Why I'm a plate spinner ...

There was one vaudeville act that always fascinated me.  It wasn’t the clowns, the guy juggling the swords or the lion tamer who managed to stick his head somewhere near his pet.

The act that always fascinated me was the plate spinner. 

This was the guy who kept thirteen plates spinning on the end of thirteen poles … and none of them fell. He ran back-and-forth from pole to pole, giving the plate the slightest wobble, steadying it and giving it enough momentum to keep spinning.

It was more than skill. It was more than hand-eye co-ordination. It was a commitment to the plates, and never letting them fall. It was knowing that each plate needed to be watched and needed to have attention paid to it. It was knowing that the whole act depended on everything being kept moving.

You know, that vaudeville act is so much like writing.

If you’re a writer, you will more than likely identify with the plate spinner – keeping everything moving and not wanting to (or feeling like you can’t) let any of them fall. If any of them develop speed wobbles, we drop everything and head over to it to give it a bit more of a push, all the while hoping the other plates have enough momentum to keep going.

I was looking at my project list for my writing and all I saw was thirteen plates on the end of slowly speed-reducing poles:

1. A new blog post, which feels like it is way overdue, even though my calendar says it isn’t
2. Writing some more content to feed the hungry beast that is social media
3. Adding another 1,000 words to my current work-in-progress, because the deadline I set three months ago is getting closer, not further away
4. Editing that character in my completed manuscript to fully flesh him out because I’m starting to wonder if he’s a cardboard character with no soul
5. Writing up that idea for a new novel that broke into my head at 4am yesterday and could be the best thing I’ll ever write, but won’t be if I lose the idea
6. Following up that agent who I queried five weeks ago and hasn't troubled my inbox, even though I’ve been refreshing it every two minutes
7. Preparing a proposal for another agent who I am absolutely convinced will be ‘the one’
8. Reading two books at once to inspire me to improve my craft and because I can’t put either of them down
9. Researching other authors to see how they are marketing themselves to see what I could learn
10. Connecting with other authors on social media to check that my delusions of grandeur and massive insecurities – in equal measure – are normal
11. Dreaming about the cover of my first novel and what it might look like sitting on bookshop shelves
12. Exploring the professional development opportunities I would love to undertake if I had some money from this writing gig
13. Reading those five web articles about writing that will help my writing process improve by at least 10%

But the main skill I have to keep up is the ability to keep everything moving. Maybe this is one this you face as a writer yourself – the constant movement, the constant checking and the feeling like momentum needs to be propelling you forward.

But the one big lesson for writers actually came from a plate spinner I once saw. One of his plates dropped.  The audience gasped and sighed in collective sympathy as they saw a failed act.

I looked at those remaining twelve poles and saw a guy who had managed to keep twelve plates going at once.  That was amazing.

And it’s a lesson I continually remind myself when I comes to keeping my own writing plates spinning.

Writing for the long haul.

Penny Reeve is the author of more than 15 children's books.
She returns to CWD today to guest blog about writing for the long haul. 

  

As a published children’s author I’m often asked the question: "When did you start writing?" Now, most authors I know understand there are several answers to that question. There’s the academic answer: "I started writing in preschool." There’s the artistic answer: "I've always dreamed of becoming a writer and wrote mountains of soppy (or morbid) poetry when I was a teenager." And there’s the answer most people are really after, the details about when you started writing for publication. My answer is 14 years, and to this I tend to get quiet raised eyebrows in response. I haven’t yet figured out why they go quiet at this stage but one of my suspicions is that the 14 years of hard work with little to show for it (financially or fame wise) causes their illusions of author grandeur to be slowly dismantled. Typically, at this stage, the conversation turns by their direction to other topics. (Like ‘Where do you get your ideas?’ or ‘Are you still writing?’ or 'How old are your kids?')

The interesting thing is that if they were honest enough to admit their thoughts (their doubts about the legitimacy of such a passion etc) I would probably share them. I certainly didn't imagine myself 14 years after the acceptance of my first manuscript with the attitude that I now have. Somewhere between that first publication and my last the ecstatic excitement of the unattainable goal was replaced with a more solid work ethic. And I don’t use the word Work lightly. I’m sure many authors know what I mean: that dogged perseverance, the dodging of self doubt and of hopelessness for well written, well placed prose. Yes the thrill remains, and leaps of faith are often tested and blessed, but when I am no longer ‘waiting for the right inspiration’ or ‘working at my own pace’ the writing journey feels remarkably different to what I imagined it to be as an emerging author.   

There are, I think, a number of habits that become crucial to writing as a long term commitment. (And, I’d love it if other authors could share their tips for perseverance. Please comment below.) Here are some of mine:

1)    Write. It seems a ‘no-brainer’ but writing for the long haul means giving up the illusion of writing when you feel like it. You need to train your creative mind to deliver the goods (even if they’ll require a significant rewrite) whenever you sit down to work.

2)    Watch over-commitment. An over-committed writer cannot find time or mental energy to write. This balance will be different for each writer’s personality, but with the necessary pull towards marketing and other ‘authory’ demands we need to learn to guard and prioritise time so the writing actually gets done.

3)    Don’t procrastinate. Yep, I’m writing this one for myself. I am very good at procrastination! But I can’t afford to be (and if I’m honest, neither can my family!)

4)    Set challenging but realistic goals. Look ahead at what projects you want published next and make a plan towards that goal. Push yourself creatively but also be realistic about what can be achieved. (For example: the year my youngest arrived I did very little writing, this year he’ll be in preschool three days a week so it’s a different story, literally.)

5)    Refresh, recharge and remain stimulated. Don’t let your inspirations dry up. Meet with other authors, meet with other non-authors. Go places, read widely, feel deeply. Don’t let yourself get stuck in a rut but allow enough creative input so your creative output can remain fresh and relevant.

6)    This may be a bit controversial, but I believe we need to give ourselves the permission to stop writing. For me this is both a challenge and a blessing. I love writing and often describe it as ‘my heart thing’, but if I ever love my writing more than my family, more than my faith family, more than my Heavenly Father, then the priorities will be wrong. There may be a time when I will need to slow down, or perhaps stop aiming for publication (be it for a particular story or for a season). I need to hold lightly enough to my writing that I can stop if I need to. I am an author – but that is not all I am.

To find out more about Penny Reeve and her books visit www.pennyreeve.com  or 'like' her Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pennyreevethepennydrops

Keeping God in the writing journey

Many years ago now I went to my first writers’ weekend conducted by a secular writers’ organisation. I was new to it all and totally overawed by those around me who seemed to know exactly what they were doing. I listened to talks, asked some tentative questions and chatted to a few authors. At least, I tried to chat to them. They were pleasant enough and reasonably helpful – but I came away feeling slightly sorry for them and fervently hoping I would never end up like them. You see, when we talked, I had the distinct feeling they were very wrapped up in themselves and what they had written – perhaps even jealous of others there who had been more ‘successful’ or who had sold more books or won more awards.

Since thave been to quite a few more writers’ events and realised that perhaps many of those attending – even the ‘successful’ authors – may not be as sure of themselves as they appear to be. And I know a little more now, so am not as overawed as I was. Yes, I have definitely changed over the course of my nine year writing journey and of seeing five of my novels published and out there in the market. But how do I myself now come across to other authors or potential authors? Have I become a little proud and self-centred, perhaps even just a teensy bit envious of those whose novels or other works have sold better than mine?

When I began my writing journey, I knew clearly God had called me to do so. I decided my writing would always be God-honouring in every way. I would write as best as I could for God, working hard at it and taking advice on board. I would seek to reach out to others through my novels, particularly those outside church circles. I would write ‘from the heart’ and be very vulnerable in what I wrote, in the hope that others perhaps going through similar situations as my characters would relate strongly to them and be helped or encouraged in some way. And when and if my books were ‘successful’, I would seek to give God the honour and glory and not become puffed up myself. For that reason, I chose to put Psalm 115:1 at the top of the first page of my website:

Not to us, O Lord, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness.

But what about now? Was I giving God as much honour and glory as I should? Was I truly remembering that my novels had come into existence because of God’s call and because God had given me any writing gift I had? Was I as conscious of God’s presence around me, encouraging me and cheering me on each day, as I had been at the beginning? Was God still in fact at the very centre of my writing journey?

I have pondered these questions a lot during the past year in particular – so much so that I will be taking a workshop on this whole topic of ‘Keeping God in the writing journey’ as part of the Word Writers’ Fair in Brisbane on Saturday 12^th November (see www.thewordwriters.com).  I don’t want to be running a race that adds up to nothing in the end. So I am looking forward to sharing the challenges and hopefully helpful insights God has given me in this area and to hearing how others endeavour to keep God first as well.

So ... how are you doing at keeping God in your writing journey?  

Jo-Anne Berthelsen grew up in Brisbane and holds degrees in Arts and Theology and a diploma in Education. She has worked as a high school teacher, editor and secretary, as well as in local church ministry. Jo-Anne is passionate about touching hearts and lives through both the written and spoken word. She is the author of five published novels – ‘Heléna’, ‘All the Days of My Life’, ‘Laura’, ‘Jenna’ and ‘Heléna’s Legacy’. She is married to a retired minister and lives in Sydney. For more information about Jo-Anne and her novels, please visit her website, www.jo-anneberthelsen.com.