Writers in the Storm

by Lori Freeland

Anxiety. The word alone is enough to set off a tingle in my fingers, a tightness in my chest, and a worn-out mantra—Breathing is good. Passing out is bad—that rarely works. 

And I’m not alone.

I’ve read so many posts from authors dealing with health problems related to or caused by anxiety—especially in the last few years. The push to perform and market and put more and more out there seems to be ramping up to an almost impossible level, for indie authors in particular. 

What’s really frustrating is that the very things that make us good writers—empathy, sensitivity, being observant, and of course the power to picture in IMAX the very worst thing that could happen in any situation—are the same things that fuel the anxiety.

From the fear of not being able to meet deadlines to not being good enough to straight-up failure, there’s A LOT to worry about. We even worry about the good things! Praise easily leads to pressure.

Sadly, all that yuck doesn’t just stay in the writing part of our lives. It leaks over into everything, and random moments can set it off.

Driving in the rain makes me shake. Claustrophobia in a crowd tunnels my vision. Restlessness spins my thoughts until my mind won’t shut off and I can’t sleep, I can’t focus, I can’t function.

And worse, when I get that way, I can’t write. Like not at all.

Anxiety might be one of the least understood stalkers of mental health. Especially to people who’ve never experienced it. Broken bones, people understand. Even a broken heart gains a sympathetic nod. But anxiety can get brushed off as being all in our heads.

Except it’s not. Physically, the “fight or flight” hormones released during stress mess with our weight, our energy levels, our focus, our productivity... the list feels endless.

When I’m open with people about my anxiety, I get a lot of—Stop thinking about it. Just tell yourself you’re fine. Nothing terrible is happening to you. So-and-so has it worse.  

Honestly, none of that helps. And sometimes the temptation to walk away from writing tugs hard.

Believe it or not, I had less anxiety over my son’s diagnosis of cancer than I do over my writing. Maybe because cancer is not something I can control. No amount of effort on my part could change his prognosis or take away his struggles.

Not true with writing. My effort can make me or break me.  

Helpful Tips and Tricks

So what can we do if we’re not ready to chuck our writing dreams for peace of body and mind? Here are 12 survival tricks that help me function when I feel like I’m coming unglued.  

1. Ramble to someone. Monologue it if you’re alone. Sing along with the radio or risk it and go acapella. This is great for when I’m freaking out in the car. Talking and singing naturally slow my breathing.  

2. Get Your “Go” on. Walk. Run. Dance. Ski. Skateboard. Climb stairs. Lift weights. It works. And this is coming from someone who is totally anti-exercise.  

3. Stand Up—comedy that is. Find your sense of humor. What’s funny in your situation? Or what will be funny once you’re out of it? Where can you use this story in your writing? Some of the best things we throw at our characters are things we’ve been dealt first.

4. Change Your Creative Focus. Paint. Draw. Play an instrument. Start a garden. Knit socks. Grow Chia Pets.  

5. Organize. Cleaning, sorting, and rearranging gives focus. Bonus—you also get a completed project to feel proud of.

6. Shower. Or bathe. Warm water relaxes me.

7. Take a Tour. A mental tour. Growing up, I lived in a lot of different houses. When my mind refuses to turn off, I mentally walk through each one and see what details I remember—the pink flowers on the wallpaper of my house in Ohio, the deep end of the pool we had in Florida, the creepy basement of our first house in Wisconsin. Replay a visual of your favorite places.

8. Wave Bye-Bye to obligations. Yes, there are certain things we have to do. There are also lots of things we only think we have to do. Prioritize. Step away from what you can and conserve your mental energy for what you can’t.

9. Turn Off the Noise. Isolate temporarily. I’ll let you in on a secret. If I’m going somewhere to meet other people, I drive myself so I have an escape plan. Most of the time I don’t need to use it, but it makes me feel safe to know I have an immediate getaway. 

10. Pinpoint Focus. Social anxiety is a problem for some of us and leaving isn’t always an option. Pick one person you feel comfortable with and ask them about themselves. If you’re focused on someone else, you’ll spend less energy focusing on yourself.

11. Fail. Give yourself permission to fail. A lot of us who suffer from anxiety also suffer from perfectionism. Give it a try. Failing really isn’t the end of the world.  

12. Go There. Make a plan. Visualize the worst and plan what you’ll do. I like to be prepared. Just knowing I’ve already hypothetically walked through a situation from beginning to end calms my anxiety.

This post is definitely atypical for me. I usually share writing tips. But I think so many of us can relate. Can you?

Are there pieces of your writing life that stress you out or cause you anxiety? Have you tried any of my stress relievers or, better yet, others that work well for you? If you feel comfortable sharing, we'd love to hear about it in the comments!

About Lori

An encourager at heart, author, editor, and writing coach Lori Freeland believes everyone has a story to tell. She’s presented multiple workshops at writer’s conferences across the country and writes everything from non-fiction to short stories to novels—YA to adult. When she’s not curled up with her husband drinking too much coffee and worrying about her kids, she loves to mess with the lives of the imaginary people living in her head.

You can find her young adult and contemporary romance at lorifreeland.com and her inspirational blog and writing tips at lafreeland.com. Her latest release, The Accidental Boyfriend, is currently free on the Radish app.

Top photo credit: Image by Wokandapix from Pixabay

by Ellen Buikema

If you’ve read my posts here at WITS, you know my husband and I retired to Mexico. Currently we’re in Mazatlán where the large expat community has been a surprise. There is a large English-speaking community here, comprised mostly of Canadians and Americans. One of the last things I expected was to come to a foreign country and do a public talk in English, but that’s what happened earlier this month.

Some background

I was privileged to be included in a cultural event in Mazatlán, sponsored by the Institute of Culture, Tourism, and Art of Mazatlán. This was the first time the expat community has been invited to this annual book festival, and it was a huge honor to be included. I happily volunteered to speak in one of the 45-minute time slots.

A day or so later, I wondered what I’d been thinking. I hadn’t given a talk to a group in quite a few years and felt out of practice (and a bit panicked).

The theme of this event was Leer para la Paz, or Read for Peace. My area of Mexico has its share of violence, most related directly to the cartels. The idea of the festival is to educate the populace, especially the children, about the greater world.

So, on top of a case of nerves, I needed to find a way to create talk that included "reading for peace."

What was I worried about?

Transportation

First, I worried about getting there on time, although time is rather fluid here in the Land of Mañana. My husband and I do not drive in Mexico. The drivers scare the hell out of me as the driving rules seem to be mere suggestions.

Instead, we took what I refer to as the “bumpity bus.” This isn’t a calm air-conditioned bus. The bumpity bus travels the neighborhoods somewhat like the Knight Bus from Harry Potter but without the magic. While trying to ignore the near sideswipes of pedestrians, motorcycles, and vehicles, I went over my notes for the talk.

We made it with fifteen minutes to spare.

The Discussion

From my experience as a preschool teacher, I am well-versed in miniscule attention spans and quick changes in conversation. I know full well that any one question can completely turn a conversation in another direction.

A list of talking points is my safest plan. If I write down too much, I get stuck in the minutia and stumble over my words. Since I wrote The Adventures of Charlie Chameleon series to encourage empathy in children, I based my talk around that.

Ten or so minutes into the talk I realized that my audience was just not that into me. They were being polite but their body language and faces were not engaged.

Not good.

Luckily, a few people in the audience were beta readers for my current historical fiction manuscript, The Hobo Code. One of them asked a specific question about my book’s research and away we went. Suddenly, the questions flowed like a waterfall.

Other Advice

Toastmasters advises to know your audience.

Keep in mind that, even if you do know your audience, preparing a list of topics is a good idea. You never know when the audience will wander off inside their heads, get antsy, or (heaven forbid) walk away.

I saw my audience get antsy, which is never a good thing. Antsy audiences make me nervous. I wanted them engaged!

So, my addendum to this advice from Toastmasters is to try to have some pals in the audience. I usually have questions prepared to bring people back. This time I was lucky and my beta readers asked questions instead, opening the door for others in the audience to ask their own.

I was wired by the end of the talk, so I sat chatted with the audience, which eased me back to a more relaxed state. An additional bonus: it allowed me to meet more of the expat writing community, and several readers who were interested in what we all write about.

If you decide to speak in front of an audience, and get nervous like I do, here are a few more helpful suggestions:

Practice.

Try practicing in various locations in the house or other venues. Practice alone, in front of friends, with music going in the background, or with people walking in front of you.

During this particular event in Mazatlán, I actually had people pass between me and my audience. When there were only a few, I waved them on and kept speaking. When a whole crowd from one of the cruise ships walked in front of me, I broke things up by doing a little dance until they were clear of my space.

Funny works. Plus, I learned that I am able to give a talk with more distractions than I thought possible, without losing my place.

Have a joke prepared.

You may never need one, but I find that a little laughter loosens the audience and brings them closer to you. For this talk, that little dance was all I needed.

Do you have any good stories about public speaking? I’d love to hear them down in the comments!

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 Work In Progress, The Hobo Code, is YA historical fiction.

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

Sources:

• Toastmasters
  Public Speaking
  Tips
• Julie
  Glover also gave 5
  Tips for an Engaging Workshop here at WITS.

by K. Maze

The alternate title for this post could have been "How I Found My Publisher Through Rejection."

In 2015 I wrote a YA Thriller focused around the kidnapping of teen characters involved in the theater. I researched thoroughly, interviewed detectives, and hired an editor who helped me through to the end. I queried and waited and heard…. Crickets.

Kind editors and agents responded with honest feedback or simply said it wasn’t for them.  I analyzed and discovered ways to ‘fix’ the novel: rewrite the first five pages, fix weak plot holes, revise characters to enhance the premise and elevate the intrigue. But I couldn’t.

Completing the novel got me across the finish line, but it didn’t mean my novel was done.  For over a year, I had spent my writing mojo in some very dark territory and I didn’t have the motivation to dig into it more.  The only shelf that manuscript would sit on is in my closet.

But I couldn’t give up on writing, right?

Advice that Helped Me Start Writing Again

1. Write the Book You Want to Read.. The market will be there when you write to your authentic self.

I wanted to take a break, but I feared I would slip out of my hard earned writing habits, so I paused and played with stories for a few weeks instead. I took the “What if…?” to extremes and created crazy characters I could toss into impossible missions.

My original novel had taken over a year to write. I wanted to learn how to craft compelling story structure and character arcs, and decided to use shorter works for these lessons. 

2. Be Willing to Take Risks and Try Something Different. Short stories are good testing grounds for experimenting with genre and style.

My research on strong young heroines led me to Sex in the City. During some What-if story gymnastics, a character a lot like Carrie Bradshaw saved the world from imminent doom. 

Apparently going from dark thriller to dystopian end-of-the-world was all the lightening up I needed to recapture my inspiration!

That What-if became the catalyst for IMPACT, where a young journalist in the near future grappled with an incoming asteroid that dared to interfere with her career. After writing and editing the novella, I discovered that sci-fi novellas have a very active market. In other words, this new story had a higher chance for publication.

3. Find the Market that Represents Your Work.

Rather than "writing to the market," find the market that fits your work’s strong points and sell to those unique strengths.  My book passes the Bechdel Test, but is also a less common combination of sci-fi and light romance.

NOTE: The usual criteria of the Bechdel Test are (1) that at least two women are featured, (2) that these women talk to each other, and (3) that they discuss something other than a man.

I found nearly twenty avenues for my story, reviewed their guidelines and story samples and crafted query letters highlighting the aspects of my book that matched their request. 

Over the next six months, rejections trickled in.  But in the fall of 2018, I received a rejection that included an offer -- to forward my work to another editor.  That editor was closed to submissions but she absolutely published speculative short fiction, including sci-fi, with strong character driven plots featuring strong female protagonists. (Similar to mine!)

In January of 2019, that editor made me an offer. Once the news sank in, I sent celebratory messages to my writer friends and got a lawyer to look over the contract.

My Lessons

Sometimes success looks completely different from your original plan. Perseverance and research helped me achieve this dream, but so did the following:

• Learning craft and continuing to write.
• Follow the publishers guidelines and sending them my best work.
• Research the market to find the best fit for my work.
• Trusting the process, while writing what you want to write.
• And the most important lesson of all...

DON'T QUIT.

What encouragement would you send to your early writer self? What was your route into the publishing world? Are you still knocking on doors? Tell us your tips and advice below so we can build up our writing community!

About Kris

Kris Maze has worked in education for 25 years and writes for various publications including Practical Advice for Teachers of Heritage Learners of Spanish and Writers in the Storm. Her first YA Science fiction book, IMPACT, arrives in June 2020 and is published through Aurelia Leo.

A recovering grammarian and hopeless wanderer, Kris enjoys reading, playing violin and piano, and spending time outdoors with her fur babies and family. She also ponders the wisdom of Bob Ross.

Trapped underground with a mysterious scientist named Edison and his chess master AI, can Nala Nightingale find the will to live and to love in a dystopian future?

To find out more about IMPACT, click here.