I just returned from the Romance Writers of America conference in ....Washington.. ..D.C..... After hanging out with 2,000 writers—some old friends and many more new-to-me friends—I always come home recharged and ready to write. The conference is always professionally uplifting as I learn new ideas for tweaking my writing process and lots of tidbits about what’s happening in our industry. But perhaps more importantly, I am uplifted personally since the writers around me inspire me. I might hear Brenda Jackson talk about how she managed to write sixty plus books in fourteen years—all while she worked full time at another job (wow!). Or I might listen in a workshop as pre-published writers talk about the obstacles they face to try and carve out time to write in busy, busy lives. They all make time for writing, and it reminds me what a compelling urge we have to tell stories. There’s something timeless about that urge—something that we’ve shared with our ancestors since they were painting on cave walls. I like knowing I have a place in that long standing tradition.
Because I’m so inspired, I thought I would share a piece of RWA with you. I’m posting the notes from my workshop, “Tending the Writer’s Emotional Health” so that you can have a taste of the conference from afar. The workshop was all about protecting and nurturing your creativity, managing the inevitable stressors, and maintaining productivity in your writing career. I hope these ideas help energize your Muse and show you how to make a little more room in your life for your creative impulses. So without further ado...
Tending the Writer's Emotional Health
w Organization— an organized physical space = an organized mind
w Physical Comfort— you need a better chair, good lighting, the right keyboard
w Room of One’s Own— failing that… space of one’s own. You deserve a place to spread out and a spot that appeals to the five senses.
w Social Networks— keep yours varied with cyber groups, real life writer friends, clubs or special interest groups with interests outside writing
w Entertain Your Muse— experiment with what maintains your creativity by keeping a writer’s journal, finding a creativity coach, engaging in alternative arts
w Schedule Breaks— small ones throughout the day, days off in a week, weeks off in a year
w Sleep— your body requires it for good health, your brain needs it to work out story problems
w Rewards— good managers offer incentives and so should you
w Balance— know when to shut down the computer