Hens Lay Eggs
food for thought
The source of creativity
Every so often, I come across a post asking what to do about writer’s block. Writer’s block is an inability to write; it does not refer to having written your character into a corner. I don’t believe in writer’s block. I do, however, understand when someone has a creative hiatus. I’ve experienced them myself. The only cure that works for me is tincture of time.
How much time? That’s anybody’s guess. I once took a 10-year hiatus. There were other demands on my time, energy, and focus, and I had nothing to spare for writing.
When I explain the concept, I use the analogy of a well. There’s a well within your mind or heart or spirit that contains your creativity. When you write or paint or compose or whatever, you draw from that well. Now just like real life, some people have deep wells that refill quickly and others don’t. If you draw from the well faster than it can be replenished, your suffer a scarcity of creative energy.
A well needs time to refill. Therefore, I advise those writers who have emptied their wells of creative energy to set their languishing manuscripts aside and do something else. Go for a walk. Ride a bike. Cook a new dish. Listen to music. Read a book. Watch a movie. This is not to say that a single excursion or activity will cure what ails you; it’s a suggestion for alternative activity to focus you conscious mind on other things while your subconscious mind takes a much needed rest.
The source of creativity is not the well.
My son likes to remind me that writers have one of the highest percentages of mental illness of any profession. There’s a good reason for that.
The source of creativity is pain.
Creativity results from the need to express pain. Humans express pain in beautiful ways: music, art, and literature. Other people express pain in other ways through physical exertion or a multitude of tasks or by shutting down.
I came to this conclusion with the realization that when I’m in a contented or generally happy state, I don’t write or paint. I have no urge to expel the emotion filling me, to get it out before it can do any more damage.
I’ll bet that those creative people who were acknowledged as “mad” or “disturbed” or “not quite right in the head” were the types who worked best when the well runneth over. They created their masterpieces in an effort to drain the well and ease the pain.
The key to sustainable creativity is to manage the pain, to keep it in balance with other emotions. Too much pain squelches creativity. Too much pain manifests as mental, emotional, and physical illness. The absence of pain removes the impetus to create.
I also think that this explanation of creativity doesn’t serve the majority of writers who are “plotters.” This explanation better fits the “pantser” category of writer who writes best when inspired.
Common questions
Over the years, I have partipipated in several online writers’ groups. Some are general, targeted to writers of fiction and nonfiction of any genre; others focus on novice writers or publishing or specific genres. I no longer participate in some and continue to participate in others. Regardless of the forum, platform, community or whatever else you want to call it, the same questions recur. Most run along a handful of general themes.
1. Is this is a good idea for a book?
Whether your story concept is good enough to develop into a full-length novel depends entirely on you. It depends on your ability to develop the story, to write it, to persevere. It depends upon your skill as a writer and your creativity. How resourceful are you? How invested in the idea are you? If you believe the idea is worthy of development, then you’ve either got to have the wherewithal to develop it or let it languish. By “wherewithal,” I mean you either do it yourself or you hire a ghostwriter.
2. Is the idea unique?
The short answer is, no, your idea is not unique. According to literary experts, there are only a limited number of archetypal plots, and your story will fall into one of them. That doesn’t mean it’s not unique. The originality of your well-used, worn-out plot comes from what you do with it. How you twist the plot and develop it makes the story unique.
3. Can I write that?
Most authors who ask that question really mean “May I write that?” They’re asking for permission or validation. This question stems from worry that whatever they write will offend someone. My response: yes, you may write whatever you want. Whether you can is a question of ability. You need no one’s permission to write the story (or stories) in your head. Whether those stories are marketable is a different matter.
3. How do I start my story?
The simple answer is to write. Just write. Tell the story. However, a lot of people need more instruction than that. They need a plan with milestones. Those people benefit from an outline. For those who really don’t know how to start and are stymied by the blank page, I suggest beginning with “Once upon a time.” When the story is well under way, those four words can be deleted. Or keep them if you like.
4. I wrote my story … how can I get it published?
Cool your jets, my friend. A lot of people think they’re finished when they reach the end of the story … but they’re not. You see, writing the story is the fun part. After your mind and fingers have vomited the story onto the page, it’s time for the real work to begin, that tedious phase involving editing and revision. This requires putting distance between you and your work. It vastly benefits from objective eyes. The editing and revision phase of the publication process begins with the author reviewing the entire manuscript and correcting the flaws and errors, filling plot holes, weaving in or removing subplots, and making other changes that change a raw story into a well-seasoned dish. When the author has done the very best he or she can, it’s time to hire a professional like me.
To restate this, getting published depends on the path you wish to take: traditional publishing or self-publishing. Your decision determines what you do. Either decision requires you engage in rigorous, meticulous self-editing and revision.
5. Do I need an editor?
Yes, you need an editor. I’m a professional editor and I need an editor. Whether you should hire an editor is another matter. If you’ll be pursuing traditional publishing, then you probably don’t need to hire an editor. (The publisher that accepts your manuscript will run your manuscript through several rounds of editing.) Many authors who pursue self-publishing assume that self-publishing is DIY. Not so. The author who self-publishes assumes the responsibilities of a traditional author, which means engaging professionals to provide the services that bring the book up to professional standards for public consumption. (NB: Robust editing software is helpful, but cannot substitute for a human editor.)
No doubt I will continue to respond to these and similar questions, because I really do want to help writers produce their best work. But they need to go into these projects with their eyes wide open. They should understand what they’re getting into.
Convention season begins
My first event of 2023 was the Apple City Book Fair in Jackson, OH. The event was hosted by Monday Creek Book Publishing (Nelsonville, OH) and the Jackson City Library (Jackson, OH).When I worked in association management, spring was the beginning of “convention season.” Warm weather and the oncoming flexibility of summer break for students had everyone working hard to organize and promote these events. It’s no different for authors who participate in various fairs, conventions, conferences, festivals, etc.
A huge amount of work goes on behind the scenes to organize and manage fairs, festivals, conference, and conventions. Even a small event entails coordination with property managers, banquet personnel, program directors, speakers, and more. Small events may be effectively and efficiently managed by one or two people, but larger events with more than a couple of hundred attendees expected really need a team of people.
Because I’ve been the organizer behind the scenes, I understand the magnitude of work required. That’s also why I don’t organize events anymore. I appreciate the work they put into making these events happen.
Every event has multiple goals with one all-important ambition: to make money. An event must at least break even, although making a profit is better. Events have many, many expenses. Property must be rented. Equipment (audiovisual equipment, tables, chairs, podiums, microphones, etc.) must be rented. Food must be purchased. Speakers must be paid. Programs and marketing materials must be designed and printed (which costs money, too). And the organizer (and staff) must be paid. Event organizers try to defay costs by having in-house personnel write and design programs and marketing collateral, relying on social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) to promote the event, relying on volunteer speakers and staff, engaging food vendors instead of providing meals, and more.
When I organized annual conferences, a small conference with upwards of 200 to 250 people easily racked up expenses in excess of $30,000 before staff were paid. And staff worked hard. I remember being on the job by 6:00 AM to ensure all meeting rooms and banquet services were properly set up and working until 11:00 PM without a break. After two or three days of that, my brain would turn into applesauce. Exhaustion does that, you know.
I understand the rigors involved in organization and managing events, which is why I tend to be forgiving of event staff when things don’t go quite to plan. There are a lot of moving parts to track. I’ll still be upset or annoyed, but I balance that with the understanding that comes from experience. The event organizer always has a chance to remedy the error, and I may be willing to compromise.
That happened recently. An event in which I am a registered vendor not only changed venues, it also dropped me from the vendor list. If I hadn’t had the urge to check on hotel accommodations, I would not have discovered that until I arrived at the wrong location and tried to check in. The organizer neglected to notify me of the change in venue or the reassignment of my vendor space.
I was not pleased. However, I contacted the organizer with evidence of my paid registration fee and confirmation of my vendor space. That same day, the organizer apologized and corrected the error. He made it right. I’m satisfied. Now all I’ve got to do is help promote the event (like every other vendor is supposed to do) and hope that I will at least recoup my expenses.
Event participation requires a lot of time and effort from the vendor, too. This may be difficult for authors, many of whom are introverts (like me). Selling does not come naturally to us. I’m always physically, emotionally, and mentally drained by the end of any event. My expenses cover not just the registration fee, but travel (fuel, hotel accommodations, meals), inventory, and other accoutrements (tables, chairs, table cloths, business cards, signage, etc.). I don’t factor the cost of my time into the expenses, because that would just hurt.
Being an author is like any business endeavor: profit is needed to remain in business. While an author has more than one goal in event participation, books sales remains critically important to an author’s ability to continue to participate. Some authors work in concert with others. I attend most events with my best friend who’s an artist. Not only do we sell my books, but we sell our paintings. My sister-in-law will be participating in a few events with me this year, too. She makes chain mail jewelry. A variety of items attracts a variety of attendees. We can help one another by promoting our different wares, watching over the booth when one of us needs a break, etc. Sometimes, it’s my hobby (painting) that enables me to break even or make a profit at an event.
If you’re an author, especially a self-published or indie author, and you need some good advice about participating in events as vendor, I highly recommend Working the Table: An Indie Author’s Guide to Conventions by Lee French and Jeffrey Cook. I bought their book years ago and it’s been a great help!
If you want to see where I’ll be this year, go to my EVENTS page. If you’ll be attending any of these events and wish to buy books (and make sure that the titles you want are available), then use the pre-order form to reserve your copies. No payment is required to reserve copies of books; however, any books not claimed and purchased during the event will be put back in regular inventory for sale later.
Author
Hard boiled, scrambled, over easy, and sunny side up: eggs are the musings of Holly Bargo, the pseudonym for the author.
Follow
Karen (Holly)
Blog Swaps
Looking for a place to swap blogs? Holly Bargo at Hen House Publishing is happy to reciprocate Blog Swaps in 2019.
For more information: