Tag Archives: writing

Oct18

Why Showing Up Matters in Creativity and Life

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There’s a big difference between showing off and showing up. Showing off is rarely productive or inspiring. But showing up? That’s where the power is. You see those brilliant red leaves, right? Okay, sure, maybe they do appear to be showing off, but they don’t do that every day. We count on that spectacular color to show up each autumn in Michigan. When those colors show up, it signals the start of an all-too-short cozy season. Knowing I can depend on the trees to do their “thing” is a comfort, especially when the world feels unpredictable and chaotic.

Showing up may not seem like much, but you’d be surprised what a difference it can make in your creative pursuits, your professional goals, and in your personal relationships. Consistency, even when we don’t feel like showing up, is what chips away at complacency and creates subtle, but persistent progress. I find it’s often best not to make showing up a decision. Will I? Won’t I? It’s best to view it as a foregone conclusion.

Will you join me in challenging ourselves to show up:

  • At your desk/computer/workspace — I guarantee you’ll make more progress.
    • When I was working on the manuscript for my children’s book, I had to show up–even on vacation–because I was determined to meet every deadline set by my editor. Did I do it? Yes. (Sometimes I didn’t send a revision until 4:59 p.m., but I got it there.)
  • For creative friends who need encouragement, a nudge or a lovingly worded challenge to help them get unstuck (so they can then show up, too).
    • I’ve found offering an open invitation to review a friend’s work or offer feedback can give them the motivation they need. Writing can be lonely work. Knowing someone is willing to show up for you can make other want to show up for themselves.
  • For book launches or author talks to show fellow creatives our support. You don’t have to bring a gift. You don’t need to stay for hours. Just show up. Let them see your sweet, shiny face in the crowd.
    • I love cheering on friends at their events whenever I can. Plus, I find I almost always come away with an idea I can incorporate in my future presentations.
  • For learning opportunities like workshops, virtual events, seminars, retreats, critique groups and classes. Get at least one on your calendar each season (and for those of you who live in a seasonless climate, let’s call it four times a year!)
    • I don’t have time to travel to far away events, so I often look for virtual opportunities — I’m still showing up!
  • For yourself — for your health (both mental and physical), for your goals and ambitions, your rejuvenation. Get “you” on your calendar for annual check up, dental appointments, counseling sessions, and dates with friends who recharge your batteries.
    • I find this one can be the most challenging, but it’s what makes it possible to show up for all the others.

My little apple cinnamon tarts, of course, you can’t show up for everything and everyone all the time. No one can. Just be intentional and consistent with your choices and feel the satisfaction of your own forward momentum. I’m rooting for you. Ever forward. Ever forward.

(And yes, always show up for cider and donuts!)

Care to share your progress?

 The advice I like to give young artists, or really anybody who’ll listen to me, is not to wait around for inspiration. Inspiration is for amateurs; the rest of us just show up and get to work. ~ Chuck Close

Jun7

Time to quit your publishing pursuits? 12 questions to ponder

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In 2007, Pulitzer Prize winning author Annie Dillard told NPR listeners, “I’m here to tell you that I’m retiring. I woke up one morning, went to my desk, and realized I’ve done everything I set out to do as a writer, and the writer label does not define me, and I have more life to live, but I am done because I did my work on my terms.”

Does Dillard’s declaration stir something in you? Inspiration? Exhilaration like a zing of electricity? A soul-satisfying exhale?

Maybe it’s time to quit.

And by “quit,” I mean . . .

Before we move on, my little lemon drops, let me define “quit.” I’m talking about letting go of your pursuit of publication. No more queries. No more proposals. No more stalking agents. No more pouring over every issue of PW. (And no, I’m not talking about never writing again. Yikes. Writers, by definition, have to write. It’s a given you won’t give that up.)

Queries about quitting. (You can be totally honest. You’ll be grading your own paper.)

  1. Has my passion to be published–needing validation from the publishing industry, reviewers, readers–changed/diminished since I first began my pursuit?
  2. Do I neeeed to be published to be happy?
  3. Am I persisting in my pursuit solely because it pleases someone else or out of fear of displeasing them?
  4. Does the thought of setting my pursuit aside make me feel lighter, maybe even a little excited? (If it makes you feel full-on giddy, go ahead and quit already!)
  5. Can I be satisfied with writing for my own pleasure and/or with helping others improve their writing?
  6. Is my pursuit of publication keeping me from a new passion?
  7. Do I want to invest my creative energies doing something wholly apart from writing? What might that be?
  8. Would I see my decision as a liberation rather than a resignation?
  9. How about a 6-month or 12-month “hiatus” from my publishing pursuits versus a full stop retirement?
  10. Am I comfortable with not knowing what might have been?
  11. What will my new dream be? How and when will I begin?
  12. How will I see myself on the other side of my decision to quit?

Next steps

  • Take your time and ponder. Seep into a head-to-toe mull.
  • Journal over your responses to the 12 questions.
  • Reach out to a friend who can listen while you deliberate. And remember, I’m always here too.

The purpose of my post is not to discourage you from pursuing publishing. Honest. No one’s pushing you. (Go ahead. Look behind you. See?) I’m offering you the freedom to let go, if that’s what you really want to do. And, you should know I (and many others, I’m sure) will never quit admiring you and valuing you. Heck, some will even envy you.

Success does not lie in sticking to things. It lies in picking the right thing to stick to and quitting the rest. ~ Annie Duke, Quit: The Power of Knowing When to Walk Away

Jan28

29 random thoughts in the months before to my debut (in no particular order)

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Collage by Vicky Lorencen

In January 2025, my very first children’s book will be hurled into the world: THE BIG BOOK OF BARF – A Spewnami of Sick Science, Hurled History and Body Oddities in Ralphabetical Order. My publisher is Bright Matter, a non-fiction imprint of Random House Books for Children. Woo hoo!!

Day after day, my noggin is rumbling with random thoughts like these:

  1. Seriously? I’m going to be a 62 year old debut author! How? WHAT?!!
  2. Got to start a list of all of the people I want to thank for encouraging me all these years (and years and years). That’s going to be a long list.
  3. This is real. Like for reals real. It’s actually happening. Maybe it’s finally safe to celebrate.
  4. Publishing is one random, subjective business.
  5. It’s true. Preparation pays off.
  6. Got to find a way to express my gratitude to my family in a tangible way.
  7. Wish I could reconnect with my teachers from across the years who recognized, challenged and championed my abilities.
  8. I’m finally going to have my very own ISBN!!!
  9. So glad I went to that SCBWI-MI workshop in March 2020 to learn how to create a non-fiction book proposal. I followed the “recipe” and it worked!
  10. Presenting at the elementary school where I was a student and my kids went to school will be surreal.
  11. Never ever thought I’d write a whole book about barf, but the whole process was a joy.
  12. I need to come up with a snappy comeback for when kids inevitably ask, “How old are you?”
  13. Better get noodling on my next non-fiction project and perfecting a new proposal.
  14. Wondering if I’ll get to do a dedication page. What’ll I say?
  15. Can’t believe this book was sparked by a serendipitous, random comment during an ordinary conversation. Magic!
  16. Is it too self-centered to worry that commotion over the presidential election will interfere with my debut. (Uh. Probably!)
  17. What if my publisher goes belly up before my book comes out?
  18. Please oh please do not ask me to write a second book (an “eek”quel to THE BIG BOOK OF BARF) about #2. (I poo poo that idea!} Love non-fiction, but not that!
  19. Chuckling over the thought of my obituary. “Children’s author Vicky Lorencen will be remembered for THE BIG BOOK OF BARF.” I love the thought of making people laugh even after I’m gone.
  20. I am going to hear a ‘hurl” lot of barf stories.
  21. My name is about to change to Children’s Author Vicky Lorencen. I sure like the sound of that.
  22. Wonder how I’ll react when I hold my book for the first time.
  23. Can’t wait to do school visits. (First, I need to get tips from all my friends who are pros.) It also reminds me of #16.
  24. I need to get in better shape so I’ll have energy to enjoy what’s ahead.
  25. No way am I going to become a self-absorbed ninny once book comes out. I hope. (See 17 Things I Want to Remember Not to Forget After I’m Published.)
  26. Hoping kids will really, really, really like my book. Yes, really.
  27. Wouldn’t it be cool if my success encourages another writer who is still in the “waiting room.”
  28. It’s so weird how this feels inevitable. Why or how, I don’t know, but it does.
  29. Sure this sounds crazy, but I fantasize about speaking at the SCBWI winter conference in NY and wonder what song to I want playing as I approach the podium. (No point waiting till the last minute–or for an invitation to speak.)

BONUS! Everyone who entered Frog on a Dime’s 11th Birthday Giveaway can look forward to receiving a very special surprise in February. Thank you so much for your patience and encouragement!

So be sure when you step, Step with care and great tact. And remember that life’s A Great Balancing Act. And will you succeed? Yes! You will, indeed! (98 and ¾ percent guaranteed) Kid, you’ll move mountains. ~ Dr. Seuss
Oct24

10 Truly Haunting Thoughts, Part 3

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DSC02267

Photo by Vicky Lorencen

Every creative person is plagued by angsty imaginings from time to time. In the spirit of Halloween, allow me to ramp up the frequency with these truly haunting thoughts.

  1. Kanye is named Poet Laureate for 2019.
  2. Use of the Oxford Comma becomes law.
  3. Your characters continue to talk to you, but they sound like Anthony Scaramucci.
  4. Recommended word count for a picture book manuscript drops to 24 words. Short words.
  5. Writing causes eyeball arthritis (and crows feet (around your nose).)
  6. Editors insist on the return to printed and mailed manuscripts. Slush Mountain!
  7. You fall in love with your first draft and refuse to revise it.

    DSC07161

    By Vicky Lorencen

  8. You lose your taste for chocolate, Red Vines and grown-up beverages.
  9. Before you nod off, you tell Alexa your unparalleled idea of a lifetime for safekeeping. She thought you were talking to someone else.
  10. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention develop a vaccine to prevent writer’s block. The shots are administered by Nurse Ratched‘s less sweet cousin with a raging case of poison ivy, Nurse Annie Wilkes (from Stephen King’s Misery, remember?)

You say you’re not scared enough yet? Read more haunting thoughts. If you dare!

Read 10 Truly Haunting Thoughts

Read 10 Truly Haunting Thoughts, Part II

Bwahahaha!

Eddie discovered one of his childhood’s great truths. Grownups are the real monsters, he thought. ~ Stephen King, It

Jan6

meet enid, muse extraordinaire

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Not "my" Enid!

Not “my” Enid!

A Bohemian earth mother or a wee-winged sprite whirring through clouds of opal pixy dust. That’s how other writers might describe their muse. My muse is, well, she’s not like that. I was going to say she’s indescribable, but that would make for a mighty short post, now wouldn’t it.

Meet Enid, my extraordinary muse. Rain or shine Enid wears a double breasted camel coat with a Union Jack pin on the lapel, a hat that you can roll to jam into a suitcase, dark support hose and Crocks. She’s instructed me to let you know that she’s foregoing the ankle bracelet in 2013 and that she’s swapping her orange Crocks for green. Ever the fashion plate, my Enid.

And then there’s the bulging book bag. Enid’s packing PW, the 2009 Writers Market, Levenger’s catalogs, an autographed John Grisham novel (don’t ask), Hershey’s miniatures, one of those fancy wooden box of assorted tea bags, her PBS travel mug and a paddle ball game. (She likes to play with that when she’s getting impatient with me.)

I didn’t always have a muse. For the first few years of serious writing attempts, I had to be self-musing. Enid came into my life after the writer she was bemusing moved out of state and Enid opted to stay here to be closer to her grandchildren. (I know. I had no idea muses could have grandmuses.)

Enid typically pitches me ideas right before I go to sleep or when I’m in the shower. I understand that’s standard MMO (Muse Mode of Operation). She caught on early that there was no point in giving me a lot of detail when I’m in bed. Her ideas evaporate by morning. If I’m showering, I’m too soggy to capture anything on paper. So, mostly she gives me titles or character names and lets me dig for the rest. But it’s a start and that’s usually the toughest part.

Yes, Enid is a no-nonsense gal. Lest I give you the impression she lacks a sense of humor, I have heard her laugh. It’s more like a nasally, smirkish chortle. I typically hear it when she’s waiting for me to do something with an idea she’s pitched. She’ll go sit on an overstuffed stool in my office, reach into her bag and pull out a crisp copy of The New Yorker. Enid does love her snarky cartoons.

Has she ever laughed at anything I’ve written, you ask (meaning the stuff I’m intending to be funny). Yes and no. Once I saw Enid’s shoulders spasm as she covered her mouth to stifle a laugh. She was reflected in my computer screen as she read over my shoulder. Oh, please don’t tell her I saw.

But better than a laugh is an Enid smile. Enid is one of those eye smilers. You know the ones. The corners of their mouths turn up or down ever-so-slightly and 99 percent of the smile comes from their eyes. She has violet eyes. No, not violent. V-i-o-l-e-t eyes. Like her laugh, an Enid smile is a rare treasure. I work for those.

What’s that, Enid? You think I should blog about Heather?

Do you really think anyone wants to read about my Inner Critic?

What if I . . . (Oh, no. She’s going for the paddle ball game.)

No Enid smile today.

What about you? What does your muse look like?

Following my muse has worked out pretty well so far. I can’t see any reason to change the formula now.~Chris Van Allsburg