid passing judgement. That is how to be mindful. To be aware and accepting of your writer self.

If you want a practical way to practice mindfulness, try this process championed by mindfulness expert, Tara Brach. Use the acronym "RAIN" (see below) to identify how you are feeling, to unroot to the underlying distractions, and to move into acceptance.

Recognize what is happening;

Allow the experience to be there, just as it is;

Investigate with interest and care;

Nurture with self-compassion.

Use your writing skills to find out what is taking your focus away from your writing.

Mantra Meditation

In this type of meditation, you choose a word or phrase, something reflecting the mood or idea you want to capture, and you repeat it quietly. Focusing only on the word will block out distractions and direct your thoughts to what you want. For me, that's more words on the page.

[If nothing else, repeating a word several times may make you smile and put you in a better mood!]

My daughter uses this method, but plays with the audio aspect of words. (She takes after her writer mommy!) Once, as a four-year-old, she repeated the phrase “Scotch Tape” in various inflections and voice alterations. After I stopped giggling and figured out she would not stop, I asked why she kept saying the office supply over and over. Her simplistic answer was she “just liked the way it sounds.” She then informed me: “My other favorite word is Napkin.” We spent the rest of the car ride home listening to, “Nap-kin. Nap… Kin. Napkin.”

It doesn’t matter what words you pick, as long as it helps you focus and relax your mind. If words and their sounds are your jam, this meditation could be your perfect Zen writer practice.

This video, Deepak Chopra's Go-To 3-Minute Meditation To Stay Focused, combines a mantra (your name) and a Guided meditation to envision happy childhood moments. At three minutes' length, it’s a quick way to try meditation.

Yoga, Tai chi, and Qi Gong

These three meditative practices use physical movement to incorporate your body and to calm your mind. Writers tend to be sedentary, spending focused hours at their laptops or notepads, and this one is my favorite.

The benefits of calming yoga or repetitive Tai Chi (TIE-CHEE) and Qi Gong (CHEE-gung) can bring energy to your writing. They also help you avoid injuries with tight back muscles and strained necks. Not everyone can do these exercises though, so please follow your doctor’s guidelines to use these practices.

One online yoga instructor, Adriene Mishler, gained a tremendous following (nearly 10 million subscribers) during the pandemic. Her audience grew as she brought peaceful thoughts and fitness to homebound audiences when our outside options were few. I personally enjoy her quirky humor and insistence to “find what feels good.” Doing one of her short yoga sessions, I never feel overtaxed. Instead, I have more strength and energy for writing.

Here is her yoga video specifically for writers.

My takeaway

Learning the multiple ways to experience Meditation made me realize I am practicing it in my own writing life.

When I get up to do yoga in the morning and spend an extra five minutes sitting with my eyes closed, my mind is free to wander and settle. As I start my active workout, I smell my coffee brewing as a reward for my follow through on a basic yoga session.

[I also accept that some days I am better served by taking an extra half hour to sleep and give myself permission to hit the snooze bar.]

When I take a two-minute guided stretch break at the beginning of classes I teach or do a breathing exercise before a tough task on the computer, I am honoring my body. I’m giving my writer mind a chance to reboot.

When I scribble in my personal journal, or reflect on my faith with a quiet moment, I am being mindful of my thoughts and feelings. I carefully step away from negative talk and take time to identify and address any stressors that can make my mind disrupted or jumbled.

Most important, as I practice that worry that "I'm doing it all wrong" is starting to flow away. 

Do you use any of the meditations mentioned?  Do you have other resources, author videos, or fun outlets that give your mind a break?

About Kris

Kris Maze is an author, freelance writer, and teacher. She enjoys writing twisty, speculative fiction with character-driven plots. After years of reading classic literature, mysteries, and thrillers, she began to write and publish her own books. She also writes for various publications including a regular post at the award-winning Writers in the  Storm Blog. 

When she isn’t spending time with her favorite people and pets, Kris Maze is taking pictures, hiking, or pondering the wisdom of Bob Ross. You can follow her author journey at her website at KrisMazeAuthor.com.

Photo credits:

• Be creative: Image by Fathromi Ramdlon from Pixabay
• Writing Desk: Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay

By Ellen Buikema

Returning to the United States after more than two years of wandering through Mexico was a great joy, even in pandemic times. Living once again in a country where I had a good grasp of the language and general culture provided a relief I didn’t anticipate. I discovered that the life of a gypsy is not good for me. I needed a home base more than I knew.

Within a month of our return, my hubby discovered that he’d require back surgery to alleviate a “strangled” sciatic nerve, followed by a dental emergency for me. Next came a race to obtain the plethora of documents required by the state to be worthy of a driver’s license before my birthday, which approached with lightning speed. And, we needed to find a permanent place to live.

I couldn’t think beyond what felt like moment-to-moment emergencies. I was pretty much flailing at the end of this whirlwind.

Grasping for prose and finding nothing but critters

I turned to writing to sort myself out, plunking down in front of my PC, and attempting to focus on what to write next. Out of the corner of my eye I saw movement. A jumping spider appeared to have taken up residence on top of my workspace while I’d ignored my computer for several consecutive days.

 Another, slightly larger jumping spider scurried around the other side of my PC. We regarded each other. It pumped two front legs up and down. I blew a bit of air in the spider’s direction. It hurried away. The smaller spider on the other side of my computer repeated the stare-off and leg-pumping maneuver.

They won that round.

I left the workspace to them for a while. Besides, I was too distressed to write. Either my muse had forsaken me or I needed to do something about my stress level and find my creative flow.

Note to self: Raise moving higher on the priority list!

Meanwhile, I focused on breathing and really examined this stress roadblock. My research turned up some interesting information.

Not all stress is felt equally.

Negative stress

Negative stressors wall off your creative mind, allowing fear and stress to smite the ability to be creative.

Common effects of negative stress on mood are:

• Feeling overwhelmed
• Restlessness
• Lack of motivation
• Irritability
• Anxiety
• Sadness

I was saddled with all six! It was time to find a way out of this quagmire.

Reaching for control

While stuck in a difficult situation, finding activities that provide control helps people cope. Everyone needs to feel some sense of control.

Finding control through creative cookery

Baking is aces for stress relief, and it provides an inexpensive reward. We can control what we make. During quarantine many people, myself included, devoted time and energy to creative cooking and/or therapy baking, like the sourdough craze.

I became adept at making vegetarian curry dishes.

Other ways to stop the stress tailspin

1. Slow the heart rate using four-square breathing. Inhale through the nose to the count of four, hold to the count of four, exhale through the mouth to the count of four, hold to the count of four. Repeat as necessary.
2. Get enough sleep. You know you’re not getting enough sleep if your mood is negatively affected. You may not think there is enough time in the day to get everything done, but sleep deprivation makes the brain wonky. (I've found meditation can help bridge the sleep gap.)
3. Schedule some relaxation time. Dance, watch something fun, call a friend, book a massage, read a good book, listen to music.
4. Learn to say "no." Or at least say, “Let me get back to you on that. It sounds intriguing.”

Beneficial stress may jump-start your creativity

Positive stress helps with:

• Developing and transforming ideas
• Generating alternative possibilities to solve problems
• Executing those ideas to transform dreams into reality
• Redirecting and focusing the mind and keep from overthinking

Three different kinds of positive stress and their connection to creativity

1. Task-Switching Stress

Recent studies show that frequently changing gears causes a different view of a task. This rearranges the thought process, nurturing creativity, avoiding the rigid thinking that happens when you focus too long on the same thing.

Changing the subject refreshes your view, and it's a great cure for writers’ block.

2. Meaningful Stress

Two stress conditions known to nurture creativity are “on an expedition” where work is low-pressure but highly meaningful, and “on a mission” with high-pressure, high-meaning work.

When people achieve meaningful goals, they feel good and are inspired to carry on. Perception of the stress people are under determines the relationship between stress and creativity.

If you can set or follow goals that have meaning, that positive stress may help you see a novel answer.

3. Deadline Stress

Small doses of stress like multi-tasking projects or having tight deadlines, sometimes produce great ideas because they spark the brain to power through to specific goals.

Some people thrive on this one, procrastinating until there is little time left. A time-sensitive environment can force focus and wall off any distractions.

If you can’t find enough time in the day, try these suggestions from Entrepreneur.com: 5 Ways to Carve Out More Creative Time for Yourself. 

Now it's your turn. Which type of stress helps you in your work? Do you think that the right stress can bring out the best in us? Please share your stress tips with us down in the comments!

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About Ellen

Author, speaker, and former teacher, Ellen L. Buikema has written non-fiction for parents and a series of chapter books for children with stories encouraging the development of empathy—sprinkling humor wherever possible. Her Works In Progress are, The Hobo Code, YA historical fiction and Crystal Memories, YA fantasy.

Find her at http://ellenbuikema.com or on Amazon.

Top Image by Jan Vašek from Pixabay

By Margie Lawson

The rhyming vowel sounds of assonance aren’t always quirky-smirky. But I wanted to grab your attention. It must have worked. You’re here!

Assonance:

Rhyming vowel sounds are as cool as a school of dolphins.

As smart as a cart full of bestselling authors.

As right as your brightest writing.

I’m having fun with you all. Hope this style made you smile.

Assonance and alliteration can carry a subtle power or an in-your-face power. We’ll do a deep dive into both.

Alliteration and Assonance:

You all may know alliteration and assonance, but do you choose to use, or do those rhetorical devices fall on the page on their own?

Alliteration and assonance support the soundtrack for our words. They can be serious or silly, whimsical or witty.

Hmm… Notice the last six words and where they’re placed in that sentence.

…serious or silly

…whimsical or witty

Deep Edit Analysis: 

           Structural parallelism

          The number of beats matches – 3, 1, 2, and 3, 1, 2

Double Alliteration – s, s, w, w

          Assonance – silly, witty

The first sentence has double alliteration too -- a, a, s, s.

And the paragraph sounds cool. Right?

Wrong. Almost right.

Read it out loud:

Alliteration and assonance support the soundtrack for our words. They can be serious or silly, whimsical or witty.

I hear the beats in a missing third sentence.

How about:

Alliteration and assonance support the soundtrack for our words. They can be serious or silly, whimsical or witty. But only if you write them well.

Just a little teachy-preachy. 

Ha! I could become an assonance addict. But that sentence carried a truth.

Which segues into two important teaching points.

Alliteration and assonance are cool writing tools, but beware:

1. You could overuse, but I’m betting you wouldn’t. I’ve never seen them overused.

2. The words you choose must be the right fit. They need to fit the scene, fit the character, fit the style.

Did you notice I just used the rhetorical devices anaphora (Triple Beginnings) and asyndeton (The No And)?

Why use rhetorical devices like alliteration and assonance and others?

• Add power.
• Set the mood.
• Enhance your voice.
• Provide a stylistic boost.
• Treat the reader, provide an uplift.
• Help you stand out in a talented way.

Read the examples and you’ll find more reasons why.

The first two examples are two of my favorites.

I Do Not, Rhay Christou, Multi-Immersion Grad

          I bolted from the desk before her prying and my lying got out of control.

What if Rhay Christou had written:

I bolted from the desk before her questions and my lying got out of control.

     Or, what if Rhay had written:

I bolted from the desk before her prying and my fibbing got out of control.

    Not close to the power of her original sentence:

          I bolted from the desk before her prying and my lying got out of control.

It’s the assonance that makes it a strong sentence. That subliminal power.

Deep Edit Analysis:

• Assonance – prying, lying
• Power Words --  bolted, prying, lying, out of control
• Compelling Cadence

Under a Mason-Dixon Moon, Susan Donovan, Immersion Grad, NYT Bestseller

Round and round through time, violence would give way to silence.

Wow. So powerful.

No need to analyze that one. You see what Susan Donovan did. And it’s brilliant.

The Girl Who Cried Banshee, Kim McDougall, Virtual Immersion Grad

1. My stomach churned with garlic and guilt, but I’d get over it. I always did.

Deep Edit Analysis:

•  Alliteration – garlic and guilt
•  Zeugma – garlic and guilt
•  Visceral Response – Those two rhetorical devices made that visceral fresh.
•  Compelling Cadence

2. But since returning to Montreal—with all the post-war magic flying around like explosive shrapnel—I’d learned to ward myself against such an awful alchemic assault. I took a moment to reinforce that ward now, one psychic block at a time.

Breathe. Block. Breathe. Block.

Breeeathe. Breeeathe.

Deep Edit Analysis:

• Power Words – post-war, magic, explosive, shrapnel, ward, against, awful, alchemic, assault, reinforce, ward, psychic, block, breathe, block, breathe, block, breeeathe, breeeathe
• Simile – like explosive shrapnel
• Alliteration – awful, alchemic, assault, breathe, block, breathe, block, breeeathe, breeeathe
• Visual Cue – Breeeathe, Breeathe
• Strategic with Style and Structure – Used white space and stand-alone words.
• Compelling Cadence

The Patient, Steena Holmes, 2-time Immersion Grad, 2-time Cruise Grad, NYT Bestseller

1. My voice sputters, splits, spirals into silence.

Deep Edit Analysis:

• Dialogue Cue – carries powerful emotion
• In-Your-Face Alliteration that works well!
• Compelling Cadence

2. I sat there, stone cold, a blank statue without facial features she could read.

Deep Edit Analysis:

• Double Alliteration: stone, statue, facial features
• Compelling Cadence

Stranger in the Lake, Kimberly Belle, 5-time Immersion Grad, International Bestseller

1. My gaze tracks to the lake, churning silver peaks on water that’s a gloomy, bottomless black.

Deep Edit Analysis:

• Power Words – churning, gloomy, bottomless, black
• Themed -- Mood
• Alliteration – bottomless black
• Compelling Cadence

2. The creak of the body bag’s zipper is like a knife, cutting through the cold and crawling all over my skin.

Deep Edit Analysis:

• Power Words – body bag, knife, cutting, cold, crawling, skin
• Themed – Mood
• Simile – Amplified
• Alliteration – body bag, cutting, cold, crawling
• Compelling Cadence

The Last Breath. Kimberly Belle, 5-time Immersion Grad, International Bestseller

And then I remember something else. Something that shoots a shiver up my spine and slams my heart to a standstill.

So many “S” words! Seems like it would be too many. But that sentence carries amazing power. Why does it work?

The different consonant blends make it work:  so, sh, sh, sp, sl, st, st.

Never a Viscount, Sheri Humphreys, Multi-Immersion Grad

The past few weeks she had refused to let herself think of the last endless minutes of Nancy’s life, and the night she dreamed of her friend’s death, Anne woke and banished every lingering image from her mind. Permitting only tiny sips of pain worked.

Deep Edit Analysis:

• Power Words – refused, think, last, endless, minutes, life, dreamed, friend’s death, banished, image, mind, permitting, sips of pain
• Alliteration – let, last, endless, life, lingering, dreamed, death, permitting, pain
• Assonance – life, night, lingering, image, permitting, sips
• Compelling Cadence

Hello Everyone –

This blog is dachshund-long. I won’t deep edit analyze the remaining examples.

Most Likely to Succeed, Monica Corwin, Multi-Immersion Grad, NYT Bestseller

The feelings build in my chest brick by brick, the mortar just a smidge too tight. But the moment I let myself get close to that wall, it would crack and crumble and collapse.

Drawn and Buried, Dana Summers, Immersion Grad

He had the kind of blunt-featured face I'd seen in graphic novels. Like someone had slammed on the brakes in his brain, and all the weird crap from the backseat had piled up behind his smoldering eyes.

Morianna, Corinne O'Flynn, Virtual Immersion Grad

1. Standing at the stern of the dinghy, my head swam with dizziness and dread, distracting me from my deadly thoughts about my navigator.

2. His words slithered through his lips like serpents.

Tango Fuego, Terri Wilson, Virtual Immersion Grad

1. She instantly knew, if Hell served whiskey, it would be a fabulous fiery pit of fun.

2. On a good day, Orion’s quirky-smirky banter would be fun. But accounting day was never a good day.

Note: I was talking to Terri in Virtual Immersion class when quirky-smirky came out of my mouth. I told her it was hers if she wanted it. I love how she used it!

Magic and Menopause, Lisa Manifold, Virtual Immersion Grad

1. He’s attractive, a good five years older than my 26, and decidedly desirable.

Note:  We added that part about their ages in virtual immersion class. An easy slip in.

2. Maxim tends to keep those who work for him under lock, key, and concrete, if you’re not careful. 

Note: Love that cliché play!

J. D. and the Broken Promise, Dee Armstrong, 2-time Virtual Immersion Grad

1. The skin on JD’s arms tingled and puckered like a plucked goose’s butt.

2. Working with the Geezers was like working with two toddlers. Annoyingly adorable.

It Hurts, Robbin Luckett, Multi-Immersion Grad

1. Every unanswered question adds to my throbbing headache, a pounding and pulsating pain, as if the center of my brain is going to explode.

2. My heart rate slows to a dull delirious thump thump thump.

Neighbors That Prey, Robin Olson, Multi-Immersion Grad

1. Dedication to my craft forced me to sit in front of my computer, but for every paragraph I typed and didn’t delete, I granted myself permission to sneak a peek.
2. I didn’t have time for a stranger playing danger games.

Into the Shattered Night, Sia Huff, Virtual Immersion Grad

1. Agnes smiled and slipped a tip to the steward.
2. Her heart raced. Her mind raced, battling the erratic beat for first place.

Once Upon a Farm by Jacqueline Visconti, Multi-Immersion Grad

1. The German commander rode in the back of the topless Vauxhall like a king in a chariot, his grey coat a cape, his peaked cap a crown, and a target for Guy.

2. They came that day. The Germans. With a stomp of boots and squeal of tyres and steel-hard commands.

Concrete Evidence, Laurie Dennis, Virtual Immersion Grad

1. His tone was slow, steady, strong, no doubt he was in charge.

2. What should have been an active site had the feel of an abandoned ghost town, hushed except for the whoosh of the occasional desert dust devils twisting across the dirt road.

Evil’s Deadly Divide, Book Four in the Alexis Black Novels, Jenn Windrow, 7-Time Immersion Grad

1. Crap on a crumbling cracker, I hated heights.

2. We had to keep our operation covert because Delano Melazi’s zealots saw any human stuck on their side as a walking talking snack pack.

Flash Point: Legacy Series Book 5, Luna Joya, Multi-Virtual Immersion Grad

To be released July 20, 2021 

1. Were her psychic powers on the freaking fritz as well? 

2. Delia’s yeah-right look was a speed dial straight to Mina’s self-doubt.  

3. The smell of spilled whiskey almost overpowered the stink of smoke and sweat. 

Wicked Crown, Redemption Series Book 1, Luna Joya, Multi-Virtual Immersion Grad, Future Release/Under Contract

1. Goblins and gold went together like supermodels and stilettos.  

2. He curled his far-too-sexy mouth into a sneer more bitter than goblin beer. “Why are you really here?”

The Six-Percent Baby, Jenny Hansen, Multi-Immersion Grad

1. We left the fertility clinic like car crash survivors, slow and staggering, our faces blank, our knees shaking.

2. I couldn’t think about anything but my dead womb, dead eggs, and the dreams she’d just demolished.

3. The hours were long, the coffee was strong, and still we couldn’t finish.

We’ll wrap up with this powerful piece from Cassandra Shaw, one of my many brilliant Aussie Multi-Immersion Grads.

Blood Ring: Book 1, The Vampire King’s Daughter, Cassandra L Shaw

Funny how a fragile, vulnerable, human could steal a monster’s heart. A cruel joke. I had forgotten the throbbing agony of loss that took a hundred years to heal. True, Tatum was not dead. But the wave of horror and hate, of disappointment and disgust, that warped her wonderful face when she’d realized what I was, was as true a death as any.

Powerful Alliterative Pairings:

• horror, hate, disappointment, disgust, warped, wonderful

I‘m so proud of all these examples from my Immersion Master Class Grads. Stunning writing. Stunning people too.

Thanks so much for being here today. I hope the blog motivated to use alliteration and assonance in powerful ways.

Want to post an example of alliteration and/or assonance in the comments? I’d love to see them!

Please check out my next Dig Deep Webinar: Touché Cliché and Cliché Play! (May 20 and 21)

Don’t forget about Lawson Writer’s Academy courses. I’m so proud of all the smart classes we offer writers. Click that link to check out our powerful line-up for June!

1. Dazzling Developmental Edits
2. Write Backstory with Confidence
3. Killing It with Conflict
4. Flying Write
5. Can We Talk? Dialogue the Write Way
6. Crazy-Easy Awesome Author Websites
7. Battling the Basics
8. Six-Week Author Mentoring Intensive
9. Writing Body Language and Dialogue Cues Like a Psychologist
10. Profitable Facebook Ads

Hang out with me at my monthly “Get Happy with Margie” Open House

Drop by and chat! May 18th, 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. Mountain Time.

Thank you again. See you in the comments section!

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About Margie

Margie Lawson left a career in psychology to focus on another passion—helping writers make their stories, characters, and words strong. Using a psychologically based, deep-editing approach, Margie teaches writers how to bring emotion to the page. Emotion equals power. Power grabs readers and holds onto them until the end. Hundreds of Margie grads have gone on to win awards, find agents, sign with publishers, and hit bestseller lists.     

An international presenter, Margie has taught over 150 full day master classes in the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and France, as well as multi-day intensives on cruise ships in the Caribbean. Pre-COVID, she taught 5-day Immersion Master Classes across the U.S. and Canada and in seven cities in Australia too. 

COVID Update: Immersion Master Classes are now virtual, taught through Zoom. Virtual Immersion classes are limited to six writers. They're two days long—and as always, writers get one on one deep editing with Margie. 

She also founded Lawson Writer's Academy, where you’ll find over 30 instructors teaching online courses through her website. To learn more, and sign up for Margie’s newsletter, visit www.margielawson.com.