tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7545210782126483136.post6305755514239012166..comments2024-01-24T05:13:06.164-08:00Comments on Not Your Usual Suspects: Where There's SmokeSusanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11286314155783213006noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7545210782126483136.post-42751826538225741592016-05-20T06:17:18.464-07:002016-05-20T06:17:18.464-07:00Cathy, yes. We all trust that this next ball will ...Cathy, yes. We all trust that this next ball will be the ball that makes the difference. But what is this "difference" that we all hope to see? I honestly don't know anymore. I already work harder and longer hours than I ever did at any "day job," and I remember thinking *that* schedule was unsustainable! Josh Lanyonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11944091956589831656noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7545210782126483136.post-87424542458074972982016-05-20T06:13:29.232-07:002016-05-20T06:13:29.232-07:00It's terrifying, isn't it, Sharon? Creativ...It's terrifying, isn't it, Sharon? Creativity is a powerful but yet weirdly fragile force. It has to be protected and maintained...like a well in the desert. Josh Lanyonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11944091956589831656noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7545210782126483136.post-42247898338651407802016-05-20T06:11:05.606-07:002016-05-20T06:11:05.606-07:00Toni, yes. What we all forget is that in order to ...Toni, yes. What we all forget is that in order to have something to write about, in order to keep the words real, we have to stay engaged with the outside world. We have to have something real to write about. And that only comes from spending plenty of time in reality. The reality we don't create and cannot control. ;-) Josh Lanyonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11944091956589831656noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7545210782126483136.post-58025437009640368372016-05-20T06:08:29.973-07:002016-05-20T06:08:29.973-07:00Marcelle, I think that's the key. Filling your...Marcelle, I think that's the key. Filling your life with...well, life. Making time for other creative projects, spending time with people who live outside the confines of our imagination...just getting out there and feeling the sunlight on your face! Josh Lanyonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11944091956589831656noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7545210782126483136.post-78470513947860012732016-05-20T06:05:41.637-07:002016-05-20T06:05:41.637-07:00Rita, these are wise words. I'm lucky in that ...Rita, these are wise words. I'm lucky in that I've always been able to write what I love, but even then pushing to produce too much too fast can wear you out. And one of the saddest parts of that is losing that love for the work. Josh Lanyonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11944091956589831656noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7545210782126483136.post-63173905153000319732016-05-17T08:50:08.013-07:002016-05-17T08:50:08.013-07:00Great post, Josh. Thank you.Great post, Josh. Thank you.LIsa Q. Mathewshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12081838857691355410noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7545210782126483136.post-89483844881487821812016-05-16T19:43:59.733-07:002016-05-16T19:43:59.733-07:00Wow, you really hit a nerve Josh. We all tend to k...Wow, you really hit a nerve Josh. We all tend to keep adding another ball to the mix in the air, until one day our bodies, your minds, our creativity simply say, No more.CathyPhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04671747592743029540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7545210782126483136.post-35154630780112523902016-05-16T17:11:51.707-07:002016-05-16T17:11:51.707-07:00I discovered this when trying to meet a (self-impo...I discovered this when trying to meet a (self-imposed) deadline and I simply ran out of words. It was like my brain said "no" when I tried to type words on the screen. <br /><br />That's when I realized that drawing on a well that has gone dry is very frightening experience for a writer. Creativity requires us to nurture and feed it regularly, not as an afterthought. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11981187517116940212noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7545210782126483136.post-652992210653486902016-05-16T15:26:41.765-07:002016-05-16T15:26:41.765-07:00Definitely words of wisdom. I'm pretty tired r...Definitely words of wisdom. I'm pretty tired right now. Too many balls being juggled and not enough creative nurturing, but I have a big world trip to look forward to where I plan to slow down the word count and play tourist and research like crazy. The good thing for me is that reading/listening to biographies refills my well and sparks creativity. I'm bad with downtime but I need a break. My major resentment is others trying to force me to rest when I have something important to do. Let me do it and then I'll take a break. It's a balancing act, for sure. <br /><br />But you've reminded me I'm not just allowed downtime, it's vital.Toni Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08348843511453338339noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7545210782126483136.post-49575497824307578672016-05-16T13:23:24.302-07:002016-05-16T13:23:24.302-07:00Words of wisdom, Josh. I have to watch myself, too...Words of wisdom, Josh. I have to watch myself, too, though my schedule isn't as brutal as others'. The day job takes a lot of my creative energy sometimes, and other times, it tips me over into critical mode so that I hate everything I write. So I take breaks from writing. I work on other aspects--cover design, reading friends' works, etc. Being aware of our own particular warning signs is key.Marcelle Dubéhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18164965676254630066noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7545210782126483136.post-15209740616149854262016-05-16T12:31:08.031-07:002016-05-16T12:31:08.031-07:00I learned this about a year and a half ago. I star...I learned this about a year and a half ago. I started doing other creative things that make me happy. I love writing. I've been writing what I want. What makes me happy.Ritahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09054306874904898496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7545210782126483136.post-72587098351284137322016-05-16T11:23:11.780-07:002016-05-16T11:23:11.780-07:00The funny thing is how fast burn-out can overtake ...The funny thing is how fast burn-out can overtake you. In less than four months I went from loving writing to starting to dread it again. And as far as I can tell, the problem only amounted to forcing myself back to work before I was fully recharged.<br /><br />Non-writers picture the process of writing to be something along the lines of copying your imaginings onto paper (cyber or pulp) but in fact, it's really much more complicated, much more along the lines of doing calculus all day. Once you explain it like that, it begins to make sense. The mental focus required is brutal and that's what makes it so draining, so exhausting.<br /><br />You really do have to build in recovery time between projects. Josh Lanyonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11944091956589831656noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7545210782126483136.post-36873695971751606642016-05-16T08:00:21.262-07:002016-05-16T08:00:21.262-07:00Josh, thank you for this post. I mentioned a few m...Josh, thank you for this post. I mentioned a few months ago that I was feeling the stirrings of burnout. I slowed down my project timelines, but now that that project is (FINALLY) over, I'm not feeling like working on anything else. Luckily, I don't have to worry about any deadlines but my own, but that disappointing readers aspect can be tough. It's only been a few days since I wrapped up that book, but I'm going to try to take it easier this time around...Anne Marie Beckerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17603878676306179018noreply@blogger.com