After reading that headline, I bet you're expecting me to pontificate on writer's block. I'm not. Writer's block – to me at least – is a complete brain stoppage when in pursuit of a creative writing, like for a novel or memoir or essay.The work needs to go somewhere, but you don't know where yet. You're blocked.
That's not what I'm talking about here (though I may write about it in a future newsletter). Today, I mean "I have to get this story done so I can meet my deadline so they can pay me money so I can buy fancy dog treats or my dog will murder me in my sleep." While of course creativity is involved in this kind of writing, I see it more of a craft than art. As I described it to a friendly recent, I sometimes feel like I'm making a table.
Here are three things that can help out:
1. Write the lede last. Sure you want a strong opening, but if you're starting at your screen and not writing anything because you can't think up the perfect first line in that moment, skip it and get right into the meat of the piece instead. Often, I'll do this and the lede will come to me as part of that regular flow of writing. Or I'll finish a story and pull the lede from a supporting paragraph, or realize my last line should be my first. If I'm still stumped, I'll go take a walk (which I think is the modern day equivalent of taking a cigarette break) and it'll pop into my head while I'm not thinking about it. The point is, I don't let that one line or lines stop me from getting to work. To go back to the building a table metaphor: I'm doing the hard work of making the table, then applying the stain and sealer. It's the last bit of gloss before the project is done.
2. Block your time. As much as people say "freelancing is flexible!" I try to stick to a routine. In the summer, I get up, walk my dog, run, eat breakfast, make coffee (still meditating in the time it takes to brew!) and then write until about 10am. That's when I take a break, do chores, walk the dog again, make lunch, have a smaller cup of coffee, and then either write again or do phone interviews, stopping around 3:30pm. I'm not saying you need to set up your day like this, but I'm writing it out to show that my day has one, sometimes two, dedicated blocks of writing time. When I enter a block, I must write. If it's a particularly difficult assignment, I will settle in and tell myself I'm just going to pick at this piece for that block of time and see what happens. Here's the quote I want to use from this person, where is that statistic? Okay I need a transition here, and the quote from the other expert. I can typically wrap up a 800 for story this way (assuming all the interviews and research are done when I go into it). I astonish myself almost every time. I know there are more sophisticated way to do this, with calendars and timers and apps. I have tried them, and they have overwhelmed me. This kind of scheduling works much better in forcing me to write (and does provide some of that flexibility too. Earlier this week I ditched one of those blocks to go to my friend's pool. I'm glad I did).
3. Listen to tunes. Sounds pretty basic, right? But when I put on something that pulls my mind out of its spiral that "I can't possibly write!" the writing goes with the sound. I usually listen to WRTI in the morning, or put on a genetic online "classical piano" station. I'll also pull up Youtube videos of Disney Theme Park Music (and just listen not watch), or when I'm really desperate, skip music and put on the "Train Journey to the Norwegian Arctic Circle" video where the noise of the train is its own kind of soundtrack. Bonus in the summer: with noise canceling headphones, this also drowns out the sound of gas-powered leaf blowers.
Basic stuff! But sometimes I even need reminders of the basic stuff sometimes.
Also, because some of you have asked I now have a tip jar in the form of a "Buy Jen a Coffee" link. I started it on my book blog, and I figured I'd feature it here. You are under no obligation of course. I am dedicated to writing this newsletter for free, whether I get tips or not.
Anyway, on with the rest of the show!
Recent Bylines
"Seeing Kerataconus Through a Different Lens" for Medicine Iowa
"Changing the Treatment of Cancer" for Medicine at Michigan
"What Enterprise Leaders Can Divine from Software Bills of Materials" for CIO Dive
"How to Find Packaging Materials in a 'Perfect Storm' of Supply Chain Issues" for Supply Chain Dive
"What Leaders Overlook after an ERP Overhaul" for CIO Dive
"Physical Security Technology to Know" for Independent Banker
"Pay is Only One Piece of the Worker Retention Puzzle" for Supply Chain Dive
What I'm Reading
Once again, these links goes to my reviews of the books, so click to find out what I thought!
- The Perfect Crimes of Marian Hayes by Cat Sebastian
- Baggage: Tales from a Fully Packed Life by Alan Cumming
- The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel
- Flying Solo by Linda Holmes
- The Blue Diamond by Leonard Goldberg
- Hustle. My dad wanted to watch this on Father's Day, and I can see why: a basketball movie set in Philadelphia? I was in. I liked it! A solid flick.
- Keep Sweet. Yikes. I'd listened to the Unfinished: Short Creek podcast when it came out, so I knew much about what happened at the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. But seeing it – the videos, pictures, interviews with victims – was a different experience. Both harrowing. Both telling an awful story.
- The Bear. I starting hearing about this show from critic friends before it came out, and they were right in saying to pay attention. It's about an acclaimed chef coming back to run the family restaurant after his brother dies by suicide. It's wonderful and tense and full of heart. It was just renewed for a second season, which I have mixed feelings about. They left the door open to it, but a big part of me wanted them to leave this as a limited run series. Ah well.
- Obi-Wan. For someone who didn't see the prequels, I cared more about this series than I thought I would. Good stuff.
- Rutherford Falls. I binged two seasons of this charming and extremely smart series in just a few weeks. I hate that it's behind the wall of Peacock though, because I want more people to see it. I would LOVE if NBC tested running a few episodes during the summer. This and Girls5eva could benefit from it.
- Thor: Love and Thunder. Criticizing this movie by saying it's not as good as Thor: Ragnarok is like saying you didn't like that your team won their division because they also weren't World Series champions. Ragnarok was near perfect. Love and Thunder is also very good (though "Christian Bale does radical things to his body for a role!" is boring to me).
- Ms. Marvel. Also very good! Some criticism has been that it's too YA. Folks, it's a show about a teenager, what else is it supposed to be? I was surprised that the show had bigger post-scene credit reveals than Thor, but that's the way Disney/Marvel rolls.
- Downton Abbey: A New Era. Exactly the kind of familiar fluff I needed at the exact moment I found it. Entertainment can be silly bliss.
- Psychosexual. This is Joel Kim Booster's comedy special on Netflix. He's having quite a summer, isn't he? I'm glad. He did an interview with John Moe on Depresh Mode while deep in the middle of depression. It was startling to hear, because usually the interview is with someone after they've come out. He was right in it. I'm glad he found a way forward.
Jen A. Miller
Running: A Love Story
Book a Week with Jen
Notes from a Hired Pen eBook series
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