Part 1. My Writing Journey

A writer is someone who writes. I do it on a daily basis. My writing practice has produced nineteen children’s educational books and products, two memoirs, and some blog posts. Writing nourishes me. I would like to tell you a little story of how I became a writer:

My writing practice started with a diary with a golden key but I don’t think I wrote anything deep, meaningful, or with any vulnerability because I was afraid of who might read it. Later, I would learn the value of writing from the heart and how writing can be transformative.

In highschool, I wrote a poem which pleased my teacher and she had me read it in front of the class as an example of a perfect execution of the assignment. That experience burned an impression in my head: I can write.

Then in the year 2000 I had just moved to Minneapolis, was recently divorced and going through an upset in my life as I knew it. I read Julia Cameron’s book, “The Artists Way” and I started doing morning pages. She said that you should write every day, first thing, and don’t worry about being artful. Just write your thoughts as they pass like clouds through your consciousness. “It is a clearing exercise that lets you be more conscious throughout your day,” she says. “It’s like taking a little dust-buster and poking into the dark corners of your consciousness.”

I still journal most days. It’s a way to warm up the fingers and get the thoughts flowing for my writing practice. I also find it meditative and a way to clear out annoyances and work out issues. Then I save the file with the date in a folder called THOUGHTS. I like to look back a year ago to the day and see what I was doing then. It is enlightening to see themes and especially big problems that are now resolved.

Then around 2004, I started thinking I wanted to write a book. This was the beginning of my first memoir, Sunlight on My Shadow: a birthmother’s journey from secrecy to renewal. Writing that book changed who I am because it freed me of the shame that hindered me for most of my life. Writing can do that. It is transformative.

Why We Write, edited by Meredith Maran, is an inspiring collection of interviews from famous authors. Some notable quotes from the book:

“I write because in 1962 I put in my application for a job working in the children’s department at Sears and they never called me back. Seriously, I write because it’s all I know how to do. Writing is my anchor and my purpose. My life is informed by writing, whether the work is going well or I’m stuck in the hell of writer’s block, which I’m happy to report only occurs about once a day”—Sue Grafton

“I write to dream; to connect with other human beings; to recor; to clarify; to visit the dead. I have a kind of primitive need to leave a mark on the world. Also, I have a need for money. I’m almost always anxious when I’m writing. There are those great moments when you forget where you are, when get your hands on the keys, and you don’t feel anything because you’re somewhere else. But that very rarely happens. Mostly I’m pounding my hands on the corpses chest.”—Mary Karr

“I write to shed dead skin and to explore why people do the things that we do to each other and ourselves. “—Terry McMillan

“Why do I write? To do better for myself than I am capable of doing with language, out there, in real time. To repair inabilities, to restore confidences.”—Ricky Moody.

I recently taught a workshop on Invigorating Your Writing Practice. Here is what some of the participants said when asked, “Why do you write?”

1. Writing energizes me.

2. I write to deepen the relationship with my creative spirit.

3. I write for expertise, passion, social justice. I feel compelled to write.

4. I write to understand a topic more deeply.

5. I write for the love of the richness of the english language.

6. I write for myself—to clear internal clutter and I write for others to inspire them to lighten up.

7. I write to let the characters come out and play on the page.

8. I write so my heart and soul have a voice.

Part 2. Getting Over or Through the Resistance.

Ok it is established, we write for many good reasons. It feeds our soul, our minds, and our bodies. So what keeps us from writing if we all know this? If it was easy you wouldn’t be reading: How to Maintain a Writing Practice.

Most days, when I think about getting busy writing I have this overpowering urge to go shop for some new pillows for my couch or to eat some of the leftover cake from last nights desert. What is that? I suppose it is the fear and dread of not being able to write down what matters. Perhaps it is the fear of getting deep in to the heart where there is some pain and exposure, vulnerability.

There seems to be a membrane that stands between me and the act of writing. I have to break through this day in and day out. I have to schedule my writing or trick myself in some way or I won’t do it. This is what we will talk about next, how to overcome blocks to writing.

Steven Pressfield calls this RESISTANCE. He talks about it in his book, the War of Art. He says, “There’s a secret that real writers know that wannabe writers don’t, and the secret is this: It’s not the writing part that’s hard. What’s hard is sitting down to write. What keeps us from sitting down is Resistance.”

Another word for resistance is procrastination. Roy Peter Clark has an interesting perspective on this. In his book, Writing Tools, he says, “What would happen if we viewed this period of delay not as something destructive, but as something constructive, even necessary? What if we found a new name for procrastination? What if we called it rehearsal? Then he goes on to say, “Productive writers write stories in their heads.” It is a way of tilling the soil, a way of preparation. So if you procrastinate, perhaps you are gathering thoughts and writing material in your head.

What are some ways to get over this resistance or what some call writers block? We can start by making the writing space more inviting.

Finding the Right Writing Tools

When I started writing seriously I kept going back and forth between the pen and the computer. At first it seemed clunky with the computer, less artistic, and I was less able to configure the right words. At the same time, writing by hand was laborious. It was messy to edit with scratch outs and words squeezed into the spaces above the line. It was also hard to retrieve specific pieces. Where did I put that? So I went back and forth for about a year and finally settled on a mac laptop. I like it because it is portable. It doesn’t get viruses and operation is intuitive. Visual. Some swear by a PC and others swear by pen and paper.

Taking a poll of writers at the workshop, I was surprised that almost a third of the attendees preferred pen and paper. Here are some benefits of writing on paper:

1. You can easily take it with you.

2. You can put notes in the margins.

3. There is no delete key so you can scratch it out and still see what you struck out.

4. Screens can make some people feel tired or weary.

5. Pretty notebooks can amp up creativity.

Benefits of writing on a laptop include:

1. If you are fast at typing, the computer soon becomes second nature. There is a bit of sensual gratification to the feel of the keys under the fingers.

2. It is easy to edit.

3. It is easy to file writing pieces in labeled folders with descriptive names.

4. It is digital, so you don’t worry about consuming reams paper.

I like using Scrivener for writing books. You can organize large chunks of writing into chapters and then drag them around to re-arrange. I also like the snapshot feature that lets you capture your writing before making major changes. There is also a section to organize research, like website references and other notes. When my book is in the starting phase, I like to make chapter headings and include the content that I intend to write in the chapter. It is easy to see an overview of the book, kind of like an outline but you already have the chapter placeholders to add content when you are ready.

Check it out here: http://amzn.to/2gI2eD4

Creating a comfortable, nourishing, writing space.

I like to sit in one of those astronaut-looking office chairs and put my feet up so the laptop sits at the perfect angle for typing. A desk board with foam pellets provides this angle and keeps the heat from the laptop off my legs.

My favorite is to sit by a window and look out on nature. I am mostly looking at the screen but when I need to gather my thoughts I look up and see the birds or a squirrel jumping from limb to limb, or the leaves waving on the trees. I saw a video about Wally Lamb’s writing space. He has this country home with lots of windows that look out into the woods. This seems very inviting to me. But Steven King for instance, in his book, On Writing, says, “If there’s a window, draw the curtains or pull down the shades unless it looks out at a blank wall. …It’s wise to eliminate every possible distraction. When you write you want to get rid of the world, do you not? Of course you do, when you’re writing, you’re creating your own world.”

Natalie Goldberg has mentioned that she likes to write in coffee shops. Some participants at the workshop mentioned their favorite places to write these include:

1. Arboretum at Como Park

2. Anywhere outside

3. Wayzata library

4. Loves to wear a hoodie to shut the world out.

5. Ambrosia, coffee shop in Edina

6. Likes to write in bed first thing upon waking to tap into the lingering dreamy feel.

Writing with Music to Inspire the Muse

1. Steven King likes hard rock—just sayin’

2. Suggestions from Workshop Attendees—

a. Pandora : Music to Study By

b. Pandora: Gypsy Jazz

c. I like listening to easy sounds that don’t have English words. You can see my writing playlist here: JudyLiautaud.com

The Pomodoro Technique

While I was attending a writing workshop at the San Miguel Literary Festival, I learned about another tool which has been extremely helpful to increase productivity and overcome blocks. It is called the Pomodoro technique. It gets its name from the kitchen timer that is in the shape of a tomato, pomodoro, being tomato in Italian. A pomodoro is a chunk of time, usually twenty-five minutes. You break your work into numbered chunks and then set the timer. When twenty-five minutes are up, you take a five minute break. I like to meditate, do yoga, or go out in the garden. You can pick any rejuvenating activity. But you don’t use the five minutes to answer email or a phone call. It is escape time.

After you have completed a pomodoro, you put a checkmark next to that task, take your five minute break and then proceed. After four pomodoros, you can take a 25-30 minute break.

Three Benefits of the Pomodoro:

1. It is easier to get started when you know it is only a 25 minute chunk that you are committing to.

2. When the timer goes off you wrap up and stop to rejuvenate. This break brings you back to work with fresh eyes. Have you ever been working on a problem and can’t find the answer, then you give up and do something else? When you return, the inspiration for solving the problem just appears? Sometimes staring at the same thing gets you stuck in a rut and you can’t see the forest for the trees. The break is a crucial part to freshening your outlook on your work.

3. Setting up your chunks of work, takes all the decision making of what to do next. Preplanning saves a ton of time and you don’t have to worry if you should be doing something else. You just proceed according to your predetermined list. It’s easy to put those odious tasks on your list and when you get to it, you don’t consider how much you don’t want to do it or if you should be doing something else, you just do it and plow ahead for it is only for twenty-five minutes. This is a huge productivity boost. If you have not completed the task when the timer goes off, you take your five minute break and afterwards you can decide to spend another pomodoro on that task or move ahead to the next item.

Pretty things can Spice Up Your Writing Space

You can dot your surroundings with talismans, icons, pretty things that have meaning to you.

Some examples I use are:

1. A rose colored crystal on my desk that I imagine draws light and inspiration to my space.

2. A plaque that says: the world is waiting to hear your story.

3. A good smelling cedar stick that adds the right smell. How about essential oils?

4. A picture of a willow tree in a field.

5. A bronze, dancing ballerina statue.

What Reading Is for Writers

The best way to inspire writing is reading. Read, read, and read some more. A good book will give you ideas on how to form your thoughts, carry the plot along, provide character depth, present conflict and show resolution in a way that pulls the reader along. And a bad book, can inspire you to think: “wow, I can do better than this.” And you get going on your project. It lowers the threshold of expectation.

Final Thoughts

The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago, next best time is right now.

Writing is like driving at night in the fog. You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way— E. L. Doctorow

Resources: Inspiring Books on the Craft of Writing

1. Steven King’s On Writing. Part autobiographical—this book tells of King’s process to get where he is today. After reading this book, I came away thinking— I can do this. He is not a proponent of taking writing classes or having many people look over your work or of having a window to look out of while you write.

2. Bird by Bird by Annie Lamott. The principal of Annie’s book is that you just do it little by little. I love everything Ann Lamott.

3. An Old Friend From Far Away by Natalie Goldberg. This book taught me how to use details and use awesome descriptions.

4. Writing Tools: 50 Essential Strategies for Every Writer by Roy Peter Clark. Before I read this, I could intuit good writing but this book taught me why the writing was good and helped me apply these tools to my own writing.

5. War on Art by Steven Pressfield. This book taught me to accept resistance as part of the process and made me more comfortable with it so I can pass through more easily. He likes to use myth philosophy, somewhat like Joseph Campbell.

6. Writing by Brenda Ueland. I love everything about Brenda Ueland. She is so down to earth and makes you feel like you can write. I found her book very readable and inspiring.

7. Tell it Slant by Brenda Miller and Suzanne Paola. This book is about being creative in your choice of words. Don’t write straight up, but come in from another angle.

8. Why We Write by many good writers, edited by Meredith Maran. The theme I got from this book is that writers don’t make a lot of money easily. Also, for some it is a torturous process. Like they are compelled to write but sweat blood with every word. I liked hearing about the every day lives of these well known writers and what they get from writing.

9. Another great resource is Mary Carroll Moore’s Blog. She is an artist, author, and writing teacher and posts regularly on the craft of writing. Visit her site here: http://marycarrollmoore.com

10. Handling the Truth: On the Writing of Memoir, Beth Kephart. This book is deliciously written and full of examples that inform and keep you interested in turning the pages.

11. Writing as a Way of Healing: how telling our stories transforms our lives, Louise DeSalvo. This book transformed my life. It was motivating because I knew I was writing Sunlight on My Shadow to heal myself of the shame and grief. I read the book while I was writing and it brought encouragement for me to keep going.

12. Writing Down the Bones, freeing the writer within, Natalie Goldberg. Natalie’s book makes you feel like you can do it. I love her encouragement and credit her for teaching me how to write details and then get deeper with the details.

Books by Judy Liautaud: South of Ordinary: from the Rockies to Peru with an Adrenaline Junkie, Sunlight on My Shadow: a birthmothers journey to renewal, See more at: JudyLiautaud.com Times Tables the Fun Way, Addition the Fun Way, Kiss Debt Good-bye: the puzzle plan. See these at: CityCreek.com

See Video — South of Ordinary

See Video — Sunlight on My Shadow

Namaste. The spirit in me honors the spirit in you.