In Which Ann Patchett Is Wise (duh) + Meet Woofie!
Why I'll be mostly offline writing until the New Year
Maybe you did NaNo this year — congratulations whether you made your goals or not! I had NaNo goals, which I did not quite meet. This is always a hard time of year for me, with the waning light (though we’ve had some freakish warm weather, which, while troubling, helps), and then we lost Puck, and also I had a million fall events (promo and writing do not always play together well). But then we decided to adopt the puppy, and between the numerous events and the anticipation I — quite frankly — could not focus.
Speaking of which! Beowoof, aka Woofie, is settling in great. Visit instagram for a million videos and stories. For now, here he is in toy jail yesterday. He’s very smol and silly if smart and hops like a goat. I have a bag I can put him in and sling over my shoulder, so he’s getting lots of socialization and random visits places. He is absolutely precious, obsessed with Sally (and vice versa), and has been accepted by the whole family. WHEW. I’m already getting back into my productivity groove.
(I’m a goldendoodle who will not get very big, but I have a LORGE personality.)
More Creative Stuff Ahead
I keep wondering why I’m a little behind where I’d like to be on work for this year, and why I want to hibernate for a month, and then, oh yeah, remember Project Revive the LWR after the fire ate a whole lot of energy this year. I hate feeling behind; it immediately spirals into the keen sensation of letting other people down, my greatest fear. Someday I’ll get better at cutting myself the same slack I advise others.
Anyway, it is difficult to focus when the anxiety part of your brain is screaming about how you’re taking too long. I have been fighting this battle for the past couple of weeks, making steady progress on my revision but not quite as fast as I wanted to. I also think this is the best book I’ve written, and, as such, it requires more delicacy in the fixity. (I probably say this every time, but I do have a special feeling about it.) And I have another book to get back to writing after the revision is finished.
One of my favorite podcasts returned recently, Spark & Fire, which features interviews with creative people focusing on the story of and lessons they learned from one specific project. I’m a sucker for this kind of thing, as I suspect most writers and creative types are. No matter how much I feel like I understand my own process, I always want to hear other people discuss theirs. The most recent episode features the great Ann Patchett discussing the writing of The Dutch House.
Now, I’ve read almost everything in this podcast, at one time or another, in pieces by Patchett, but sometimes you just need to hear it today. I even made Christopher listen to it with me, because it’s filled with useful things.
What I took away that resonated most today… First and foremost: You sit down, do the best work you can, and then forgive yourself because you’re not going to think it’s good enough, rinse repeat. Second: That rushing does no good. (Although I do find a certain deadline clarity is true for me; it cuts out my ability to overthink.) And perhaps most crucial and pertinent here: You have to be “wise to your own lies,” to the many distractions that you will allow to take you away from your work. Often very legitimate distractions that feel more like reasons.
It reminded me that part of my problem is being a serial overcommitter.
Because, part of my internal dialogue, and something that has slowed me the past few weeks, is all the things I owe or that other people want right now that I want to do but simply don’t have the energy to and do my work. I have a hard time creating with too many competing interests. I also have a hard time being selfish. I’ve come to realize that I frequently put myself in a deadline crash mode simply so I can say no without talking myself into saying yes.
I’m. Working. On. It. Also, on taking better care not to overstuff my calendar. For me, writing requires space to feel a little invisible, vulnerable, and in my cave. I used to be great at gear-switching, or at least, I pretended I was, but there are things I can juggle easily with the actual writing and things I can’t.
Patchett talks about clearing away all the things like email (and I did finally turn on the autoresponder) that get in the way of you doing your most important work, what you were “put on this earth to do.” Now, I’m certainly not comparing myself to Ann Patchett, and I’m not going to get that mystical, but sometimes you hear someone else articulate what you need to do.
So, sorry not sorry, I’m going to be selfish through the end of this year. Obviously, my work and practical commitments will get met, but if you need a favor, hit me up later, okay?
And if you have been doing this dance, too, and you can slow down, or clear yourself some space to breathe and work (or rest!) as this year ends, I encourage you to do it. I’d already been thinking about taking a social media hiatus with Twitter’s possible/likely meltdown and so I think I will. Except for IG Woofie/pet photos and maybe a little playing around on Mastodon, which feels like early twitter, at least after I got to the Wandering.Shop community.
So, the very happiest of holidays to you. I might newsletter again this year, or I might not. It just depends. But mostly I’m going to be making space for dog and cat and people time, finishing my revision, and then working on the book on deck after that one.
Speaking of which, I’d love if you gave someone any of my books this holiday season, or Christopher’s, or other books you love — or you preorder them or you Mr. & Mrs. Witch (which strangers are now reading and seem to be liking, yay! out in March!). There’s a Goodreads giveaway going on right now to win an early copy.
Enter and/or add to your Goodreads queue here.
Type at y’all soon-ish, depending,
G
That's one cute woofie. The best distraction ever. Have a lovely Christmas