Collaborations Galore! Writing Advice + Tips for a More Creative Life + Life in the Twilight Zone
[image description: a bookshelf full of books with a graphic of a blue paint brushstroke and the words “Off the Beaten Shelf”]
I don’t know about you, but at first when the coronavirus hit I couldn’t do a thing because I was so distracted by it and now I’m doing ALL THE THINGS to distract myself from it. Though I’m resisting the urge to pressure myself to be productive, I do feel better when I have a task to complete. (However you’re handling this weird time is valid.)
Which brings me to this week’s post. In the past 2 weeks I’ve collaborated with
Harmony Cox, satire writer extraordinaire and one of the editors of The Belladonnas. She has a weekly newsletter with an advice column and we teamed up to dispense some writing advice to a struggling creative. (Also one of my BFFs, but she’s so talented that I’d be gushing all the same even if she wasn’t.)
Kyle Leon Henderson, host of the Not for Nothing podcast and a friend I’ve known for a decade. (Wow, that makes me sound old!) You’ve seen Kyle around this blog before––he’s the one who took me to The Last Bookstore, Westsider Books, Iliad Books, and Skylight Books. He’s one of my Literary Tourism buds.
WOSU, the Columbus NPR affiliate, for their WPA-inspired project Letters From Home, about life in the age of coronavirus.
There’s writing wisdom, tips for living a more creative life, and my quirky creative nonfiction. So rather than a traditional post this week, I wanted to share this smorgasbord of goodness with you!
First up, Ask Harmonopoly. (reposted with permission, obviously)
For today’s column, I’ve been joined by my dear friend and frequent collaborator, Mandy Shunnarah. Mandy runs the stellar book blog Off The Beaten Shelf, has bylines ranging from The Rumpus to Electric Lit, runs a vintage book and fashion store, and generally has ten projects going on at any given time. Who better to help with a question about juggling writing ambitions than her?
Harmony Cox (HC): The question in question: I’m flailing all over the place with my writing projects, torn by desires to move quickly towards a new book and lack of clarity on which format or topic I should focus on. I’m clutching at notes and scraps of things, and also creating grandiose frameworks to contain it, it feels like an undefined mess. What now?
An excellent question! And one I don't necessarily feel qualified to answer, since I started an advice column because I can't focus on a goddamn thing right now. But if I know anyone who can balance a lot of writing projects at once, it's you, so!
Mandy Shunnarah (MS): I find that there's a lot of freedom in having multiple writing projects because it allows me to respect what I can bring to the table each day. My energy levels differ, my mental and emotional bandwidth differs, etc., and I'd much rather have *something* I can work on than to push myself to work on something that I just don't have the capacity for that day. The question makes me think they're trying to force clarity where it's not ready to come yet. When you're early on in a project, you might think you know what form it'll take, but the reality is that it's going to shift A LOT. And that's okay! That's normal and good.
HC: Yeah, you have to allow room for projects to breathe and grow, and be ready to come back for them when the time is right. Unless I am specifically commissioned to write a piece, I never sit down and write a single draft of something and call it good. Most of my work is amalgamations of two or three drafts of different failed attempts at other things. But I empathize with our reader because it's so hard to give up your ideal of what a piece could be, you know?
MS: True, I know I used to feel like that often, but I realized that me trying to force clarity was making me hate writing. I'd challenge this person to consider why they feel like they need clarity *right now*. So often, clarity doesn't come during the act of writing, it comes from editing. And you can't edit what you haven't written.
HC: You can't edit what you haven't written! So true. Every writer needs that tattooed on their forehead. Do you think a part of the issue is anxiety? (since let's face it, writing is a Profession for The Anxious)
MS: I totally think anxiety has something to do with it. A strong desire to control things is often at the root of anxiety and what better to control than artistic output? Theoretically, the art we produce should be the thing we have the most control over since it's generated from within, then I think we anxious writers (my medicated ass included) get frustrated when the writing tries to do its own thing.
HC: YES! We get so mad when our writing tries to get away from us! We're all like terrible pageant moms for our prose.
MS: OMG YES. Gimme the three-foot-tall trophies and the ribbons. When does clarity tend to come for you, Harmony? Like at what point in the process (writing + editing)?
There’s LOTS more to this conversation, which you can read here. If you enjoyed it, we’d love for you to subscribe to Harmony’s newsletter. Who knows, we might just collaborate again!
Next up, Not for Nothing.
I had so much fun recording this podcast. I love writing, but there’s a whole different side of me that comes out when I’m going off-the-cuff. This episode is all about the creative life, staying consistent with your art, and of course, books, books, books.
You can listen on Kyle’s website, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or iHeartRadio.
Lastly, Letters From Home.
For weeks after everything started getting shut down due to coronavirus, I was having trouble writing. It felt like my brain was working on half speed. WOSU’s prompt to write about life in the age of coronavirus was just the kick I needed to get back in gear.
This post has a bunch of stories grouped together and mine is the first one right up top. It’s short, sweet, and has Twilight Zone references.
There you have it! Read, listen, and be entertained.
Thanks for supporting my work. Your time and attention means so much to me. xo
