Writing Tips Tuesday: Present and Engaged

Welcome back for another edition of Writing Tip Tuesdays! If you missed last week, we were joined by the indelible Jeff Hargett who shared some profound writing and life advice. I highly recommend you check it out.

You may have noticed that I used the word “indelible” when describing Jeff. But it was only after I typed it that I realized I wasn't sure exactly what that word meant. Thankfully, indelible is defined as “not able to be forgotten or removed” as in “Jeff’s post made an indelible impression on me", which is true. Not two days after Jeff originally sent me his post, a conversation with my wife really brought Jeff’s message home.

I don’t know about you, but when I write (and when I read) I get a little distracted. Over the years my always supportive wife has gotten used to me being…kinda out of it when I’m really mulling over a story. And by “out of it” I mean eyebrow deep in the story I’m creating. It’s difficult for me to pull away. My head is in the clouds. I’m in another world. I stagger around with a far off look in my eyes. I abruptly end conversations so that I can go jot down ideas. You know, typical crazy writer stuff.

Which was all well and good when it was just the two of us.

I mean the three of us (sorry Pippin).

But now that we've added another to the Gaylord family, it’s no longer acceptable to have half my mind on another planet. As my wife (who is no slouch when it comes to wordsmithing) helped me realize, when raising an infant you have to be “present and engaged”. It wouldn't be fair to Amelia, or to me, to miss out on her everyday little moments because I wasn't really paying full attention.

How could you not give your full attention to that smile?

As DS9’s Ben Sisko pointed out last week:

"It's life, Jake! You could miss it if you don't open your eyes."

So what’s a writer to do? I need to immerse myself in other worlds in order to write them but I can’t live there. Where's the balance?

Scotty, beam me up.

Halloween a couple years back.

That’s right, I’m working on my transporter skills. Or another way to think of it is that I’m trying to install an On/Off switch. I’m here on this planet, present and engaged (the switch is Off) until I get some time to write. At that point I flip the On switch, hit the teleported pad, and dive head first into my world.

It’s not easy but at this point in my life, I need clean breaks. I’m still working on figuring this out but here’s what’s been working for me so far:

1.      Have a defined time to write. In the past I’ve jumped in and out of writing throughout the day but now I find that I need to say, “Ok, the next hour is writing, then I’m done.”

2.      At the start of that writing time, I get hyped. Some music, a little jumping around, whatever it takes to make that time an event. This is writing time. This is my time to live on another planet. It’s go time.

3.      At the end of writing time I shut it down. I close my documents with purpose. I shut down my computer. I take a moment to crank down that leakyfaucet.

In summary, a little ceremony on either side of writing time helps me resurface so that I can be present and engaged. What about you? Is this something you struggle with? How do you cope?

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Margo also has an adorable daughter.

Please check back next week when we will be joined by one of the best all-around writing bloggers on the web, Margo Berendsen!

Also, if you want to get involved with Writing Tip Tuesdays, please shoot me an email at adamgaylordwrites gmail com.

We have great tips from a bunch more great writers coming up so stay tuned!

Writing Tip Tuesdays: Poke Your Head Up by Jeff Hargett

Welcome back for another edition of Writing Tip Tuesdays!

If you haven't already, take a quick moment to vote and help decide the cover art for my gladiatorial fantasy novel, Sol of the Coliseum. 


Please welcome writer, blogger, Trekkie, and one of the nicest guys on the web (seriously, I know I've said this before but he's just that nice), Mr. Jeff Hargett with his tip "Poke Your Head Up".

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I'm a Star Trek nut. Always have been. Always will be. One of my favorite episodes in the entire franchise was the Deep Space Nine episode The Visitor. Captain Benjamin Sisko is the father of a writer--an avid writer--named Jake. You know the type. The storyteller who can't drop the pen or push away the keyboard until they've pumped out one more story or polished that last paragraph to perfection.

This episode is not about space battles, light speed or technobabble. It's about love and loss and desperation. The episode is powerful and poignant, worthy to be seen even by folks who flee from Trek. In the opening act, the captain is trying to pry his son away from his writing just long enough to see an event that happens only twice a century. In doing so, Jake's father gave him some advice. He said:

"I'm no writer, but if I were, it seems to me I'd want to poke my head up every once in a while and take a look around. See what's going on. It's life, Jake! You could miss it if you don't open your eyes."

What a pearl of wisdom this is. It applies to everyone, but particularly to writers. We storytellers create places, people and events that we hope will somehow resonate with our readers. Achieving this is no small task. It requires more than talent and skill. It requires us to live a life in balance.

I've frequently written about that whimsical, imaginary muse of mine who pops in unannounced and refuses to memorize my schedule, but I've come to realize that we each have a real life muse inspiring us and feeding us tantalizing story bits. That muse is our life experiences. When we don't take the time to poke our heads up every once in a while and open our eyes--to actually live life--then our muse won't have much material with which to work.

It's often said that our stories come from within us. Experiencing life fills our creative tanks with fuel. It's the charge that starts the engine and powers the creative journey.

Maybe the real reason we experience writer's block is because we're not experiencing life. The only way to know for sure? Poke your head up every once in a while, take a look around and see. I guarantee it won't be time squandered.

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As with so many of Jeff's posts (which you should check out here), this really hit home for me. So much so that next week's WTT will feature my own take on Jeff's advice and how important it's been for me over the last six months.

I think you'll like it so stay tuned!