Another January, another season of watching my fellow writers experience a surge of energy for their work. Sometimes, it’s brought on by the downtime over the holidays; in others by the shiny, fresh feeling of a new year.
Perhaps you’re among these writers, for whom the January reset comes with a little extra gas in the tank. I hope so. And if you are, let’s talk about how you can make the most of it while it lasts.
- Don’t squander your surge on research, unless it’s the most important thing your project needs right now.
As a former newspaper reporter, I’m particularly susceptible to this one. “How can I write if there’s more reporting to do?” I think. The truth is, there is always more reporting you can do. The real question is: Is it necessary? Or is it just procrastination?
If that “research” involves social media, it can probably wait.
Instead, make a list of the questions you’re thinking about researching. Then switch to your project and start writing. If, once you’ve got your writing done, those questions still feel urgent, by all means, dive in!
- Do create a bridging ritual.
The writer Sheryl Garratt says that between fast-paced lives and constant distractions, many of us have forgotten the value of performing a ritual as we shift from task to task.
“Ritual can be a way of reclaiming space, of bringing … ourselves fully into the present moment in order to do our best work,” Garratt writes. “Bridging rituals are the tiny things we do to move from one role to another, to shift from one task to a different one, to change our state of mind and find focus in a world of constant distraction.”
Garratt suggests small, easy rituals like making yourself a cup of tea, or clearing your workspace. You can, like Mister Rogers, take off your jacket and put on a cardigan. She also suggests taking three deep breaths and then saying aloud, “I am now here to make art.”
OK, that one might not be for everybody.
Find one that does work for you, and then do it. (Ignore your dog giving you the side-eye.)
My last suggestion comes in two parts, which may at first sound antithetical:
- Don’t write for 5 minutes, then give up. AND, make time for breaks.
You need to give your mind time to simmer down, to shed the world, to reach The Zone. If you get impatient because it’s taking more than a few minutes to find, you’ll never actually get there.
You also need to respect your poor beleaguered brain when it’s tired. Gotham teacher Angela Lam has written about this, and says that our minds are like nutrient-rich soil — they need rest to remain fertile.
“Sometimes,” Angela says, “while laying fallow, a seed germinates and sprouts, out of control, into an award-winning story.”
Let that be a benediction for us all— ride your new-year wave, and let us read your stories!
Kelly Caldwell
Dean of Faculty