Finding The Moment

"The story more or less comes down to a moment when something changes forever. It can be a little thing or it can be a big thing, but something that somehow reverberates through somebody's life in some ways."  ~Danielle Evans, author short-story collection Before You Suffocate Your Own Fool Self, which recently won the  PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize for a first book.

Last week I wrote about the fear that keeps me from the page - fear of failure, fear of committment, fear of the work itself. Sometimes part of that fear is just uncertainty about where to start. Maybe I've done the research, maybe I've amassed pages scribbled sentences or scenes, maybe I have characters to die for - and maybe I don't know how to make sense of it all or where to begin.

In her interview on NPR, Danielle Evans talked about the "moment" she looks for in every story, the one that changes everything. It could be a "little thing or a big thing, but its something that reverberates through somebody's life." When she's thinking about a story, she's often thinking about "where is that moment," and "how are the other elements of the story putting pressure on it?

Pivotal moments occur not only in fiction but in nonfiction too, particularly in memoir.  There are game changing moments in every story, real or imagined. Back in my junior high school English literature class, we might have called it the "climax" of the story, the time when people react differently than you might have expected, when fate or circumstance forces them into new ways of feeling or behaving.

Finding that moment can be a way of jumping headfirst into a story or essay.  Like being tossed overboard into the deep end of the pool, you must overcome your fear and start paddling like crazy.

Before you know it, you're swimming.

Write With Your Hands

Sounds silly, doesn't it? How else would you write? Even with all the modern inventions that make it so easy to write, you still need your hands. Christopher Isherwood was once asked why he didn't dictate his work. Wouldn't that be easier than using a pen or even a typewriter? Isherwood replied, "An author doesn't write with his mind, he writes with this hands."

How many times have you felt completely barren of any idea, felt you had nothing to say, and then picked up a pen or sat down at the keyboard to find the words flowing onto the page as if directly from your mind into the tips of your fingers?  Or sat in a meeting trying to write a proposal or letter and needed to grab a pen and write out some sample sentences?

Madeleine L'Engle says that "inspiration does not always precede the act of writing; it often follows it. I go to my typewriter with reluctance; I check the ribbon; I check my black felt pens; I polish my collection of spectacle; finally I start to put words, almost any words, down on paper. Usually, then, the words will start to flow; they push me, rather than vice versa."

There seems to be a tangible connection between the writer's mind and the act of writing itself - as if the sensation of pen in hand or the feel of fingertip on the keys starts the ignition and sets the creative process in motion.  Practicing the craft means actually writing, setting the words on the page in black and white. Out of this tangible process, comes the intangible power of creative thinking.

Time Crunch

If there is a universal complaint it's probably not having enough time. Between the demands of family, work, and life in general, there's hardly a soul I know right now who wouldn't welcome an extra hour in the day. Time has been on my mind this week, having written a blog post for a series of pieces on this topic at Andilit. If you're like me, one of the first things to go when you're under a time crunch is your writing time. Whether it's Wednesday or any other day, if your to-do list is longer than the time remaining on your clock, it's not likely that you'll stop everything to sit down and write. But maybe you should.  Even if you can only spend ONE minute - that's right, ONE  - having written a little something can ignite some creative sparks and also give you a sense of writerly satisfaction.  Like a 10 minute powernap or  a quick sprint around the parking lot at lunch, a one minute burst of writing can re-energize your creative juices.

Here's a place to help you do that: One Word offers you not only a one word prompt but a 60 second timer and a space to write in.

Have a minute?  Try it out.

Outside Opinion

"I always show my work to one of two people before sending a copy to my editor or agent. I feel more secure and connected this way, and these two people get a lot of good work out of me. They are like midwives; there are these stories and ideas and visions and memories and plots inside me, and only I can give birth to them. Theoretically I could do it alone, but it sure makes it easier to have people helping." Anne Lamott, from Bird by Bird

Other than blog posts, most of my writing is done in a vacuum. No one ever reads the scribblings that go in all the assorted folders on my computer - the "creative nonfiction" folder, the "memoir" folder, the "short story" folder, and certainly not the "novels" folder. For some time, I've had a nagging feeling that this needed to change, that it would not only be nice, but advantageous, to have another pair of eyes look at this stuff and tell me if it's worth anything more than just a way to fill time.

The perfect opportunity arose when one of the  bloggers I most enjoy offered a six week online creative nonfiction class. Andi is a writing teacher and a creative nonfiction writer, and I thought this would be the perfect way to inch my writing out into the world.

I was right. It was a grand experience, not at all painful, and it gave me not just one pair of eyes, but six more too. It helped me see what I was doing well, and not-so-well, how I needed to go deeper into my subject and my psyche in longer essays, as opposed to the short blog posts I'm used to writing. I learned that I have a tendency to mix up tenses all too often. I'm more aware on unnecessary phrases, and of those that need more explanation.

Revision has always been the most difficult part of writing for me, because it's hard for me to know where I'm going wrong. Having a group of writing partners for a few weeks started pointing me in the right direction.

Andi is offering the Intro to Creative Nonfiction class again come September - check it out here, along with her Facebook page, and her blog. She is also part of a consortium of other writers, The Whole Story Media Group, who have come together to offer editing and marketing assistance with all manner of writing projects.

You Can't Stop the Beat

Like the dizzying revolutions of a child's spinning top, my brain is awhirl with ideas - things I want to write about, subjects that beg to be parlayed into words, researched, dissected literally and emotionally, and splayed out upon the page. Layered on top of these myriad of ideas come the notion about larger projects - books of essays, novels, a memoir - exploding in my brain with the exciting sparkle of fireworks. So what's the problem? Shouldn't I be down-on-my-knees grateful for all these ideas?

I should, because I've been on the flip side of this situation, when nary a thoughtful word could be wrenched from the dark recesses of my brain.  But I feel slightly ill equipped to handle this torrent of inspiration. Where do I start? When do I leave off working on one thing and start on another? Where do I even keep track of all these ideas that keep popping into my head?

I know there are writers out there who can simultaneously manage multiple writing projects. I'm just not sure I have the wherewithal to be one of them.

How about you? Do you multi-task your writing projects?  Any advice on how to manage?