The Trick is to Keep Jumping Forward
On Forgetting the Fear and Keeping the Writing Momentum Going
This week I got to share some brilliant news announced in the bookseller. My next poetry collection, Blackbird Singing at Dusk, will be published by Nine Arches press in September 2024.
This one has been a long time coming to print. I originally received a grant from the Society of Authors way back in 2021 to give me a little time to do some research. It was a brilliant experience; a rare experience of being awarded money to work on my creative writing. It boosted my confidence no end and I think if I hadn’t had that acknowledgement of my work, I may not have pursued other creative endeavours, including my memoir, The Ghost Lake, which also comes out next year.
I feel like I haven’t done much writing lately, really, but then these two slow growth projects have both arrived at publishing central in the same year, and it makes me look far more prolific than I am. I learned, during the time given to me by SoA that I was much more of a plodder when it comes to writing and research. I have spurts of creativity, but much of what I do as a writer is sit with ideas and images until the writing happens. I’ve been embracing that, trying not to let the submissions machine take over my life, trying to create art rather than exist simply for publication.
Nine Arches are one of my favourite publishers, and I feel extremely well supported by Jane and the team. I’m looking forward to getting out there and connecting with audiences again, but can also see that next year will be demanding in terms of promotional stuff. I am aware that I’ll need strong boundaries, which I’m trying to put in place now, rather than finding myself burnt out between promo tours of the books. Black Bird Singing at Dusk is almost a sister project to The Ghost Lake, I wonder now how much of my process is exploring the different mediums, the different voices and styles I use to reach a destination. They go nicely together and I am so looking forward to having them both side by side on my bookshelf. The dream!
Having said all that about the process, and letting ideas sit, allowing oneself to be fallow, I have lately felt a bit ‘stuck’ in terms of being able to write. I’m still working on edits for The Ghost Lake, and there are long gaps between editing sessions in which I feel like I shouldn’t be starting anything new. But what I think is happening is that I am afraid that everything I write has to become something that goes on to be published, and that is freezing me in place, afraid to move forward. This is exactly what I tell mentees not to do. Writing specifically for publication sucks the joy out of creativity. If you’re always worried about getting the next thing beneath the nose of a publisher, you begin to write for that publication/publisher/agent, rather than being authentic, finding joy in exploring the story you want to tell. I find myself afraid to commit in case the next thing I write doesn’t reach the hallowed ground of publication. I need to break that spell. I need to keep the momentum of the writing going, and jump on something new. With that in mind I’ve decided to kick myself up the bum and start a novel, or rather, I have decided to pull one of the ideas I’ve had for a novel off the back burner, and actually commit to a month of dedicated writing to to see where it goes. I want to simply write, to sit down every day and get words down. This is a project which I’m holding in my mind as ‘fun’.
I’m taking my inspiration from NaNoWriMo as a structure to do this, giving myself a word count target and pushing myself to forget about the big scary my-books-are-going-out-into-the-world-soon fears of getting things right and just enjoy the process, see what happens. I’m committing to thirty minutes a day of writing time, more if the whim takes me. I’m also opening my zoom room up for company with a ‘Write with Wendy’ month long write along. I’ve reduced the price to make it more accessible. This is a half an hour on week days in which you’ll be sitting and writing. the session begins with a motivational quote to get us inspired, then off we go, to work on our projects, checking in on progress at the end of the session. The aim is inspiration, community and accountability, showing up for your writing, giving yourself one session in the day to prioritise a project you’re working on. It doesn’t have to be a novel, it can be anything - poetry, memoir, whatever you are working on. If you are feeling a bit stuck and want to motivate yourself, this might be for you:
One of the pieces of advice I hear so often and try and take on board, is that having a new project to focus on makes the big scary potential rejections (the book might not make it in to shops, it might not be well received…anything can go wrong at any time) not so end-of-the-road and more just a part of the process. The trick is to keep moving forward, keep jumping onto the next project. I try not to think of any book I write as an end point. But it is far easier said than done when you invest literally years of work into something. I say again, the trick is to keep moving forward, keeping jumping to the next lily pad. I’m going to write the novel, and even if it simply sits in a drawer never to be under a publisher’s nose, it will have been a good refocus on writing and the joy of storytelling.
Other Dates for Your Diary
The Dawn Chorus returns on the 6th November. This is my gentle morning writing group. Five days of early morning writing time 7-8am UK time. We start with an excerpt and an optional writing prompt then write for an hour before checking in. This is the sort of place you can come and let creativity happen in that magic hour between sleep and awake:
The Next Books from the Margin Book Club Book Chat is 12th November 10am UK time. It’s free to paid subscribers but open to anyone for a pay-what-you-can donation. It’s a chance to chat all things books, and you don’t have to have read the book club choice. November’s choice if Jen Campbell’s Please Do Not Touch This Exhibit, which is excellent. I hope to see you there!
And a reminder that for now I am still open for some mentoring slots. If you’re a paid subscriber you get a discount, drop me a line. You can find out what I offer here:
Until next time
x
Congratulations, and I can't wait to see both these books 'in the wild' — and read them — in 2024.
Congratulations, Wendy. What you write about writing for it's own sake echoes my experience of leaving a salaried job to paint. I found myself asking: 'will this painting I'm working on sell?' That attitude sucked the life out of the joy of creativity.