On connecting with creative outlets.

How do I stay rooted in creativity when I am knee deep in a project?

This is my fifth year working on my book. The book is now on its 6^th draft following some very constructive feedback I received to reduce the word count from 120K down to 95K.

Working on a project consistently for almost 5 years has meant that I am immersed in the characters and the world of the story ENTIRELY.  I have read, re-read, edited and re-edited the words over and over again. I have pulled out snippets and fragments to post on social media, I have done read-alouds for myself and for audiences. I am so familiar with the content that I can recite whole paragraphs in my head. When I close my eyes I can see the words on the page, literally.

In the meantime however, much as I love my story, I yearn for other content, for other stories, to hear other’s words read aloud, to engage with other characters and to traverse new lands. Essentially, I want to connect with other writers and their process.

So, what do I do to stay connected to other creative writing?

1. I read as much as I can.  My life is busy with my book project, my two kids and my work however, at any point in time I have 2 books that I’m reading. One is usually a memoir, given this is my genre, and the second is anything that I fancy from recommendations online, from friends or the NYT book review. I try and read every night in bed.
2. I joined a book club. My book club is made up of Mums from my kid’s school and once a month we read a book and discuss it. I absolutely love this. I get to read books I would have never considered and get to discuss it’s themes over a leisurely lunch with a group of lovely ladies. The fact that I have a date to discuss the book often motivates me to read the book to the end.
3. I listen to audio books. I really LOVE audio books. Many of my friends have never tried listening to an audio book, preferring the act of holding a physical book in their hands, old school. I love owning, holding and reading physical books too, but the experience of an audio book is something else entirely. I love to hear language read out loud. Hearing words enunciated with an accent or delivered with a unique baritone, infuses the story with humanity, with breath and life. For me, as I listen to the sentences delivered with pacing, with intrigue – loud, sometimes a whisper, fast, sometimes slow –  the story comes to life and I see the characters in my mind’s eye, clear as day.  I listen to audio books when I have clear stretches of what I call “dead time” – long drives in the car (of which I have many given my kids’ schedules) or time when I am doing chores like folding laundry and cooking.
4. Podcasts on books and writing. I have discovered so many podcasts over the years about books, writers and writing in general. I listen to podcasts when I am walking my dog daily and when I work out. Last year I spent 16 weeks training for a half-marathon and I ploughed through loads of podcasts in that time as I pounded the streets day after day. Here are some of my favourites:

• On the craft of writing and getting published:
  • The Writer Files hosted by Kelton Reid – a show that really does pull back the curtain on the mystique of the writing life. Kelton chats to award winning authors on their craft and books as well as agents and publishers.
  • The Profitable Writer hosted by Kent Sanders, features episodes featuring guest experts and content to become a more productive writer
  • Writing Class Radio hosted by Allison Langer and Andrea Askowitz, this podcast airs personal stories and teaches the wonderful craft of writing. I loved episode 170 titled “Here’s why I resolve to fail more” about the constant rejection faced by writers. Apropos for me at the moment!
• Book Reviews and Book Clubs:
  • The Book Review podcast from the New York Times – the podcast that literally does take you inside the literary world hosted by Gilbert Cruz and other book editors at the NYT. I just LOVE these guys, it’s my periodic dose of inspiration.
  • The New Yorker Fiction Podcast – a monthly reading and conversation with The New Yorker’s fiction editor Deborah Triesman. I loved the December episode featuring the fantastic Teju Cole reading an excerpt from a piece from the New Yorker archive by Anne Carson. Love, love love his narration, and the way the beautiful hint of his Nigerian accent sweeps over the words.
  • Celebrity Memoir Book Club – a real guilty pleasure. Hosted by two stand-up comedians, Claire Parker and Ashley Hamilton, the podcast dives into the good, bad and ugly of celebrity memoir. My favorite? The episode discussing Viola Davis’s memoir, Finding Me. Love.
  • Moms Don’t have time to read Books with Zibby Owens where celebrity guests – all writers, share writing advice, stories and anecdotes.
  • Books you should have read – a quick breeze through some of the classics that perhaps you never got to read but would like cliff notes of. I never got to read Persepolis, Handmaid’s Tale or A Christmas Carol for example and feel like I can hold my own in any discussion about these books now!
  • BBC world service World Book Club – where the world’s great authors discuss their best-known novel. For fans of Wole Soyinka, I really enjoyed an old episode where he discusses his amazing novel AKE.

• Daily non-book writing prompt. Every day, I write something for 10-15 minutes in response to a writing prompt that has NOTHING to do with my current project. Some of the stuff I am writing is total BS, some could become the makings of a short story or something I may return to another time. I started to do this as I had an intense fear that I was not exercising my writing muscle because I was working on and revisiting content that I had already written. This practice has helped push me to think creatively every single day. I use this website for daily prompts:

365 Creative Writing Prompts

• Writerly subscriptions. I’m sure we all do this however, I do subscribe to several publications. The truth is not every edition gets read, but I skim the content mostly for news, writing competitions and keeping a handle on what types of books are being published. Here is my subscription list:
  • Poets & Writers
  • Jericho Writers
  • Publishers Lunch
  • The Bookseller
  • The Women’s Prize
  • Memoir Magazine
  • New York Times (for the book review section)
• Conference attendance – For the first time this year, I will be attending AWP in Kansas City and Gotham Non-Fiction Writers Conference in New York City. I have no idea what to expect but I am PUMPED!

How else do you stay grounded and connected to other creative work? Please share any tips and pearls of wisdom.

Till next time.

xxx