Dear readers,
I am picturing you holding a cup of coffee and snuggling with your beloved on a lazy Sunday morning. We need to add a warm, cozy blanket in there. Fall is here. Folks are getting ready for Halloween.
I have to be honest, I miss summer. I can’t promise I won’t repeat this statement until next summer. You know where my allegiance is.
Good news is that many people love Fall. I am happy for them. I enjoy seeing joggers putting on sweaters and slowly cruising through the trails. I get to observe a small circle of fallen leaves dancing behind their tail.
I am learning to appreciate my cold, stiff fingers on keyboards. I have also taken my cold hands on fall walks. The chill air goes directly into my lungs. That’s some serious penetrating power. May the power be with us to fight through resistance. We need some gloves, fellow dragon slayers. It is cold.
What has changed in your world? It does feel like three years has passed.
I have found a good acoustic spot for my keyboard. I put a pile of books that I should read but won’t read in a donation bag. I figured out an awkward standing desk situation – computer on a stationary bike.
What changes would you like to make in this month?
My back pain has been distracting. I need to take back exercises seriously. I am looking for simple, effective exercises that I can do at home.
I have been reading writing advice from Henry Miller, Kurt Vonnegut and Margaret Atwood. The masters, if you will. Helpful, practical writing advice aside, the unexpected benefit is that I feel less lonely. A moment of, “ah, I am not alone. Even Kurt Vonnegut feels this way! I can keep on writing. I am not crazy to feel what I feel.” A permission slip. I give myself permission to write.
For anyone who devotes serious energy in a creative pursuit, it can feel lonely and sometimes painful. I suppose, birthing something into the world does take preparation, nourishment, hard work and a certain amount of pain. One has to fight resistance, despair and laziness. The pain isn’t intolerable, even though it can feel that way sometimes. The pain is also not avoidable. Learning not to magnify the pain and sticking with the writing schedule have been helpful. Per Henry Miller, “When you can’t create, you can work.”
A short story has landed in my head. It seems like I am going to be the mother for this story. It will be my very first short story. It is enjoyable to see characters coming alive. It is not enjoyable to dance with existential dread and self-doubts.
My self-doubts have upgraded to have new features that are eye-opening. It is attacking the most vulnerable parts of me forcefully. I feel as if I am unable to trust my creativity, my creative process or anything I have created. The monster doesn’t want me to create!
This is also why having loving and caring friends are crucial for the creatives. Nourishment. We need loving and kind encouragement to continue. Friends who remind you to pay no attention to the disruptive monster and continue on with your story, are to be cherished. I am hoping to finish my story before Christmas. A Christmas gift for my supportive friends.
People I love are having birthdays this month.
Enough rambling.
I summarized some practical tips on writing from Atwood, Vonnegut and Miller. Often, writing tips sound like life advice. Thank you, Maria Popova.
- Write material that holds your own attention.
- Back up your writings on a hard drive, especially new materials.
- Write about a subject that you genuinely care about. Something you believe that others should care about.
- Have a solid grip on reality. There is no free lunch. Writing is a gamble. No one forced you to do it. You choose it so don’t whine.
- Write like how you talk. You need to sound like yourself. There is only one of you.
- Work on finishing what you started. Cement a little bit everyday.
- Keep human! See friends. Rest. Do back exercises.
One more from me,
Experiment, with words, form, musicality… Do obey grammar rules.
I started a made-up new year for myself on 10/01/2020. It happens to be mid-autumn festival, the Chinese equivalent of Thanksgiving. I am thankful for my loving parents and supportive friends. I hope they are safe, healthy and happy.
In the spirit of the new year, my tiny wish is that we have a nazifree, healthy, safe and functioning society.
Until next time,
Xiaoyu Zheng
