Suleika Jaouad and The Isolation Journals

  • Guest Post by Suleika Jaouad, creator of The Isolation Journals.

    The Isolation Journals was founded on the idea that life’s interruptions are invitations to deepen our creative practice.

    Suileika:

    When I started The Isolation Journals project, I had no idea so many would join me.

    In late March 2020, I was quarantining in my parents’ attic, having left New York City as Covid-19 was surging. I was no stranger to isolation. For much of my twenties, I was in treatment for leukemia, unable to travel, eat out, see friends, even take a walk.

    Now isolation was back—this time on a global scale.

    The Isolation Journals is an artist-led community and publishing platform that cultivates creativity and fosters connection in challenging times.

    We are in an unprecedented moment. This is one small way to stay grounded and hopeful to transform our isolation to connection.

    Suleika’s August 2, 2020 Isolation Journals Post:

    Today’s prompt is inspired by the relationship between movement and creativity. It’s something that artists and thinkers have observed for millennia. One of the earliest examples is the legend of Aristotle, who paced while he taught, and his students—called “the Peripatetics,” a word that means “to walk around”—followed suit. As Thoreau wrote in his journal, “Methinks that the moment my legs begin to move, my thoughts begin to flow.” 

    But what is new is scientific evidence to support the age-old phenomenon. In the last decade, studies have emerged showing that movement and thinking are symbiotic, and some neuroscientists theorize that the evolutionary process that allowed us to develop the ability to walk upright is the same one that helped us develop conscious cognition. It’s a fascinating idea, one with so many implications for the creative practice.

    I’ll say one last thing before getting to the prompt—that we’re all different, with varying access to places to walk, with bodies that have different abilities and disabilities. Because of that, it’s natural that how we move will vary as widely as the writing that will follow it. Just find what works for you; as always, this practice is yours, so make it your own.
    Prompt 103. The Singular Glory of a Solo Walk In mid-March, I was working on a grueling last edit of my memoir Between Two Kingdoms. From early in the morning until late at night, I sat hunched over my computer in my parents’ attic, second-guessing every comma, re-thinking every word. I was panicking, sure it was a total disaster, and my quarantine roommate Carmen offered to read the entire manuscript out loud with me. Between the stress of the deadline and being so sedentary, our bodies ached. From time to time, we’d have to take a break—walking in the woods and stopping for a spontaneous snowball fight, or doing yoga there in the attic.

    One afternoon, we were both in downward dog, and I said to Carmen, “I have an idea.” I rambled something vague about journal prompts and helping others complete a 100-day project. “Go write that down,” Carmen told me. “Now—before you forget it.” And I got up from the mat, and I did. I didn’t expect it would go anywhere, at least not immediately. But writing it down made the idea seem more real, and I kept mulling it over. Then as the number of cases of covid-19 rose, as cities and states and countries went into lockdown, that seed of an idea—one that had occurred in a moment when I was giving my mind a break—sprouted a week later into the Isolation Journals.

    This isn’t a one-off. When I’m stuck and can’t work something out on the page, or when my head is too full of chatter, I’ve learned to get out of my mind and into my body. I go for a walk, and as I move and fall into a rhythm, the chatter quiets. Whatever knots my thoughts are in begin to loosen. 

    It happened just yesterday. Over the weekend, Jon and I moved to an artist’s residency, to a house near a river with miles and miles of walking paths. I’ve been sick—last week I tested positive for Lyme disease, which has made my joints swollen, my movements slow and labored. But yesterday morning, I felt good enough to take a walk, and on a long gentle amble, I began to get an idea of what I want to write next. Right now, I’m just seeing little glimpses, like glints of sunlight on the river, but it feels good to be inspired again. As I settle into our new digs, I’m setting a new intention to take a quiet, solitary morning walk before I write. I trust that soon enough, the seed of this next idea will begin to sprout.

    Your prompt for the week:
    Begin with a movement that roots you in your body. Maybe take a walk outside, or dance around your house, or take deep breaths and blow each exhale through loose horse lips—whatever will get you out of your head. Capture what springs to mind using the voice recording app on your phone or by jotting quick notes. Do this for as long as you’d like.

    Next, write in your journal about what came up. You can elaborate on the thoughts and ideas you had, or you can get meta, reflecting on how movement carried you into a new contemplative space. 

    Suleika Jaouad is an Emmy Award–winning writer, speaker, cancer survivor & author of the forthcoming memoir, Between Two Kingdoms.

    She is the creator of The Isolation Journals, a global movement cultivating community and creativity during hard times.

    You can pre-order her book, due to be released February 2021, Between Two Kingdoms, A Memory of A Life Interrupted.    

    Suleika’s humorous, informative, meaning-full Ted Talk.

    “The hardest part of my cancer experience began once the cancer was gone,” says author Suleika Jaouad. In this fierce, funny, wisdom-packed talk, she challenges us to think beyond the divide between “sick” and “well,” asking: How do you begin again and find meaning after life is interrupted?” — Official TED Conference, 2019

  • Guest Blogger Shawn Langwell shares smart writing tips, focusing on three important questions.

    Octavia E. Butler said, “You don’t start out writing good stuff. You start out writing crap and thinking it’s good stuff, and then gradually you get better at it. That’s why I say one of the most valuable traits is persistence.”

    Writing and leadership have a lot in common. Both require creativity, passion, and persistence. Both are conversations. And every good author as well as effective leaders know their audience. Each requires a level of confidence and humility to listen. To listen to the suggestions of an editor. To listen to the inner voice that says you need to sit your butt down on a regular basis and write. Or, upon awakening to listen and follow the conviction of a dream so vivid and powerful that the story just unfolds and becomes a book and a short memoir entitled: “Cathartic Writing: The Healing Power of a Story Now Told,” included in The Write Spot: Writing as a Path to Healing, by editor Marlene Cullen.

    I am still very much a rookie when it comes to writing and, like many people, tend to overthink the entire process before I even write the first word. For me, focus is a key to establishing a successful plan for any endeavor. Sure, there’s a lot more to writing than focus but I have found that lack of focus tends to lead to overthinking, which is a result of fear about not knowing where you want to go or believing enough in your abilities that one becomes consumed with analysis paralysis.

    Not everyone wakes up from a dream with a crystal-clear vision of what they want to write. Sometimes you need to kick that doubt to the curb and sit your butt down in front of your computer and write. Don’t worry about the results, yet. And certainly, don’t try and edit as you go. Some may be able to do this, but I find it messes with my flow and I get back onto the perfectionism merry go round and lose any emotion or momentum I may have finally gained.

    Writing is messy and not many like being messy. Writing also means you must become vulnerable. You are putting your thoughts and ideas out there for the world to see and some people may not like them.

    “Almost all good writing begins with terrible first efforts. You need to start somewhere. Start by getting something—anything—down on paper. What I’ve learned to do when I sit down to work on a shitty first draft is to quiet the voices in my head.” ― Anne Lamott

    I’ve been in sales and marketing for over twenty-eight years and, like authors, occasionally feel stuck. A few years ago, I went to a colleague to get input on a big proposal I was working on. He stopped me before I even got started and asked me if I had done a needs assessment.

    “What do you mean? Yes, I know they need to increase their business.” I said.

    “No. Have you asked them the three questions?”

    “The three questions?”

    “Before you can give a business presentation or any type of communication you need to ask these three questions:

    One: Who do you want to reach?

    Two: What do you want to say to them?

    Three: What do you want them to do?”

    Before they write or submit for publication these same three questions need to be decided by every author or speaker.  In other words, who is your audience or what genre do you want to write?

    Are you writing fiction or non-fiction? Each of these will dictate the voice, narrative and theme of your work.

    Lastly, What’s the purpose of your writing? Is it to entertain (Fiction)?

    Or, is it to inform? Persuade?  Or share a unique experience? (Non-fiction).

    Taking time to focus on these three questions has dramatically helped me increase my success rate in sales and made it easier to get started with writing. I have learned that answering these questions up front and not worrying about writing crap at first takes the pressure off. My persistence in practicing these steps has enabled me to finish three years of creative writing at the junior college, write and submit to three additional anthologies, give six speeches for Toast masters, and be asked to share a few words about the process with other writers like you.

    I look forward to meeting you on August 5th when we explore this a little more in depth at a Writers Forum Zoom Event.

    Be well, Shawn Langwell

    Note from Marlene: Shawn leads the parade in a series of Zoom talks based on the anthology, The Write Spot: Writing as a Path to Healing. Please join us for these free Writers Forum events.

    Shawn Langwell is a graduate of San Francisco State University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Marketing and Advertising. He earned certificates from Dominican University, Barowsky School of Business Executive Education Leadership Program, and the San Rafael Chamber of Commerce Leadership Institute.

    He is President of Redwood Writers, a branch of the California Writers Club, and immediate past President of Toast of Petaluma.

    Shawn’s personal mission is to add value to people and businesses everywhere. He is a sought-after speaker for recovery and has over 33 years of continuous sobriety. He lives in Petaluma, CA with his wife, three adult children, and a Maine Coon cat, Cleo.

    Shawn is the author of the memoir, Beyond Recovery: A Journey of Grace, Love, and Forgiveness.

  • Today’s Guest Blogger, Kate Farrell, author of Story Power, with her unique experience as a storyteller, shares methods to unlock family secrets,

    There’s nothing louder than a family secret—it pesters and pokes until someone speaks up. Secrets have a way of hiding in plain sight. There are always the whispered rumors, missing pieces of a puzzle, stories that keep changing. But just as shared family folklore can develop strength and identity, keeping family secrets can destroy trust. Secrets that persist, unspoken and misunderstood, can erode the very foundation of a family. Family members who are perceptive, who sense hidden truths, may become fearful or internalize guilt and shame. At the very least, family secrets isolate—family members from one another and the entire family from their community.

    Some family secrets are more harmful to keep than others. Those that were traumatic, that violated some taboo, or were life-changing are vital to expose. Some of these important secrets can only be shared privately, within the family, and only with members old enough to understand. Certainly, by the time most children reach adulthood, they ought to know most of the essential family secrets that were kept from them, yet influenced their lives in ways both known and unknown.

    When considering the sensitive nature of family secrets, a storyteller should proceed with care. There will be those in the family who will never accept the truth, once exposed. And there will be those members who will feel relieved or validated by newly discovered stories that make sense of a puzzle. It can be a powerful healing process for many. Of course, there will also be relatives who find family secrets fascinating and telling them juicy entertainment. As a family member and storyteller, it’s often a challenge to share family secrets in a responsible, but enduring way.

    As you ponder what secrets you’ve learned about your family, either from relatives or from research, choose the ones whose revealed truth meant the most to you. Which ones contributed most to your identity, and resolved issues that had once confused you. Select the ones with the most personal impact to shape into stories and tell, to store in notebooks or to record. As you share these, other family members might be encouraged to share theirs.

    Exercises & Prompts: Family Secrets & Shadows

    Prompts: Shadows

    1. Think of a family member in the past who was shunned or forgotten
    2. Remember someone who brought shame to the family
    3. Recall a family member in past generations who committed a wrong
    4. Remember someone who was wrongly accused
    5. Think of a family member who was judged by an outdated taboo
    6. Remember a relative who was flawed or found lacking
    7. Think of a time when you were judged or the family thought less of: what happened?

    Prompts: Secrets

    1. What are the worst family secrets?
    2. Which ones were committed three or four generations back?
    3. What secrets were kept by your grandparents’ generation?
    4. What secrets were kept by your parents’ generation?
    5. What secrets were yours or your siblings?
    6. Are there secrets still hidden by your family today?
    7. What secrets of yours do you want to share with your family?

    Let all these memories and stories play in your mind’s eye as you search for one story to tell. Select one that has a clear structure with a beginning, middle, and end. Choose one that has a conflict, a problem, suspense, tension, or an adventure.

    Freewrites

    Freewrites, or stream of consciousness writing, might reveal new thoughts and perhaps uncover information and present answers that haven’t been previously discovered.  With freewrites, personal experiences emerge for your writing. Writing prompts can be used to inspire writing. Prompts can be a word, a phrase, a picture, a sound, a smell, a line from a book or a poem. Set a timer for fifteen minutes to corral your writing time. Choose a prompt and start writing.

    Freewrite Example: Family Secrets

    Marlene Cullen employs the practice of free writing or “freewrites” with great success and has shared it with many writers over the years. It is also called timed writing and the results are unpredictable, creative, and at times, surprising. It’s one sure way to reach into the shadows to a family member whose status in the family was diminished, as Marlene does with her father. By letting her mind probe a theme without judgement, she reveals her own feelings, ones she’s kept under wraps for a lifetime. Start, as Marlene does, with a prompt about family secrets and see where your free writing takes you. Use a freewrite to explore the secrets and shadows within your own family.

    “Meeting My Father”

    Marlene Cullen

    I have always had a hard time describing how my father didn’t fit into our family. He was a merchant seaman, away from home for months. He brought home exotic toys, and clothes for me and my sisters, always too small.

    “I have the perfect family. A daddy, a mommy, and two little girls.” I knew I wasn’t telling the truth to my second grade playmates, but if I pretended hard enough, maybe it would come true.

    When my father was home, it meant he was out of work, and could be found at one neighborhood bar or another. I have a child’s handful of memories about my father—none of them are good. The best I could say was that he was a “Third Street Bum.” He died when he was thirty-seven of alcohol related diseases. I was sixteen.

    When I was fifty-four, through a series of serendipitous happenings, I met my father’s high school best friends. They painted a picture of him as a happy-go-lucky kid. They said Bill was a quiet guy, a gentleman, a prankster, and very sensitive. Seeing my father through the eyes of his teenage friends introduced me to the person I never knew.

    Sloshing my way through freewrites, I realized my father was more than a person with an alcohol problem. He was a husband and a father, a loving son, and a loyal friend, struggling to navigate the challenges of life.

    Several free writes about my father evolved into a story revealing my epiphany about him, published in The Write Spot: Memories. My insight concludes: “He is a part of me, imperfections as well as the good parts. He is part of my granddaughter who shares his hazel-colored eyes.” Without freewrites, my father would have remained a “lesser” person in my mind.

    Kate Farrell, storyteller, author, librarian, founded the Word Weaving Storytelling Project and published numerous educational materials on storytelling.

    She has contributed to and edited award-winning anthologies of personal narrative.

    Farrell recently completed a how-to guide on the art of storytelling for adults, Story Power: Secrets to Creating, Crafting, and Telling Memorial Stories, released by Mango Publishing.

    She is past president of Women’s National Book Association, San Francisco Chapter.

    Kate blogs at Storytelling For Everyone.

  • Guest Blogger Nancy Julien Kopp writes about her struggles and success with Good Fairy/Bad Fairy.

    2012

    I’ve had a story swirling in the recesses of my mind for several weeks. One that I think would work for a Chicken Soup for the Soul book. Last night, I opened a blank page in Word and began to write the story.

    I wrote for well over an hour. The story seemed to be coming together nicely. I was aiming for 1200 words, and by the time I was ready to call it quits for the day, I had over 700 words and still a lot to be told. I didn’t take time to read over what I’d written, knew there would be time to do that in the morning.

    I got ready for bed, feeling satisfied that more than half the first draft was complete. I settled down in bed to watch the news but while the news anchor and weatherman jabbered on about the day’s events, something began to gnaw at me. My story!

    I knew that the story wasn’t right but what, I wondered, was wrong with it. I mentally replayed what I’d written, and the answer came. The first two paragraphs were fine, but the rest of it went into background that threatened to take over the original story. It would overshadow the original premise. Maybe I’d find a solution the next day.

    Then the Bad Writing Fairy whispered that it would be a shame to lose all those words that I’d so painstakingly written. “Leave it the way it is and keep going.” The Good Writing Fairy rapped her over the head with her Writer’s Wand. but smiled sweetly at me. Then she said, “Dump all except the first two paragraphs and keep going.” I knew which one I should heed. I pushed both fairies off my pillow and decided to sleep on their advice.

    The next day there was no doubt in my mind that I had to begin the story again. The first thing I decided to was to delete more than 500 words, no matter how much it hurt. There was no reason to sabotage my own story with words that didn’t belong.

    A good many stories that are published look nothing like the first draft. It’s a practice round to help a writer know what direction to go. We begin and often begin again. Writing isn’t easy. Well, maybe the Bad Writing Fairy might tell you it’s a piece of cake, but the Good Writing Fairy is going to remind you that it’s hard work but well worth the effort.

    2020
    If you listen to that Bad Writing Fairy too often, you’ll become a lazy writer. Sometimes she talks loud enough to make you pay attention. You’ll be a lot better off paying attention to the Good Writing Fairy. She will push you in the right direction because she wants you to be the best writer ever.

    I was in that Bad Fairy/Good Fairy situation once again. I had a YA story that was finished. Well, maybe it was. It could end in two different ways. I chose one, then finished the story. But the Good Fairy kept tapping me on the shoulder with her wand. I knew she wanted me to write the second possible ending, then decide which one would work best. The Bad Fairy must have been hiding somewhere. I didn’t hear her say to use what I had and forget about writing the best ending.

    I know it pays to listen to each of those little nymphs, then make an adult decision.

    The Good Fairy is way ahead in scoring points. 

    Nancy Julien Kopp lives in Manhattan, KS where she writes creative non-fiction, fiction for children, personal essays, articles on the craft of writing, and poetry. She has been published in 22 Chicken Soup for the Soul books, newspapers, magazines, and ezines, and several anthologies including The Write Spot: Possibilities (available in both print and as an ebook at Amazon).

    Nancy was Prose Writer of the Year in 2013 by the Kansas Authors Club.

    She blogs at Writer Granny’s World With Nancy Julien Kopp with tips and encouragement for writers.

  • Today’s guest blogger, Nona Smith, relates her experience about how her book, Stuffed: Emptying the Hoarder’s Nest, came about.

    Eight years after our friend, Al, died, and two weeks after his wife, Linda, was put to rest, my husband, Art, and I stood on their doorstep, key hovering at the lock. As the executor of their estate, Art had every right to be there. But still, we felt like trespassers. He gave a small shrug and turned the key in the lock. We pushed the door open, walked inside, and gazed around at the chaos that greeted us.

    In the living room, twin oak desks stood in front of a window, their drawers exploding with old mail, catalogues, writing implements, and paper. A couch, laden with a mountain of stuffed animals, was sandwiched between two Tiffany floor lamps. On the floor, handwoven rugs were piled on top of handwoven rugs. The dining room had been transformed into a jewelry making studio, and the counters in the kitchen were obscured by apothecary jars filled with mystery liquids, boxes of costume jewelry, and unopened cooking gadgets.

    In Linda’s bedroom, teddy bears ruled the roost. Dressed in elegant attire and jaunty outfits, some wore tutus and some wore nothing more than the fur on their backs. Bears lined the walls, trespassed on the headboard and spilled onto the bedside tables and dresser.

    In the second bedroom, a queen size mattress was propped against a wall, and a daybed held more bears, a brass trumpet, cases of adult diapers, and several folded Navajo rugs. No horizontal surface remained visible.

    Three decades earlier, Art had agreed to be the couple’s executor and now I turned to him.

     “You knew about this?”

    Yes, he nodded somberly. “But I didn’t think they would actually die.”

    And so began our three year undertaking and the beginning of my book Stuffed; Emptying the Hoarder’s Nest.

    I didn’t set out to write a book. But the task we undertook was so unique, troubling, and different than how Art and I live our lives, that I felt compelled to write about it. I found putting down on paper what we discovered, and the profoundly disturbing aggravations we encountered in liquidating this eclectic estate, helped me process the experience.

    I wrote to bring about order. It was therapy . . . and it kept me sane

    We began by choosing one collection at a time and gathering it up, accounting for every item. This part of the process alone was daunting because there was so much scattered over such a large area.

    Al and Linda were well-educated, intelligent, and curious people who were also financially well off. So, not only were they able to acquire things, they had places to store their acquisitions: two houses in southern California, a store in the northern part of the California Bay Area, and a warehouse and apartment building in Berkeley near the UC campus. Stuff was stashed everywhere.

    Once we corralled a collection, we needed to ascertain its value before we could decide whether to sell or donate it. The cartons of never-worn-and-still-in-their-original-wrapping plaid shirts, the used table linens, the mounds of staplers and plyers and cabinets filled with financial papers from businesses Al no longer owned were easy to deal with.

    As the collections became more extraordinary, however, we needed to research and find experts in the field to advise us: What is a merry-go-round calliope worth? Are these gemstones real? What about the fleet of ’57 Plymouths parked tandem in the apartment garage? Are they worth anything? And the hundreds of player piano rolls? How about the profusion of original artwork by a famous botanical printmaker, each signed, dated, and numbered? The Navajo rugs? And, gosh, the teddy bears: are they of any value?

    Dealing with one at a time, we went through the buildings and the collections. Once we knew its value, the entire collection was sold or donated . . . or sent to the dump . . . and I wrote about it.

    I introduced the characters we met along the way and wrote about our frustrations and successes. I began bringing what I wrote to my weekly writing group for editing.

    I didn’t think of them as such, but before long, my writing buddies began referring to these pieces as “chapters.”

    As Art and I neared the end of our journey with this estate, I began to view what I’d written as a book. When we turned what was left over to an estate liquidator, I wrote the final chapter. It came to me as an epilogue, and almost wrote itself.

    Now the question became, what did I want to do with it? Did I want to pursue an agent? Look for an editor? How much more time and energy did I want to spend with Al and Linda and their stuff? The answer came quickly: not much. But out of a desire to honor the time we spent and the education we received, I wanted to create something permanent out of these stories. So, working with a local publisher, Stuffed came into being. I held a small and satisfying book launch at our local independent bookstore, Gallery Bookshop in Mendocino, and sold out of my first two runs.

    The three years Art and I spent dismantling this estate were disturbing and unsettling for me.

    Writing about it as it was happening calmed and comforted me. Putting down on paper how we handled the chaos that surrounded us helped me process the events from the initial sense of overwhelm at the task ahead of us through our frustrations and successes.

    Writing was a gift I cherished.

    Nona Smith has been part of the very active Mendocino Coast writing community since she moved there in 2006.

    Nona is the author of Stuffed: Emptying the Hoarder’s Nest: A True Tale and numerous other published short stories, humorous memoir pieces, and poetry. She is a board member of the Writers of the Mendocino Coast and has been president of the 31-year old Mendocino Coast Writers’ Conference for four years. Nona lives with her patient husband Art and two demanding cats.

    More details about the writing of Stuffed: Emptying the Hoarder’s Nest.

  • What are you writing these days? Some people find it difficult to concentrate. Others are filling pages with poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and creative nonfiction.

    It might be a perfect time to chronicle what is going on in your life . . . if you write this as a journalist would . . . just the facts, that’s nonfiction.

    If you add vignettes and personalize your story, that’s creative nonfiction.

    Here’s what guest blogger Nancy Julien Kopp says about fiction, creative nonfiction, and fictional narrative.

    Most people are aware of the difference between fiction and nonfiction. Fiction is made up, nonfiction is true.

    There is, however, a differentiation between nonfiction and creative nonfiction. Nonfiction is generally expository in that it describes, explains or is informative. If you wrote about leaves in a forest in Montana, your readers would probably learn a great deal about the topic. You would write it as straightforward as possible after doing some research and using your own knowledge of leaves in this part of our country.

    Creative nonfiction is true, can be informative, and written in story form using fiction techniques. It would probably include some dialogue, description of the place and people and relate a story—a true story.

    Memoir writers are writing creative nonfiction. So are those who write Family Stories. Inspirational writers might use this form, too.

    I was reading an article about writing for children recently. They used a different term for true stories told with fiction techniques. They called it ‘Narrative Fiction.’ It is a way of teaching children factual material by telling stories. For instance, if a children’s author wanted to write about the Chicago Fire of 1871, incorporating stories of real people who had experienced that tragic event, it would bring the facts to life for any child reading it. Writing nothing but the facts would make the piece strictly nonfiction, but telling about a boy who helped someone during the fire brings it into narrative form and heightens interest.

    I’ve written countless family stories, and many of you have, too. They are far more than just reporting the facts of what happened. We want to show the people, the place, and what occurred. By adding dialogue, we bring the people to life, and we add feelings which helps the reader relate. We’re writing creative nonfiction.

    I like to think of Creative Nonfiction as telling a true tale with the human element first and foremost.

    Nancy Julian Kopp lives in Manhattan, KS where she writes creative non-fiction, fiction for children, personal essays, articles on the craft of writing, and poetry. She has been published in 22 Chicken Soup for the Soul books, newspapers, magazines, and ezines, and several anthologies including The Write Spot: Possibilities (available in both print and as an ebook at Amazon).

    Nancy was Prose Writer of the Year in 2013 by the Kansas Authors Club.

    She blogs at Writer Granny’s World With Nancy Julien Kopp with tips and encouragement for writers.

  • Guest Blogger Kathy Guthormsen shares her writer’s block woes while sheltering in place. Perhaps you can relate.

    Shelter in Place Writer’s Block

    Sheltering in place has taken all the words from my brain

    Inspiration has disappeared

    My muses are sheltering elsewhere

    I am numb

    I sit at my desk

    I start my computer and open three works-in-process

    I drink my coffee

    I eat my breakfast

    I read the paper

    I work the sudoku puzzle

    I stare at the word jumble trying to make sense of the randomly arranged letters

    I read my works-in-process and make some edits

    I write a few sentences on a new document

    I work an online sudoku puzzle

    I check email

    I check Facebook

    I write items on my to-do list

    I delete the sentences I wrote earlier and beg my muses to speak to me

    I look at writing prompts

    I make more edits to the works-in-process

    I write random phrases on the new document

    I sigh

    I do a load of laundry

    I go for a walk, wearing a mask

    I go to the grocery store, wearing a mask

    I clean out the chicken coop and the cat box and realize I should be wearing a mask for those tasks

    I look at recipes and decide what to make for dinner

    I sit at my desk again and type a few more sentences

    I save all the open documents

    I decide not to post anything on my blog – again

    I realize what’s wrong

    I miss people

    I miss hugs

    I miss my muses

    I long to get lost in writing again

    I want my characters to take me to unexpected places again

    I ask the magic of writing to visit me again

    Kathy Guthormsen

    Growing up in Skagit Valley, Washington with its verdant farmland gave Kathy an appreciation for the promise of nature’s bounty. The Cascade and Olympic mountain ranges and old growth forests offered the magic of things unseen.

    Occasionally her magical muses refuse to talk with her. She fills those times with gardening, books, chores, puzzles, and lists.

    Kathy’s work has been published in The Write Spot: Memories and The Write Spot: Possibilities, available both in print and as ereaders at Amazon.

    You can see more of Kathy’s creative writing on her blog, Kathy G Space, where she posts essays, short stories, and fairy tales.

  • Guest Blogger Ruth Harris writes about the realities of trying to write while sheltered in place.

    You might have thought because you’re staying at home that you’d have more free time to start/finish a book or take an on-line yoga class. But in reality, because we’re all spending so much time at home, much of that time is consumed by eating which means food prep and cooking (which means there’s a kitchen to clean and dishes to be washed), bathrooms to be cleaned and tidied plus, of course, more toilet paper to be purchased (if we can even scrounge up a few rolls somewhere), laundry duty, garbage and trash removal, dusting, vacuuming and, of course, sanitizing.

    As one day melts seamlessly into the next, and we can’t tell Sunday from Tuesday, weekdays from weekends.

    Our moods whiplash between “This sucks” and “It could be worse.”

    We’re bored, anxious, and tired. We’re having trouble sleeping and concentrating. Much less writing.

    “A lot of us are mentally exhausted, because the energy it takes to mentally manage everything that’s happening is very draining,” says Vaile Wright, director of clinical research and quality for the American Psychological Association. “The habits we’ve worked to develop over time to keep us healthy and productive can fall by the wayside.”

    It’s not just you.

    Feeling overwhelmed by an Everest of laundry or frustrated by a cranky TV remote even as we are bombarded by relentless reports of death and disease, does not contribute to creativity.

    Instead of fighting what can feel like an unwinnable battle with the lack of inspiration, let’s consider what we can do that does not take the same level of intense concentration as writing.

    Why not take advantage of these strange days to focus on ways we can improve our skills or acquire new ones?

    1. Author Platform Care And Maintenance.

    Use this Covid-19 pause to reconsider and refresh the elements of your author platform.

    2. Better Blurbs For Better Living.

    Are your (book) blurbs OK?

    As we’ve been told over and over, the cover is the first thing that grabs the reader’s attention. The cover tells him/her what kind of book s/he is looking at: romance (sweet or steamy), women’s fiction, mystery, thriller, horror, sci-fi.

    The blurb (also known as the sales pitch, cover copy, or on Amazon, the “product description”) is the second.

    But once you grabbed/seduced/lured the reader, then what?

    Then you have to make the sale—and that’s where the blurb comes in.

    At a time when you’re finding it difficult to write, refreshing an existing blurb can be a productive use of your time, a satisfying outlet for your creativity and an opportunity to increase your sales.

    3. M Is For Metadata.

    Review your categories.

    David Gaughran tells us that “KDP is now explicitly stating that we are permitted TEN categories for each of our books.”

    If you haven’t already signed up for DG’s newsletter—he keeps a sharp eye on publishing and is generous about sharing info—now would be a good time.

    Revisit your keywords.

    Out with the old. In with the new—and more relevant.

    Dave Chesson’s Publisher Rocket does the tedious work of searching for keywords (and does ditto for categories) that will help make your book more visible to browses and readers.

    4. Brainstorm for Brilliance.

    When you can’t write, maybe you can brainstorm, which is, after all, the fun part. When you let loose, when you forget about sparkling prose, passive verbs and adverb infestation, who knows what brilliant thoughts are just lurking in your subconscious, waiting to be unleashed?

    5. Liberate Your Inner Artist.

    If your sales—and income—have been hit by Covid, DIY art and graphics are more appealing than ever. Learning your way around on-line art sites can be fun that yields practical results.

    Maybe you’d like to try making a cover even though you’re not a designer.

    Perhaps you could jazz up your blog, Instagram feed, or FaceBook page with a new banner.

    Or refresh your ads, create a new business card or bookmark.

    6. Orphaned Books. You Know, The Kind That Don’t Spark Joy.

    If you’re stuck at home, but, like so many of us, the words won’t come and you can’t write, perhaps this period of enforced down time is ideal for you to revisit unfinished and abandoned books. Maybe the solutions to the problems that once stopped you in frustration, will become apparent now that some time has passed.

    Plot holes—they’re not forever.

    Janet Evanovich’s simple method of not-exactly-outlining might help you figure out where you’ve gone wrong and how to go forward.

    7. Strengthen Your Characters.

    If the plot’s OK, but the characters are wooden (or maybe plastic—and you’re not writing sci-fi), now might be the right time to pay them a visit and give them a pulse.

    Here are 8 suggestions about how to create a memorable character.

    8. Embrace That Crappy First Draft.

    Typos.

    Clichés.

    Passive verbs.

    Banal descriptions.

    Lapses in logic.

    Adverbs!

    We’ve all committed these sins (and more because we’re creative), but, because we take our work and our readers seriously, we don’t give up.

    Henry Guinness at the NYT calls himself “a big fan of awful first drafts” and shares a useful trick about how to use that embarrassing first draft to move toward a finished product you can be proud of.

    9. Learn to Self-Edit.

    Harry Guinness goes on to explain: “The secret to good writing is good editing.”

    As a long-time editor, I would go even further and say that good editing is (almost) everything. Obviously, you have to get the words down first, but, after that, multiple rounds of editing will help you clarify your thinking and lead to a polished work in a way that can seem (almost) magic.

    Another plus is that several rounds of self-editing before you unleash your work on the public or on your editor will save you one-star reviews and your editor time. Which will consequently will save you money.

    10. How to Feel like a Real Writer.

    If none of these ideas appeal to you or if you’re just feeling generally blah, why not do what real writers do?

    Procrastinate. 🙂

    Excerpted from Anne R. Allen’s Blog… with Ruth Harris by Ruth Harris.(@RuthHarrisBooks) April 26, 2020

    Click here to read the entire blog post, which is chock full of gems.

    Ruth Harris is a New York Times and Amazon bestselling author and a Romantic Times award winner. Ruth’s emotional, entertaining fiction has topped Amazon’s prestigious Movers and Shakers list and her highly praised novels have sold millions of copies in hard cover, paperback and ebook editions, been translated into 19 languages, sold in 30 countries, and were prominent selections of leading book clubs including the Literary Guild and the Book Of The Month Club. In their e-book editions, Ruth’s novels have been featured on Ereader News Today, Pixel of Ink and Kindle Nation Daily.

    Ruth writes about strong, savvy, witty women who struggle to succeed and, when sometimes they don’t get what they want, they find something even better along the way. Critics have compared Ruth to Nora Ephron and Joan Didion and called her books “brilliant,” “steamy,” “stylishly written,” ”richly plotted,” “first-class entertainment” and “a sure thing.”

  • Guest Blogger Karen Handyside Ely writes about life while sheltering in place.

    2020 has been the longest year of my life, and it’s only April. I really can’t complain (although that has never stopped me before). My adult children, who live in New York City, are healthy and still employed. My husband and I are well, and since I started hoarding toilet paper back in the ‘80s (that is an OCD story for another day) we are literally “good to go.”

    I’ve noticed as the days drag by, that I’m slowly getting used to this new reality. Getting used to it, and getting fat. In the very beginning, back in “aught March,” I decided that this was an opportunity to actively pursue FINALLY becoming skinny. I’ve now failed four diets in four weeks. It doesn’t help to have a husband who loves to bake. In the best of times, his sourdough is hard to resist. In these worst of times, I have given up trying. By the time I am able to meet up with friends in the flesh, I will have become a sphere.

    For now, I’ve had to content myself with Zoom meet-ups. I am no spring chicken, and admit that I had never even heard of this video-conferencing platform. Hilarity ensued as I tried to be an old dog learning a new trick, a humbling yet rewarding experience. I’m now able to attend meetings, writing groups, and Happy Hours with friends from all over the globe. This too is a double-edged sword; the vino flows much more freely when you are sitting in your own kitchen, watching a screen, and missing your buds – another contributing factor to my expanding girth.

    My writing has taken on a rather bi-polar existence. When writing on my own, the words either pour out on the page like torrential rain, or they dribble and drab like a leaky faucet; NO in between. Then every Tuesday, I “Zoom” with a small gathering of writing friends, and we free-write together. There is something so intimate about this virtual experience, and no, it is not because pants aren’t required to attend. This new reality has become a sort of bonding mechanism between us, which enhances the writing sessions. I write with a sharper focus during these group endeavors, even as my self-disciple has gone the way of my diets. I had hoped to have cranked out a book by now, so much free time and all, but while I have fallen woefully short on quantity, I am progressing with quality. 

    I’ve been spending lots of time in my music room, which is filled with musical instruments that were played by my daughter, my son, and me over many years. I’m very rusty, and the piano needs tuning, but when I close my eyes I am able to remember some of the music that brought us closer together. Sadly, my fingers don’t recollect quite as well, but the music brings me solace, even with the clinkers. 

    I’ve read several good books, along with some trashy romance novels. I’ve watched some stellar movies, and binged on some Netflix series that I am embarrassed to admit I watched. Sometimes a little “junk” is good for the soul, but I dream of the day that the Symphony reopens, and I can go back to gorging on beautiful, live music. I have also put myself on a news diet – only one hour of televised news a day. It is the only diet that I have not yet failed at, and I am feeling much more fit, at least mentally.   

    To relieve stress, I stand in my backyard and howl every evening at 8 pm. No, I haven’t “lost it.” Howling has become quite a “thing” here in Petaluma. It feels so good to let-er-rip, not a scream, but a loud, long, mournful howl. Even more gratifying than making this primal sound, is hearing neighbors in their yards howling back. It reminds me that we are in this together, and promises that we will get through this as a community. We are not alone.

    Togetherness has taken on a completely different meaning since the onset of this quarantine. My baking husband and I do almost everything together. We take long walks, discovering nooks and crannies in this town that we’ve always been too busy to explore; albeit with covered faces. We twist ourselves into ridiculous pretzels every afternoon, as we try to maintain some semblance of a yoga practice. We spend so much time together, that a fifteen minute shower alone feels like a solo week-end getaway. I don’t know how he does it … puts up with so much “us time”…  right now I am even sick of myself.

    Honestly, I am tremendously blessed in many ways. I have slowed down, and started to savor the small, everyday things in life. I hear the bees buzzing among our wildflowers, watch the sun set behind my oak tree, and taste the love that my wonderful husband pours into every meal that he makes—although I’m hoping he’ll love me with salad a little more often. 

    Be safe and well, my friends. With kindness, compassion, and a strong dose of humor, this too shall pass.

    Growing up in Petaluma, CA, Karen adored words and stories. She taught herself to read by memorizing pages of the fairytales that her mother read at night to all of the Handyside siblings. The Little Mermaid was her entry into a lifelong love affair with books and writing.

    After graduating from UC Davis with a degree in International Relations & Economics, Karen ran away to New York City to seek her fortune. Karen found that working in NYC Corporate banking wasn’t all that it was cracked up to be. She and her husband, James, moved to Scottsdale AZ, where they raised their family. A stay-at-home mom, Karen became a professional (and somewhat out of control) volunteer, working primarily with children’s charities and Arts Education Programs. 

    Once their chicks left the nest, Karen and James returned to Petaluma. Karen began to focus on the things that she most enjoys doing—music, writing, and travel. Karen and James often travel to Brooklyn to visit their son and daughter.

    Karen is active with the Santa Rosa Symphony League, sings with a Petaluma choir, and has been published in The Write Spot to Jumpstart Your Writing: Discoveries, The Write Spot: Reflections, and The Write Spot: Possibilities (all available on Amazon).