Guest Post: Why Traveling is an Essential Element of Storytelling

I have two books published and one in my laptop waiting. I have traveled throughout the Caribbean to more than 20 islands and more than 15 states including Hawaii’s five main islands with more to come as I’m making plans to travel to Oregon, Washington state and Alaska by next summer. When I am traveling I always have my mind’s eye open to the possibility of a future story or book to write. I have found that, while traveling, it is important to pay attention to your surroundings and even to your dreams at night. When you wake up write your dreams down. That dream may be about some place that you had seen during the day. It could lead to a book one day as two of my books came from dreams. Dreams are short most of the time but you can expand them. Keep your mind working in overtime all the time even around your hometown… it could be more interesting than you realize.

When I was in Puerto Rico my wife and I visited the El Morro Fortress in San Juan. It was built in 1584 to protect the city from pirates and even during World War Two it was used to watch for German ships and U-boats. I went in all the hallways and rooms where men slept and lived. I saw where they cared for the wounded. I looked out over the Caribbean and could see in my mind the men going around the fort preparing for battle. The cannons being readied and the bugle being blown to alert the men that battle was close and the proud flag flying overhead. Then there was the rain forest in Puerto Rico. I could see rebels or pirates cutting their way through the lush thick forest and hair raising times crossing the rivers with hundred foot waterfalls that could be the end of them.

In Cozumel, Mexico we went to the Milan ruins and I could see in my mind the tribes sacrificing people to their Gods and where they married each other. One idea is to take your camera and have it ready to take pictures. This is a great way to bring back details to your memory; I always have mine ready. Anywhere you go you might get a picture of an animal, birds, or even an Iguana that you can insert in a story. The Hawaiian Islands were great fodder for story ideas. The volcanos and sacrificing virgins to the Gods. The beaches with the pipe-line and the North Shore have so many stories within them. Then there is Pearl Harbor and the many stories about World War Two and the sacrifice men and women made.

Then traveling through New Mexico and Arizona the desert and mountains bring to mind all the old west stories of gold and silver mines and the men and women that help develop those states before moving on to Colorado and California. These are my kinds of books but you might have a different interest. It can all be awaken in your mind by traveling and opening your mind’s eye. Good luck where ever you go and in finding your story or book. Remember, keep your mind active and don’t forget the dreams. 

Lynn Luick is from Texas but was born in Oregon. He has a wife, two daughters and three grandchildren. He loves nature and traveling. He has been working for 50 years - first in a grocery store and then his own distributing business - to raise his family. He has always wanted to write but was too busy to do so. Now that he has retired, he has plenty of time to do what he loves. He will be traveling and writing more "Silver Buck" adventures and also other Western titles. He loves to write fiction stories about places he has been.

You Have Been Wheatoned!

There have been some moments from time to time when I have considered submitting a blog post or two to other publications for consideration. The impetus for these thoughts has always been quite simple… exposure. Because I keep this blog as a hobby and simply enjoy writing the posts, sharing my thoughts, and generally keeping track of life that is all I have really been looking for in the placements. This has always been my motivation with regard to all of my creative endeavors regardless of the genre or medium in which I seek dissemination.

This has always been my choice and when the tables have been turned, the few times that I have been asked for permission to reprint, I have gladly given that permission under a couple of standard contingencies… I retain the copyright and future reprint rights and that the article/blog post is properly cited to reflect the correct name in the byline or, as had been the case recently, the link back to this blog. Nothing groundbreaking or unreasonable. Would it be nice to get paid? Of course it would but, again, this is my hobby not the means by which I support myself and my family.

That is my mentality regarding the writing that I have produced and published in one form or another over the last decade and a half. No surprise, this is not a view that is shared by everyone which what drew me in to reading a blog post by Wil Wheaton, yes that Wil Wheaton, that was shared in my Facebook feed. In the post he writes about a recent encounter with a Huffington Post editor. The basic back and forth can be summarized simply in that Wheaton was contacted by the editor to request permission to republish a recent blog post for no pay but a lot of exposure. As Wheaton points out, it would be one thing if he submitted the article but they reached out to him in this case. Needless to say, he doesn’t need the exposure and declined their offer.

He then took to Twitter and posted a few tweets in quick succession:

The two above were also followed by the following tweet: 

“This advice applies to designers, photographers, programmers, ANYONE who makes something. You. Deserve. Compensation. For. Your. Work.”

This is something that I personally agree with and don’t agree with at the same time. I believe there is a fine balance when your creations are the source of your livelihood. One should get paid for that which they create but there also needs to be a means of advertising your creativity. Sometimes it is well worth forfeiting the nominal pittance that would be offered by a publication such as the Huffington Post in order to showcase your creative skills and gain greater exposure. Of course, I would still push for retaining the copyright along with the contributor byline.

Keep in mind that this applies to a wide variety of publications, situations, formats, genres, and skills. I say all this not ever expecting to have a blog post picked up by the Huffington Post (many of my views and posts don’t play well with the ideologies that are regularly on display on the site) but if I were ever asked I would stick to my usual requirements. In the end, whether you support yourself with your creative endeavors or you pursue them as a hobby, exposure can be more valuable than the pennies that would end up in your pocket if you hold your financial ground.

Out Of Academia

I will get back to this at some point!

Over the past several weeks I have noticed that many of my friends are leaving academia. It seems to be a nearly daily occurrence on my Facebook feed to see someone leave an academic or research institution for positions in finance, sales, and other, completely unrelated, fields. Having been in that same situation myself, I know both the pros and cons of that field and while there are many great benefits derived from leaving academia there are also a number of things that I miss on a regular basis namely the time and freedom to think, debate, and explore.

While I have enjoyed my career beyond the studious walls, there are times when I think about the work that I was able to do and the pieces I was able to publish. Those are the times when I miss the long days, late nights, and piles of rejection letters. It is a life that is fueled by the occasional kind note, acceptance letter, and rare inclusions in literary journals. And, at least for me on the literary side of things, it is a way of life that is disappearing and is rarely provides a means of financial support. This is the primary reason that I have heard from those leaving academia and it was my reason as well.

Many of us who have departed continue to find small ways to remain active in this unique world. When I first left I continued writing and submitting to publications keeping the daily routine of rejection sprinkled with acceptances. Since those early days on the outside, I did stray from writing and research for a little while but, since then, I have slowly come back to those relaxing and stressful habits.

The industry in which I now work does provide a little bit of the same feeling that I would get in academia. I still write for clients and seek inclusion in a variety of publications… a completely different set of publications but the process is quite similar. However, it has been the personal projects that have brought me back to those productive days namely researching my family and keeping this daily blog.

Even though the results are completely different from what I used to produce (and definitely less polished), I am back in the process and have a daily routine that combines my previous life with my current one. With that said, discovering where I come from, exploring who I am, and sharing both my discoveries and opinions is proving to be just as fulfilling as the work that I once produced. Maybe someday I can even go back to publishing but, for now, I will simply enjoy the process.

50K And 67

There have been many milestones since I started this blog. Many of them I had preconceived notions from the very beginning as to when they would occur. I was completely wrong regarding this latest one as I originally thought that it would happen sometime during the fourth year of writing. This was later revised to a timeline slightly more optimistic than reality but it really was slight. Basically it breaks down to the originally projection of about one thousand views per month later revised to over two thousand.

Well, just over two years since the first words were posted, I hit the 50,000 views mark. While a big number (at least for me) when you first look at it, it is even bigger when you think about it. This blog has been viewed 50,000 times which breaks down to roughly 67 views per day. Obviously some posts have been more popular than others and some days have been more active than the rest. That is the ebb and flow of writing in general and blogging in particular.

Think about that for a second. On average, there were 67 clicks specifically with the intention of reading the content that I have posted. Given the lack of interesting content that has been produced overall, this just goes to show that really anyone can do this. With that said, I appreciate each person and each click that has been made since this blog was launched. It was never my intent to gain a large readership but it is certainly nice to see people enjoying what I am writing (or getting pissed off by it).

The sheer volume is still completely foreign to me. I have written for a variety of companies and executives over the years where these numbers are pretty insignificant but having something with my name on it being read to such an extent is kind of astounding. Of course, this is coming from someone who started off in the poetry market where exposure and popularity are tremendously small in comparison to other genres. Having this many people read my work now would have been unthinkable in those days a decade ago.

The trick now is trying to find the balance between past and present, quality and quantity, honest and opinion, originality and reporting. It is a completely different way of writing these days and something that I am still getting used to. I treat this as a journal but have to maintain some kind of coherence in the posts. It is a balance of writing and of time. It is work and play.

So, thank you again for all your support but don’t just sit back and read. I encourage you to do the same, write about what you want to record about your life. Put yourself out there. Enjoy the process and the sharing of ideas. And, of course, let me know if there is anything that you would like me to write about and I will do my best to accommodate.

Passing One Thousand!

Last month I was able to mark the 500^th post on this blog. Today I was able to mark a slightly different but very similar occasion in that, between this blog and Getting Your Phil, I have published one thousand blogs since this all started in late May of 2013 (of course, there were a few blogs before that point as well). Obviously, the Phillies-centric blog came a little later and there were a few days missed here and there.

It’s interesting to think about all the different things that have been said, statements that have been made, and questions that have been posed throughout that plethora of posts. While there have been many occasions when I have repeated myself and even the entire subject matter of the post but there have been a wide variety of things that have been said. Some have been good, some bad, but they are all out there just for the heck of it.

Tonight I ran into the new guy working at the front desk of our apartment building and over the natural course of introducing ourselves we found that we had the common interest of blogging. However, it was interesting to hear the different perspectives that we each had for doing this. While I write this largely rambling posts for the sake of writing and attempting to maintain my creativity, limited as it may now be, he has diverged into the for profit model.

It was this shift in his perspective that has caused him to lose the passion he once had for sharing his art and perspective to his community. The graphic arts, like writing, requires a passion for the practice rather than a desire to get paid. If the money follows that is just a bonus, but it cannot be the motivating factor that keeps you posting blog posts day after day.

I really hate when I see this same thing happen to creative people over and over again. The money gets in the way of the passion leaving them grasping for anything that they can get a hold of and doing all they can to maintain an ember burning. All too often, I have seen heat within them completely extinguished. We must maintain our passions and focus our energy on the creative process not the possibilities of monetary gain.

Money is not the means by which to measure the creative process. If we lose focus on that which we are creating we can no longer truly commit ourselves to our art (regardless of media or genre). One thousand blogs and that remains my motivation… that and providing proof that yes I did exist. But you already read about my true motivation in keeping this daily blog.

Comic Relief

Maybe Mork just went home!

Growing up I remember watching Comic Relief on television (I believe it was on HBO). While at the time many of the jokes went completely over my head I can still hear my parents laughing as Billy Crystal, Whoopi Goldberg, and Robin Williams took the stage and proceeded to conduct an improv set the likes of which I had never seen. Even with my limited understanding, I couldn’t help but watch them go back and forth not missing a moment or opportunity to turn common responses into belly laughs. While Crystal and Goldberg were good, Robin Williams was always the one that took over the entire stage and the audience.

Recently I have been thinking about Robin Williams ever since we learned that we will be having a baby early next year. For some reason I have been thinking about a part of one of his stand up sets when he talks about becoming a father. It was one of those rare moments of honest vulnerability that he would occasionally touch upon during those wild times on stage. In the midst of clear chaos, it was those moments that made you stop and think about something so serious that it just sticks with you years later. Maybe that it why it has been on my mind during the last few weeks.

 

Of course, as I am certain you have heard, Robin Williams was once again on the forefront of all our minds. I am still shocked that he is gone. I am not one to dedicate an entire lost to the loss of a celebrity but Robin Williams was on a completely different level. As I have gotten older I have constantly looked forward to what he would do next… whenever he was on I was going to watch.

And as I have gotten older, caught up and now understand those jokes lost on me during my childhood, I have continued to become more and more envious of the ability to create at an instant no matter where he was, what he was given, or what was said. He is a talent that we will never fully understand let alone replace. He was a complicated man but one with unparalleled ability, talent, and passion. I will miss watching that complicated man both during those intense moments of improv and also during those subdued roles that showcased a complexity and range that few have possessed.

Unfortunately, we all have our flaws and our struggles and his death is a reminder that no matter how much we watch someone, or their outgoing personality, or the success that they have… we don’t know what is going on inside of them. It is the scariest part of life not knowing what can be just below the surface and the horrible way that people see themselves. We can only do so much but one thing that we can do is make sure that we are there for our friends and family regardless of whether they seem like they need someone or not from the outside. You just never know.

Crafting Perspective

Everyone can look back at different points or events in their life and say what if. We all have the lingering regrets that surface if we dedicate too much thought to the past. I don’t care who you are, you know that you have had moments when those thoughts would run through your mind wondering if things would have gone differently if you had made a different decision. While most days these thoughts are nowhere to be found, I have the occasional day when the memories linger like a heavy fog on a cool humid morning.

Regrets, in the right amount, are a healthy part of life. It is the time when the analytical and creative minds meet at a common point and time in your past and try to figure out the scenarios that could have played out. It is actually a fascinating process if you remove yourself from the decision… basically, by taking an objective view of the situation you are able to enjoy the projections and story lines that can be created. It’s like a chose your own adventure book (remember those?) but with a vividness and reality that is seldom achieved through the words on a page.

Of course, in order to do this you have to come to terms with your past decisions. Sure there are moments that you may not be proud of or that may piss you off. Some things were completely in your control and others you had now control over the situation… regardless of the situation you have to leave it in the past. Besides, the clichéd little chestnut is true, all of those events and moments in your past have made you who you are today. I can’t speak for anyone else, but I am pretty darn happy with who I am and where I am at this point in my life. There are some things that I wish were a little different but nothing that I would really change.

If you are able to keep things in perspective the creative logic that is applied to your own past can provide you with pages of content and hours of entertainment. I have created many stories and scenes by leveraging my own past and tweaking it to create an alternative timeline to fit the needs of the character and story. As a bonus, once you put a different name in the situation and build an entirely different story arch it, for the most part, removes that trajectory from your own mind and therefore eliminates a avenue of regret.

It may seem odd but it works. This is what makes the creative process so personal at times and why many of us invest so much in the stories that we tell. It is a part of us, a part of our past, a part of our reality… it allows the possibilities of the past contribute to who we are today in a positive and productive way. In the end, embrace the past, good and bad, as well as the realities that did happen and possibilities that never materialized. All of these things are what feed your mind it is up to you weather that is a good thing or bad thing.

The Pitch Black Creative Catalyst

It always seems that I am up late at night writing a blog. It’s not that I don’t try to get it done earlier it’s just a very simple fact that the ideas and the ability to construct these short essays don’t come to me until there is a slight heaviness in my eyes. I even have the word document open on my computer throughout the day, ready to go, but I rarely find myself actually typing anything. The same can be said for the blank sheets of paper that wind up being neglected as they are shuffled from one side of my desk to the other during the course of my regular working day.

Sometimes, like now, the night brings a wave of prose that forces me to either write well beyond the 400 word minimum I set at the beginning or I am jumping from one document to another recording two streams of thought nearly simultaneously to be posted on consecutive days. What you are reading now if the second of the two. It is an annoying all or nothing situation that I find myself in every day. It’s almost like my creativity is bipolar… it either shies away or I can’t get it to shut the heck up.

Of course it could be the fact that there is only so much creativity and focus that I can produce at one time and with my job requiring much of that focus and energy it proves difficult to syphon enough of the focus away to even jot down a few sentences or word combinations. And that is just for this blog… my other writing is solely a weekend endeavor and only when that too is not filled with the overflow from the week. Those projects require more than the focus of night, they require the vibrancy of the day.

For everything else… personal correspondences (yes, I still write actually letter on occasion), newsletters, emails, and blogs… the evening is still the time to let he ink flow and the fingers fly like a wounded hummingbird. In the end, there is something about the night that motivates me to write. The catalyst that is midnight, the urgency of the hour, and the desire to bring the day to a close are what I need to keep this blog going. It isn’t every night but it is more often than not an essential part of this less than creative process. And when I stop to think about it, it has pretty much been the same way throughout my writing life. Maybe not always this late but certainly after the sun has gone to sleep and the liveliness of the day is all but a memory.

That Didn’t Last Long…

Moments after I posted my last blog the routine workday was cast aside for the scrambling that all too often occupies my work days. It is one of those frustrating cogs that may slow the progress but nothing that can’t be cleared with some hard work and, in this case, putting forth the effort to keep the opportunity alive. This, among other things, is what occupied my day… a day that was anything but routine but one that, in the end, balanced out. After all, the goal is to maintain balance.

In this instance, a customer decided to back out of a story with a large publication due to the potential exposure that comes with a high profile feature. On one hand I completely understand, on the other I am left with a ‘what the heck’ feeling as it is an opportunity that came about after considerable effort. Many would even say “I would definitely do it if given the opportunity” but that is not what I do. I can recommend from a strategic standpoint and highlight all of the benefits of such an opportunity but it is ultimately not my decision.

We work on behalf of our clients and, in this case, their customers. Our job is to balance the media opportunities with their goals, find the best matches, and pursue them until they happen. At the same time, there is a tremendous amount of trust that companies put in us to do what is in their best interest and that is what we do, not what we aim to do, this is what we do on a daily basis. Routine or chaos this is always the underlying current to the work that is done on any given day.

While many may see this as a somewhat restrictive position to find yourself in, it is anything but that and, in fact, there is great freedom in the work that I do. Both the strategy and creativity that we employ are limitless and has led to complete shifts in both perspective and approach of certain topic internally and, more importantly, in the media. How else are you going to keep it interesting when you speak to the same industry publications time and again about the same company?

You need to bring strategy, creativity, and energy to the process. All feed off of one another and being in an open work environment and with clients that understand, or attempt to understand, our role, support our process, and value our expertise. When you step back and look at the job, routine has nothing to do with schedules. Routine, in the best sense of the word, is bringing those three drivers with you to work, into meetings, and convey over the phone every day because those three things equate to passion. Passion is what you need to work in PR because passion is what gets results.

Random Phone Notes

I was going through my phone in an attempt to free up some space and generally delete a bunch of things that were just taking up the screen. You know, the apps that you come across every once in a while and say “why the heck do I have this on my phone?” Well, as I dug a little deeper into many of the forgotten files more and more space became available in my memory.

One of the areas that I keep overlooking is the random notes and ideas that I type into the yellow screen in the hope to not forget the thoughts. Unfortunately, I frequently forget that I recorded the ideas. It is only when I go into the application to make another note when I remember the other content that is just sitting there. Thankfully, the practice of recording my notes in my phone isn’t incredibly common.

On Friday, I had a thought and opened my notes. After recording the random clicker of quasi creative thought, I scrolled through the other notes that were sitting there. Some of the sentences were interesting and could, possibly, be fleshed out to be a somewhat interesting piece. Others, not so much (that collection of completely inconsequential randomness was quickly trashed). But, I will let you be the judge so here is what I found when I read through the forgotten lines…

11/21/11 – The road laced the nightmares of parents in the small Philadelphia suburb when their children turned 16. Every year, a new cross, a new mound of flowers, a new collage of mournful notes lay exposed to the elements. The curve itself wasn't sharp - there was nothing treacherous about its degree. It was the suddenness of the bend that robbed one of control. It was to the relief of everyone in the town when the township decided to close the road. No more nightmares. No more haunting images and nights filled with pacing. No more worrying that they wouldn't see their children graduate. No more ghosts. Years passed and the old road slowly slipped back into the winding creek beside it. However, the curve remained seemingly untouched by time. Last summer, enough time had passed and the stigma had faded to the point that a developer purchased the land at what he thought was a steal. He was looking forward to the profits the thought were sure to follow.

7/4/13 – I hear the sounds of fireworks in the distance without a splash of color to be seen. Instead I watch the fireflies pulse in the darkness to the staccato of liberty.

7/8/13 – Motors whining, suspensions creaking, gears popping, and tired what seem to be tearing and ripping at the road. Where are they going at 2am?

11/12/13 – Along the back left wall the lamp lit the desk with a light that seemed to syphon the warmth and energy from the other three corners of the room.

2/28/14 – Bobby expected things to happen for him. He believe that luck was on his side he just needed that one moment to turn things around. It was this sense of entitled hope and opportunity that kept him searching for a genie in the bottom of a bottle.

So, now that you have read through the random thoughts that have passed through my fingers over the past 2+ years, what would you like to read more about? What would you like me to attempt to develop into some sort of creative draft? Let me know what you would like to read and I will make an attempt to expand the thought into something that resembles a story, poem, article, etc. I have no idea what will come out of the exercise but I will give it a shot.

Half-life Of Humor

There is always something that happens during the day that throws you a little bit off. To a certain extent, everyone experiences this on a daily basis. Some a little more, some a little less. This is how we gradually learn how to deal with those instances and move forward without much interruption. However, the real challenge, at least for me, is making sure those moments don’t interfere with the client. The best solution for me was simply to make the client laugh.

Making them laugh eases the impact of whatever news that you have for them. It makes the bad or unpleasant news a little more palatable and makes the good news that much better. Sometimes it can even do wonders for minor errors in a document, email, or other collateral during the draft stages. This is also where creativity comes into play. Basically, you can either take errors at face value or you can transform them into a joke. When done well it can be a great thing that makes everyone’s day better if for only a minute or two.

With that said, there is a line that you can’t cross and you have to know what kind of humor that will work with each person. If a situation gets to a certain point a joke or simple moment of attempted levity can do much more harm than good. Also, the same negative impact can occur when there is a complete mismatch in sense of humor. Thankfully, I have, thus far, been able to match up the humorous comments with the individuals with a fair amount of accuracy. Except for George from Georgia but he is a real prick. There have also been people like George that I don’t even attempt to go that route as the chance for success is far too slim.

The half-life of a joke is also something to consider. Today I made a comment which was received well. I used it once in the morning in response to an innocent typo in a document we were reviewing and everyone in the email chain received it well. At the end of the day, there was an opportunity to neatly fit the premise into another email with the client. It worked again. However, that joke is now spent. Most likely, I will not be able to continue the world play without it seeming forced.

Sometimes you just have to know when to stop!

Shifting Priorities

When a door closes pick another one to open!

Yesterday was a hectic day at the office. Really nothing earth shattering in that statement. That pretty much sums up every day at work for me. But yesterday was a little different than most as it left me scrambling to adjust my list of priorities for the foreseeable future. Every PR firm has clients come and go. It is the nature of the business and something that is to be expected. While I prefer the former, the latter can sometimes free up some much needed time to ramp up other projects for other clients.

However, I absolutely hate seeing a client go especially when the business/product is something unique that is certainly going to continue to be a huge success. While there seems to be specific reasons for every client departure they vary greatly from company to company. The only thing we can do is make sure that things are taken care of on our end so that if the company does move on we can look at the decision as something that is out of our control.

I have seen and heard all different kinds of ‘reasons’. Sometimes it is a shift into a new direction, sometimes is a personal connection/contact they have with another firm, sometimes it is a matter of style. It all comes down to the fact that while from the outside PR can seem like an industry that is impersonal and monotonous or, more precisely described to me, “a business of repetitive acts both in form and practice” that really doesn’t come close to what we really do. Some have even said that it is easy.

For those that have any experience in the industry know just how personal this business can be if you truly invest in your work. Most days it is a one on one discussion during which you get to know the person on the other end of the phone, table, or computer screen. At the same time you are trying to bring them along on the story you are trying to tell. If you believe in your clients, you enjoy talking to people, and you respect the publications you are reaching out to this can be a very personal process.

A certain amount of pride and appreciation is experienced with every placement not because your name is anywhere in the text (as a PR professional you don’t want your name anywhere near the text) but because you have done your job and got the story out into the world. You do it for the client. The same can be said when you produce content for a client and you craft the messaging in such a way that grabs someone’s interest while hitting all the points that need to be addressed.

I guess this is why the creative side of me enjoys this field as much as it does. While there are undoubtedly routines in my day (like any industry or occupation) there is a tremendous amount of creative freedom and personality that, when applied properly, can produce exceptional results. And it is because this is such a personal profession for me I hate the few times I have experienced when a client has left. But when that does happen, as it just has, it does allow me to share that passion with another company and gives me the excuse to get to know a completely new group of people. So I guess you could say that it is both a really good and really bad situation but I am going to do my best to focus on the positive.

I Guess Sometimes I Need Four Hours Of Sleep

I was up late Sunday night trying to take care of a few things that had to be done first thing Monday morning. I stayed at my laptop until the last item was entered. Unfortunately, sometimes my determination gets the best of me and I just lose track of time altogether. Because of that, I didn’t crawl into bed until about three in the morning. With my alarm set for seven the week was already off to a rough start.

Having had my eyes shut for only four hours, my alarm was not a welcomed sound. As I rolled out of bed and began my morning routine, it was not looking too good. After a not so relaxing weekend, I had a bit of dread heading into the office on Monday morning. Even the drive to the office, while smooth and with minimal traffic, I was tired and the highway seemed to go on forever.

I walked into the office like I do every day, got to my desk, and set up everything I needed out for the day. Before sitting down at the computer I headed over to the kitchen, made a big cup of coffee, and began going over the client checklist of all the things that needed to get done by the time I headed home for the night (all the things I wasn’t able to get to the night before). This really wasn’t going to be a good day.

It was time to head to my fate so I planted my rear in my chair, poised my fingers above the keys, and waited for the blank thoughts to flood my mind. It was at this time that things, for some strange reason, just seemed to click. Sometimes I just have one of those writing days when everything seems to come into place.

Before I knew it the paragraphs were forming on the page and, what was even better, they seemed to make sense. Within a matter of a couple of hours I was pages into a project and was still going strong. With a handful of projects filed away and emailed, I had gotten more done during the morning than I had expected to get done the entire day.

It was at this point that the creative wall tattooed me across the forehead and left me with a massive headache. Thanks to a productive morning, I was able to keep the severe pounding at bay with Motrin and a number of small items that I could fill in between the eye rubbing and temple massaging. It turned into a long day, as expected, but it was hugely productive, which was a pleasant surprise. You really never know when those creative streaks will hit but I am really glad when they do.

A Night Filled With Fog

It never fails, there is always something that I am overlooking at any given moment when it comes to all the projects that are up in the air. There are two things that make this situation worse…. neglecting the same project over and over again and having my schedule thrown off by the weather or some other weekly interruption. Unfortunately, I find myself in a situation when both of these factors have converged on a single project and now my rear end is getting particularly toasty as it sizzles in the fire.

I don’t know what it is about this project. While it involved writing, which is usually not a problem, it is something that I have never written before and for a client that can be very particular in the content that we create for them. There have been little pieces completed here and there but I can seem to get any momentum going to see it through to the end. It’s almost like instant writers block as soon as I open the document and poise my fingers above the keyboard.

Even now, as I write this blog with a certain amount of fluidity, whenever the thought of that project comes to mind my fingers slow and hesitate before striking the letters. I don’t know if I have ever experienced this sensation to this extent in the past but I hope that it is a onetime deal. However, I have a feeling that this is probably not going to be the case as similar projects are will be materializing on the calendar shortly and the vicious cycle will most likely repeat itself.

If this was a matter segregated from the rest of my work I would be annoyed but not really concerned. I guess you could say that is an unrealistically optimistic statement. This problem does impact the rest of my work both for this client and for the other accounts that I work on. Heck, it even impacts this blog and brings a certain amount of fogginess to the creative process in all aspects of my writing.

In my work process, I need to be able to see the end point, I need to know where the writing needs to go. When visibility is limited, it is incredibly difficult to reach the finish line in an efficient manner. Personally, especially when writing these posts, I need to be able to see each step. Even those short distances are obscured by the haze. Overall, it makes writing a slow and sometimes tedious process. Even now, I am incredibly tired and so I am going to bring this post to a quick and abrupt end.

Writing With The TV On

Have you ever tried to write while watching a movie? When struggling to find an idea it can be difficult especially when it is the beginning of “Throw Momma From The Train” when Billy Crystal’s character is struggling more than you are at that moment. It is a little painful to watch not for the actions of the character but because you can see yourself and sometimes remember yourself going through those same motions. “You’ve been on 'The night was’ since July.” It is not a pleasant thought but that is the reality of writing.

I guess there could be worse movies to have on the television. “Funny Farm” comes to mind as a prime example. The internal hell that Chevy Chase goes through in that movie is darn funny (this is when Chevy Chase was funny for those young people that don’t know any better). But it also touches on the jealousy of inspiration that comes so easily to others. We have all been in that situation when we hear a line or read a story and have that ‘I wish I had thought of that’ notion float through your mind.

Those can be disturbing moments if you let them percolate in your mind. What we have to realize is that we all have those moments of clear creativity when everything just fits together but, most of the time, we are either not aware of the spark or don’t write it down quickly enough to keep the ember burning until you can get it down on paper. However, when you catch those moments it can be something of a mesmerizing experience when the world falls away and all you can see is the images and actions that your words are etching into your eyes and embedding in your ears.  

Those instances may be rare for many of us but it is still enough to keep us going. Sometimes it is an entire story that just blindly falls onto the pages while other times it can be a word combination that you have never heard before. Sometimes it is a matter of finding a different perspective while other times that tiny ember can be found in the smallest crevice or the minutest detail found in a crystal of rock salt borrowing through the whining ice on its journey to the gray tar patch in the middle of the pockmarked road. Inspiration is in details and perspectives. Once those are established the action can be introduced organically. Of course, scotch helps too.

Processes and Common Sense

Not all steps are this easy to see.

Everything I do during my day has its own distinct process. Whether I am at work, in the lodge office, or simply writing a blog post everything is done in its own way with its own set of steps. Some of these processes are pretty clear cut like pitching a story to the media while others are a bit more obtuse.

Many of my workday activities are rather regimented. Well, at least that is how I keep myself organized. I know the basic structures of different projects and forms and know how things need to be arranged to make sense for various companies and publications. I know the basic bullet points that need to be addressed and I know the steps that need to be taken when pitching, proposing, and revising.

There are also other times when what seems simple is actually something with numerous unseen steps that need to be taken in order to achieve the desired result. The majority of projects that I must complete on a regular basis for the lodge fall into this category. While at times it can test my patience a bit, it is an understandable process that needs to occur to ensure that everything is carried out the way it should be and any errors are caught early in the process. Even some of the most basic communications where dissemination seems obvious needs to be handled in the right way.

The creative process is something that I can’t really say has steps. At least in my case it is something that just seems to happen. It is a thought process that just happens. You could start with a basic questions like “what’s for dinner?” and end up somewhere around monkey monkey underpants (some of you will get the reference). Even when coming up with pitches or work related blogs, the same ‘unique’ process applies. I have tried to distill this process into steps but my mind simply won’t let me put it on paper. With that said, I have taught enough lessons to know how to spark the creative process but where that takes someone is completely up to them.

Most of my work flows in and out of the creative process which, at times can be tiring but as long as I properly manage the tide I am usually able to keep things going day in and day out. However, sometimes it is good to step away from the process for a few moments which is why I like working with my hands and putting thing together. I also like traveling and exploring because it is a matter of observance rather than creation. Even the act of studying is relaxing for me as the process begins and ends with facts.

However, the common thread across all my ‘jobs’ is that of common sense. I have seen many people attempt each of my daily duties in one form or another and have tried to do so with limited or no common sense. Smart people but they floundered in their rigid habits and lack of comprehension. It just goes to show that life and experience can’t be found in a textbook or in a set of instructions. You need to apply your mind, your personality, your own processes, and your experiences to your job(s). Without those basic applications, you are bound to find yourself a best confused and if someone is really out of touch they will find themselves without a professional home.

Working From Home: I'm Not A Fan Of Snow Days

I don’t know if I have ever mentioned this before but I hate working from home. It’s not that I don’t enjoy being home and not having to commute, especially when my wife is home as well, I am just not as productive as when I am sitting at my desk in the office. Even the simple asking of a question can sometimes take longer as you can’t just pop your head in someone else’s office to give them the heads up. However, the thing that suffers the greatest handicap is creativity particularly when you know that much of our day is going to be filled with writing.

Contrary to the noise that I have heard from some others, creativity is a social or group exercise. While others may not be forming the exact words that you inscribe on the page, or as in this instance punch on a keyboard, they still provide a great deal of inspiration and/or direction on projects both work related and purely creative. Whether you want to admit it or not, the work that you do is heavily influenced by the people and the world around you.

However, too much stimulation can be detrimental to the process which is another factor of why I don’t work well from home. While some I know are completely comfortable at home which promotes productivity, that same situation stymies my output. Having so many things of interest around me, o the book cases, in the closet, on the table and desk it can sometimes be difficult to keep my focus on the screen. Actually, it is more of the personal projects, mostly involving organization, that distract me more often than anything else. Most of the time the need to work and get things done, especially those with a tight deadline, force my eyes back to the word document open in front of me but there are occasions when my mind and glance wander and do so for several minutes at a time.

I don’t see this as being a permanent problem of not being able to work efficiently from home but, for now, it is an issue. Maybe once I get things a bit more organized and a few more personal projects taken care of I will be able to keep my mind from wandering in that direction. I think that should be another item to add to my resolutions posted on Wednesday. If I can get that done, hopefully sooner rather than later, I think it would help with most of the other projects and goals that have previously been listed. So, consider this another resolution added to the list with the hope that it is resolved by the time I have to work from home again.

Have You Been Enjoying My Box Of Chocolates?

200 days ago this blog didn’t exist. It was a time when I would rarely set aside the time to write. Sometimes I would be doing other worthwhile projects but many times I would simply be passing the time. There were many lost thoughts and forgotten recordings of my life that I would like to have back but know that is never going to be the case.

There have been days/nights when I have had a lot to say and there have been times, like tonight, when I just start writing and hope that I eventually stumble into something worth recording. That is how it goes when you post daily blogs… at least that is what happens to me. This is a medium that is reflective of life and sometimes it is interesting and exciting and sometimes not much is going on. This is accentuated by the fact that I am generally not a very interesting person and live a pretty simple life.

Of course, there have been times of opinion sharing and other posts have been about life and what experiences I have been fortunate enough to have during the whirlwind of days. In one post I could rant about presidential selfies and BS sign language translators while the next post could be about a nice little day trip into the mountains. I prefer keeping a blog using the Forrest Gump box of chocolates school of writing. Basically, if you don’t like what I have to say today just come back tomorrow and there will be something completely Monty Python.

All too often, and I have been guilt of this in the past, writers like to play the equivalent of the creative or literary knock out game. Some people have a perfect punch in their words and some of us get luck every once in a while but, most of the time, we are all taking big swings hoping that one piece connects with the audience. When it happens it’s a great feeling but it is also tiring. And I mean a George Forman kind of tired.

By writing daily, freely and openly, I have been happy to keep jabbing. Some hit hard, some clearly miss the mark but I keep throwing my first out there in a deliberate and constant way. Most of them make contact and keep me in shape. This is a matter of endurance and just like running a race at some point you are going to have to push through a wall, sometimes many walls. It the nature of the creative marathon and one that is both rewarding and addictive. 200 posts later and I am still running.

Plagued By The Blank Screen

As you may have noticed, lately I have been posting late at night in an attempt to keep the daily blog streak going. This is not ideal but they are getting up and that is the real task at hand for me because the simple purpose of this blog has always been to just keep writing.

The common sense rational is that if you want to be a writer, keep writing. Sometimes you will produce something to be incredibly proud of while other times you will fall flat. No one gets it right one hundred percent of the time and I am choosing to do so publicly.

Another hazard that every writer faces at some point in time is “writer’s block”. This has been my burden as of late and has caused the delays in putting up posts at a more ideal time early in the morning. But I am determined to break through the wall and return to the level of productivity that I am more accustomed.

Many of you know that this situation is one that has many causes including illness, lack of sleep, mental preoccupation, laziness, and limited time. While any of these factors can be overcome they all cause a slowing or, sometimes, freezing of the writing process. Unfortunately, I have been juggling all of the above in my attempt to keep this blog going.

How I have been able to do this I honestly don’t have an answer that would explain it completely. All I have done is write. I keep writing and just try to form quasi lucent thoughts that hopefully at least a few people will be able to follow. I have had to make it a selfish process where I am writing to think things through for myself. This is why there may be one topic being addressed in the beginning of the post and something completely different being discussed by the end.  

Having a topic at hand is another way to combat the drudges of disassembling a creative roadblock. When I started this blog I want to take things day by day and have spontaneous posts about things that have happened, strange occurrences, random thoughts, etc. That lasted about three days before I started working on a list of ideas and events on my calendar. Having that list has given me direction on a daily basis and has saved me from starting with a completely blank screen. Sometimes all it takes is a quick idea at the top of the page to get things going. It still required a lot of work but it is definitely easier getting to point B when you know where to locate point A.

Overall, I guess it just proves that creative stubbornness can sometimes be a good thing. Taking the approach of getting your thoughts down no matter what is essential in staving off what can lead to a severing of the connection between your brain and the page. This is when writing becomes work but it is what needs to be done if you want to return to creative state that is free flowing and fun. Sometimes you have to work at something before it becomes enjoyable (again).