The Couch Book: A 2014 Challenge

I have too many notebooks to count. Some are filled in their entirety. Others have a page or two with jotted notes. Some have pages torn from their spine.

When it comes to notebooks, I am only consistent in my addiction to acquiring them. They are tchotchkes: quaint items on a shelf I admire from afar. When I make notes for works-in-progress, I most often do so at the keyboard. I admire the art of handwriting, but I revel in the speed of my fingers on keys.

I’m always interested in twists and tricks to help my creative process, so for 2014 I am setting a goal. Not a resolution, but a goal that should be within my reach.

I’ve selected a spiral-bound hardcover notebook that I have deemed The Couch Book. I will place this notebook in my usual comfort corner, where I end the day resting up, sipping coffee, and watching mindless television with my spouse. While I have an awful time trying to read (meaningfully) whilst the television is on, I have found it possible for me to make little notes: grocery lists, to-do lists, random bursts of phrasing that may prove useful in a wip.

My goal for the year is to use The Couch Book on a daily basis, with no set goal of time or line length, to write something other than lists. I’m curious to see what ideas come out of committing to writing in a notebook for one year. My hunch is that without direction, without intent, and without those rules we so often impose on our creative writing time, I may see some organic growth in the idea department.

This is nothing new. Lovely, well-versed, and well-published authors claim so often how the journaling process works wonders for them. It is not my intent to journal, but it is my intent to see what happens when you take a pen and notebook out of the working, must-be-creating mindset and into the comfort of the couch.

literary citizenship: call for comments

Pay It Forward!

I’ve been working on a project about literary citizenship and how writers are engaging with others for the ‘greater good’ of the literary community. After all, we solitary beasts heavily rely on others in some capacity—we need encouragement, we need support—whether that is in the obvious ways of needing readers and reviewers, or in the not-so-obvious ways of needing to feel like we’re part of something bigger than ourselves.

I’ve had some truly inspiring conversations with writers, editors, reviewers—the whole lot—but I’m still curious. I’m still asking questions. So, if you feel inclined to do so, let me know what you’ve been up to, how you’ve been engaged within the community, who inspires you to be a better literary citizen, and, indeed, what does that term even mean to you?

Email me with your comments and I may be able to include them in my project. Here are a few questions to prompt your input:

• What does ‘literary citizenship’ mean to you?
• How has community engagement enhanced your overall writing life?
• Let’s face it; sometimes it takes a bit to get us showered and dressed, let alone out the door to an event. If you’re an introvert, homebody, or naturally shy person, what moves you to connect with others? Do you usually find a ‘payoff’ in making it out to a public event?
• What sort of activities do you engage in for the community-at-large that boost your writing life and impact others?
• Who has inspired you to become a better literary citizen and why?
• What sort of unique activities are taking place in your community that inspire you?
• How do you manage your time between personal creative needs and reaching out to others? Have you ever experienced burnout and how did you adjust?
• What do you hope to gain from your community of writers? Peer support? Encouragement? A sense of belonging? What else?
• If you have any innovative ways of connecting with the community-at-large, I’d love to hear about those, too!

Specific examples are most welcome, but I also enjoy generalizations on this topic. I’ll follow up any comments sent to my email, lori@loriamay.com, and I’ll let you know a bit more about this project while I’m at it.

Thanks for sharing your take!

are we having fun yet?

With the fall publication season upon us, I am currently lining up my author Q&A schedule so stay tuned for more great Wednesday interviews. I’ll post the schedule of authors asap!

Today, though, let’s talk about fun things. Oh, yes, sure this blog is ever so serious (ha!) and we are all serious writers and readers here (ahem), but perhaps one day of frivolity won’t hurt. Actually, it might do us all some good.

I don’t want you to think about this; I want a quick answer (in your head is fine, you don’t need to share): when was the last time you had fun?

Yes, when was the last time you had a seriously good, fun time? Or, put another way, when was the last time you laughed so hard you nearly cried?

The importance of having fun is sometimes shoved to the side as we all aim to get things done, be more productive, work harder, work faster. Lately, I’ve had a few blog posts about the ever-popular to-do list, how to be a productive writer, how to tap into that creativity we all thrive on. But in order to relish in the creativity, we need to free the mind and let ourselves live a little. This is where the fun comes in.

In writing – and in life – there must always be a time to breathe, a time to play, a time to let our minds relax. Otherwise, in a congested brain, how else can creativity break free from rules, restraints, and crazy to-dos? Our minds (and hearts and souls and relationships) need some lighthearted moments to be real, to be loose, to be open to what’s out there in the world.

For writers, it’s especially important to embrace opportunities for socializing with people we may not usually consider our crowd. Being that writing is such a solitary profession, it can be especially beneficial to get out of the house and have a good time. Interact with others. Be social. Not only does stepping outside the brain give us a mental break, it can also provide an opportunity for inspiration when least expected.

By doing something out of our comfort zone we gain new experiences, new insights, and new perspectives. We feed our creative brain by taking in new information. The inspiration may not come that same day, or the next day, but when we feed our brain new information and experiences, we build on what we know. When it comes to writing ‘what you know,’ then, isn’t it best to know a good deal? Or to be open to experiencing what others know?

Here’s an example: last week I took an unexpected opportunity to go bowling. I’m not a bowler, by any means, but a team I know needed a sub for their league for one night. I thought… sure, why not. Without much knowledge of what was required of me, I went for it and… apart from not doing too shabby, I also managed to have a heck of a good time. Not only was this a great escape from my monster to-do list and not only was this a great social break out of my usual realm of interaction… I also managed to surround myself with a few interesting characters. In fact, I bowled on a team made up entirely of cops. Yup. Cops.

What made this interesting, however, was not their profession. Because - as is the case for most of us - cops aren’t one-dimensional. They aren’t wholly defined by what they do in their day jobs. They also happen to be people with real lives, real families, real ups and downs like the rest of us. So, while it would be easy to say my team talked shop all night, it simply wouldn’t be true. In fact, I don’t think the topic of work came up once during the evening.

As a writer, this was a good night for remembering the importance of character development. In reading fiction, isn’t it much more interesting to learn about a three-dimensional character than seeing a cookie-cutter stereotype? It’s easy and cliché to have a cop be work-focused and hard-edged; a waitress who is working double shifts to support her kids; a woman who’s closed to relationships because of all the bad break-ups she’s been through. These are obvious and overdone clichés. In real life, any of these characters would be much more than that. As readers, we want to know more. We want to know the person.

As writers, it should be our goal to dig deeper and get real. However, there is only so much enlightenment to be found at our desk. There’s a large and complex world of characters out there just waiting to be discovered.

Inspiration comes through experiencing life outside of our own bubble. Inspiration may not always be something we can find when we want it, but it can come to us unexpectedly so it’s important to break free from our routines and get out of the house. It’s important to experience life. It’s important to have fun and open the mind to opportunities. And, sometimes, that means putting on a pair of rental shoes and bowling with a team of cops.