Overcoming Creative Paralysis

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For the past few months, I’ve had a handful of great ideas—ideas on shaping this blog, revamping my professional website, boosting my freelance business, better serving my clients, and on and on. I’m so excited about some of my big plans that they are waking me up at night. The ideas have completely reinforced what I love about working for myself—I can create a vision and pursue it with all my might.

The problem is, the abundance of ideas has created a type of creative paralysis. I keep adding things onto my want-do-do list and while I’m making baby steps toward each one, I haven’t devoted enough time to any one project to accomplish my goals. Sometimes I think too many great ideas can be just as dangerous as too few. What’s more, I’ve given each of my new projects the same priority level, which almost ensures I won’t finish any of them.

This week I realized I need to take a step back from my big visions and create a road map of how and when I’m going to accomplish each goal.

Strategy is exciting, but execution is work. In my time-starved world, I’ve found that if don’t make my own goals a top priority and create a structured plan of how to meet them, they can easily fall to the bottom of my to-do list.

Today it’s about prioritizing my master list and then taking baby steps. After all, how do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.

How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. A big vision is necessary, but giving focus to my blog starts with one blog post. I’m also going to accept that I don’t have to do everything myself. Sometimes spending money as a freelancer is hard, but hiring things out can be a worthwhile investment. That’s why redesigning my website starts with one call to a web designer—a call that I’m going to make today.

In time, those baby steps will add up to huge leaps and get me where I want to go.

Finding a Community

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After ten years in the D.C. area, I’d built up a great little writing community. I had friends who were freelancers and had my list of writing conferences and events I liked to attend. Of course, there are terrific writing communities online, but I love face-to-face interaction every now and then. I always walk away from meetings with other writers inspired and excited to tackle my next project.

Now that we’ve landed in Salt Lake and most of the boxes have been unpacked, I’m working to re-build my network of fellow writers. The relationships I cultivated in D.C. grew organically over the years as my career grew. I took my time and didn’t set out to surround myself with fellow writers. It just seemed to happen, but now that my network is gone, I miss it and I’m eager to connect with other writers here in Utah. Here’s how I plan to do it:

Take Advantage of Chance Meetings
Connections can come from a number of places, and I find that sometimes the key is simply showing up. Last weekend my family and I attended an alumni event at my undergrad. As my two kids were creating goody bags in the kids’ corner, I bumped into a former journalism professor of mine. We started chatting and now just a few days later, I’ve been invited to take part in a panel at the college on freelancing. I’m looking forward to connecting with the fellow freelancers on the panel and my professors.

Join Local Chapters of Writing Groups
In addition to being a freelance journalist, I’m a budding picture book author. I joined the D.C. chapter of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) and made great friends there (one of which, it turned out, had a son in my son’s kindergarten class). I’ve sent off my emails to the Utah/Idaho chapter of the organization and hope to get involved here soon.

Attend Regional Writing Conferences
There were always a number of writing conferences in the D.C. area. I’ve attended workshops there through mediabistro.com, Writer’s Digest, SCBWI and the American Independent Writers Association. This summer I drove two hours to attend the New Jersey SCBWI conference and walked away with dozens of new connections. Because of the population difference between the East coast and here, I doubt I will find the same number of writing conferences, but I’m keeping my eyes out for conferences in the mountain west.

Go Out on Assignment
As a freelancer, I do the bulk of my reporting from my desk, but going out on assignment is a great way to connect with people in the area even if they’re not writers. I’ve been doing a lot of writing about natural gas lately and Utah is a hot bed of natural gas activity, so I’ve been doing face-to-face interviews and expanding my list of sources. I’m also adding value to my editors who are able to take advantage of my new geographic location without having to pay travel expenses. And, like I said, sometimes just showing up is the key, so there is a chance I’ll connect with other writers just by covering a story on site.

How about you? Do you prefer a virtual network or do you like face-to-face meetings?

What I Did Over Summer Vacation

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First, let’s start with what I didn’t do. Blog. As a work-at-home mom, summers are tricky and my little blog took a back seat this summer. Now that our schedules are getting back and track, I’m ready to play a little catch up. I thought I’d start with what I DID do over my summer vacation. So, here’s a little list:

– I packed up my family and moved them 2,000 miles to Utah from our former home state of Virginia. This move also involved selling our old house, putting contracts down on four houses and finally buying one house.

–Moving also involved lots of sorting, tossing and packing. This meant I parted with all baby things, except my babies. They were loaded into the car for a hefty road trip, which I actually enjoyed.

 

–Before the big move, we visited my parents and my in-laws. This involved sitting on the porch, blowing bubbles and eating popcicles.

–I read for fun. A lot. Every time I was reading, I told myself I should blog, but I kept on reading. There is something about summer vacations that make me want to stick my nose in a book. My favorites were Code Name Verity, Gone Girl and The Hunger Games Trilogy, which I re-read twice because, I admit, I can’t seem to get enough of Katniss Everdeen. You can’t go wrong with any of those choices.

–I wrote feature after feature, which I love. I linked to some of them here.

–We played in the water.

–We cheered Evan on at soccer.

 

–We took trips to the museum, had pirate adventures and made memories.

It was tiring, but it was worth it. As the weather turns to fall and my little guy heads off to kindergarten, we’re starting to settle into our routines and embrace a different kind of busy. One that I think will include a little more time for my little corner of the internet.

Friday Catch Up

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It’s Friday. I say it each week, but I’m always shocked when another weekend rolls around and I realize a whole week is gone. I’ve been so absorbed in work and family this week, that I don’t have any favorite reads to share, but here are my three favorite things from the week:

1) I am always thrilled by how much work I can pack into three hour chunks. As a freelancer, the summer is always a little tricky for me because my kids don’t have school and Madelyn is too little for camp. This week Evan is at camp in the afternoons, so I am working from 12:45 to 3:30 while Evan plays and Madelyn naps. With advanced planning and good time management, I have been able to knock out every interview I needed to do this week. That means I can spend the weekend writing away and wrap up the stories that are due next week.

2) Each day when I pick Evan up from camp, he “has some love for me.” That love is in the form of a piece of mulch or a rock he has found for me. Yesterday it was a red piece of a broken balloon. I love that during outside time he scours the ground for something special and tucks it into his pocket. As I pull into the carpool line, I see him retrieve the little gifts from his pocket and he offers them up as soon as he gets into the car but before he is seat belted in. On Wednesday he lost “his love,” which broke his heart. It was a special piece of mulch that looked like a heart, he said. He gave me a kiss instead and I melted inside. I love that I get to spend my days with that little guy.

3) Even with all the “must-do’s” in our day, we’ve made plenty of time for some summer fun. We’ve taken in play dates and a concert, run through the sprinklers and gone for ice cream twice this week. I still feel like summer is slipping away, but it makes me happy that we can take advantage of it at least a little.

What are your favorite things from the week?

Friday Favorites

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Yeah! It’s Friday again. Do you have fun plans for the weekend? I plan to wrap up a handful of stories and hope to take my kids to the pool.

Here are a few of my favorite reads from the week:

I’m loving this book about nutrition and kids. I’ve been a little worried about a few things with my little guy, and I’ve wondered if nutrition could be the key. The book is a great eye opener. I highly recommend it for every parent.

My real-life friend Sarah shared great tips on handling email. I need her discipline!

Justine Musk says when you say no to one thing, you’re really saying yes to something else. This blog post is a great reminder of that. 

Picture book authors Tiffany Strelitz Haber and Corey Rosen Schwartz have launched a new blog called The Meter Maids dedicated to rhythm and rhyme. They taught a great session at the NJSCBWI conference and I can’t wait to learn more from them via their blog.

Increase Your Power of Observation with Field Trips

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So far June is turning out to be the month of field trips for me, which is a good thing. In 2008, I guest blogged about how I think more reporters should venture out from behind their desks to cover stories. Everything I said still holds true, and now I see the value in other areas as well.

Field trips increase our power of observation. All too often we overlook the things we see every day because they’re routine.  This month’s field trips have included taking in the Beach Boys 50-year-reunion concert with my mom, my recent journey to New Jersey for a writing conference and covering a press conference in downtown D.C.

Henry James said, “A writer is someone on whom nothing is lost.” I agree. By observing and noticing the little things, we become better storytellers. And whether you write fiction or non fiction or newspaper articles or novels, the details are what make your story come alive.

At the Beach Boys concert, the band was great and they played all their hits, but the best part was watching how generations of families showed up together. If I were writing an article about the concert, I would have included the four-year-old little girl who danced and clapped for two hours straight and then fell asleep on her grandpa’s shoulder. He carried her out during Surfin’ Safari, and I pictured both of them snuggled in a quiet spot while the rest of the family continued to cheer and sing.

Field trips can encourage us to start up conversations and make new connections. I’m a firm believer in writing conferences. My recent trip to New Jersey gave me concrete ideas on how to improve my craft, but more importantly, I walked away with a handful of great new friends I’m continuing to connect with online. That initial conference registration fee is going to continue to pay dividends all year.

The few hours I spent covering a press conference last week gave me enough material to file a story that day and I jotted down a list of story ideas that will come in useful for several months. The conference speakers were interesting, but they were just part of the experience. Some of the best learning took place during the casual lunch that followed the event. You never know where you’re going to find your next great idea or that one thought that makes everything click.

Field trips don’t have to take us far. Even checking out a new restaurant or grocery store can exercise our observation muscles, and the more we use them, the stronger they will get.

Friday Favorites

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Wow. What a busy week this has been at our house. After returning from the New Jersey Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, I hit the ground running with client projects, kid projects, dentist appointments and a sick little one. Luckily my mom came into town right at the same time, so she has been a wonderful second set of hands.

Here are a few of my favorite reads from this week.

This is an interesting article on the growing number of freelance/solopreneur businesses and how they add value to those who do business with them. Thanks to my hubby for sending me the link to the article.

I love this post from Seth Godin about how you can choose to stand out or fit in.

This post from Julie Hedlund inspired me to download and read Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson again. It is one of the first books that ever made an impression on me and I am loving it as much as an adult as I did as a kid.

This post is a great reminder that for writers failure is just another word for the journey.

Happy weekending!

Thank you to the Cheerleaders

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My boys are my biggest cheerleaders.

All too often our cheerleaders don’t get the thanks they deserve. They are the ones who keep us going, encourage us, and take on extra responsibilities so we have the time to pursue our dreams. Their voices speak louder than all of the naysayers.

When I decided to launch my freelance writing business, I had plenty of input from well-meaning dream killers. But it was my husband’s encouragement that gave me the confidence to make it happen. Cheerleaders are important in all aspects of life, but I think they’re particularly important for those of us who are pursuing dreams where the odds are stacked against us.

I don’t know that I’ve ever sat down and thanked my hubby for all of the encouragement he has given me, but it means the world.  Whether it is a career goal of a personal interest, Bryan never laughs or rolls his eyes when I tell him about my next idea.

He dutifully ate my at-home Thai after a cooking class at the Thai embassy. He took me to the violin shop and helped me pick one out and listened (painfully) while I practiced. That scarf I intended to make him after my knitting class never came to fruition (I wasn’t very good at knit one purl two), but I know Bryan would have worn it if it had.

When I told him I wanted to hang my own shingle, he helped me plot out my business plan and worked out our personal finances so we could stay afloat while I started out. Three years later, he calculated how much we’d save in taxes by forming an LLC and did all the legwork on filing the right documents. When I told him I want to publish a children’s picture book, he told me I should. This weekend he took on all parenting duties so I could spend three days learning the ins and outs of the industry.

Throughout the weekend the other attendees and I shared stories about where our kids, spouses or significant others were, and I thought about how lucky we all were to have amazing supporters. Whether it is our parents, friends, siblings or a significant others, those cheerleaders make all the difference. Even my sweet little Evan offered a few words of encouragement as I set off for New Jersey this week. I am so grateful my boys are my biggest cheerleaders right now.

Today I’m going to thank my hubby for all he does. And when my mom arrives in later today for a visit, I’m going to give her a great big hug and thank her for all of her encouragement now and in the past. I wouldn’t be able to do any of the things I do without them.

Who are your biggest cheerleaders? When is the last time you told them thanks?

 

Friday Favorites

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I hope you’ve had a great week and are looking forward to the weekend! Today I am heading north for three days of learning. Yeah! A special thanks to my husband who is taking on all kid duties for the next few days.

Here are a few of my favorite reads from the week:

Find the best writers’ conference for you from Writer Unboxed.

If you’re taking part in a critique group, Nathan Bransford offers good tips for making it beneficial.

I love this post from picture book author Jamie Swenson about why hobbyists are less likely to sell a manuscript. 

Jane Friedman guest posted on agent Rachelle Gardner’s blog about how to influence editors in a way 90 percent of writers don’t. 

Can you tell I’ve been prepping for a writing conference this week?

 

The Courage to Try Something New

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Columnist and author Erma Bombeck said, “It takes a lot of courage to show your dreams to someone else.”

She’s right. I often meet people who tell me they are closet writers and I admit that I keep many of my own secret ambitions tucked away. But this week I’m heading to the New Jersey Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators conference where I will be soaking in every last detail and showing my picture book manuscript to those that can offer valuable feedback. I can’t wait.

I’ve arranged my file folders, jotted down notes for my peer critique group and printed out extra copies of my manuscripts. I’ve also summoned my courage. Walking into a group full of strangers and showing them your work isn’t easy, but the sense of community I’ve already gotten from this group is amazing. I’m excited to share my ideas with them and learn about the business of publishing children’s books.

Leaving our comfort zones is a good thing. It has gotten my creative juices flowing and it also sets a good example for my kids. I always encourage Evan and Madelyn to try something new and now they can see that I do it too. So, wish me luck and I’ll report on the conference next week.