December 03, 2021

Conquering Writer’s Block: The Cabin In The Woods Paradox🌲

December 03, 2021/ J.T. Ellison

I read a wonderful question and answer piece this week that changed my idea of what I wanted to talk about today. In an attempt to be “real”, a woman bagged it all and pulled a Thoreau: she found a remote cabin in the woods of Montana (with an outhouse, no less), unplugged from everything she’d known, and tried to write her memoir. Of course, nothing happened. The author thought she was blocked, and asked what she should do. The answer given is thoughtful and complex, full of wise, excellent advice. This, in particular, stood out:

“I think that a lot of writer’s block comes from trying to write something you don’t really mean.”

I’ve said a thousand times block is your story saying you’re headed in the wrong direction. But this — you’re unable to write because you don’t really mean it — seems like a more honest explanation.

I’ve been working on this new Taylor book for a while now, and while I haven’t exactly been blocked, it’s taking longer than I expected. Taylor has been...resistant to my plans. I’ve always known where I wanted to take her, what her life’s journey is going to be. But it’s been ten years since I wrote a Taylor novel, and guess what? I’m a different person now. A different writer. I’ve grown. I’ve changed. Taylor has remained static in my mind this entire decade, but she’s been changing, too.

My enthusiasm for this story was being tempered by the fact that it just wasn’t working. It took me a while to understand what was happening. Taylor was resisting the story I was trying to tell because it’s her story. Not mine. And after ten years, I didn’t know her anymore.

Does that sound surprising? Think about the last time a close friend moved to another city. There are subterranean goings-on you’re no longer aware of. Restaurants you’re unfamiliar with, new friends, new daily routines. Even if you talk all the time, your friend is still experiencing things you aren’t anymore. That changes the dynamic between you and them, and it’s certainly something to think about when you’re writing a character who’s been long-dormant, existing only in your mind instead of on the page. On the page is where the growth of a character happens. When I stopped trying to force Taylor into what I’d planned for her and instead allowed her to show me what she wanted for herself, the book started flowing again. It’s now the course of the plot, this growth of hers. Funny how that works.

I suppose the lesson to be learned here is to meet your story and characters where they are, instead of where you expect them to be. That goes for you, too. Life’s a lot easier when you are present and accepting of yourself, as is.

Friday Reads 📚

I’m still working on the Gabaldon books awaiting my signed copy of Bees. After picking up and setting down several other books, I wanted a touchstone, so I turned to Lisa Unger’s THE CROWS. Lisa is one of my favorite authors, and she put out a very intriguing series of interconnected stories earlier this year. Her self-assured writing helps me settle into my own work, and her inventiveness gives me permission to just go there, already.

News 🏆

Some exciting news to share this week. A WORD ON WORDS was nominated for an EMMY® Monday night! It was a lovely acknowledgment of the hard work that went into making a television show during a pandemic. Congrats to all the AWOW team and Nashville Public Television for helping us find the path, and many thanks to the incredible guests who shared their books with us! For something fun, here’s an elegant short video about how the EMMY® statuettes are made.

How was your week? What are you reading this weekend?

November 26, 2021

Chasing the Algorithm Dragon 🐲

November 26, 2021/ J.T. Ellison

I hope you had a glorious Thanksgiving! I am back from my social media sabbatical, not exactly rested but much, much more settled than when I left three weeks ago. I had a chance to think, to write, to read. I missed my friends and I missed hearing what people were up to, but I did not miss the algorithm.

Social media has evolved from its initial, noble purpose of connecting us into a continuous marketing machine, an algorithm-driven monster that forces anyone who wants to communicate with others to compete for eyeballs against AI that force-feeds what it thinks you want to see instead of what you really do. It’s been driving me to distraction, coming up with ways to work with the algorithms to make sure my content is seen by as many eyeballs as possible. I can’t beat the system, because the system has stopped being socially oriented in the way I like to engage with people. I’d like to change how I interact with social media, and I’m hoping you will help me do that. To whit: I’m moving my online life to my long-established business Fridays.

I used to have weekly blog on a fabulous group endeavor called Murderati. Every Friday, I would post an essay, and spend most of the morning engaging with the commenters. We gave up Murderati years ago when it became clear most of our readership had moved to Facebook — and that was okay, for a long time. Then they created professional pages, started charging us money to access the very people we’d been discoursing with — our friends, family, and fans alike — and if we didn’t pay, cut us out of people’s feeds. I’ve been very lucky to be able to afford a bit of advertising to stay relevant to the algorithm, but I wish we could find a better way.

Do I think the social media companies have lost the plot? Yes. Do I think I can compete against the HUGE advantage they have of immediate access to the folks who follow my feed? Nope. Not a chance. So why am I doing this?

First, my marketing/writing balance has gotten out of whack. Like many artists, I’m spending way too much time trying to devise ways to be rewarded by the algorithm. Not only that, being away these past few weeks helped me realize the new video-driven feeds make my brain feel like I’m staring at a strobe light. I couldn’t figure out why I was suddenly getting so anxious, why my blood pressure was going up. My feeds aren’t filled with controversy or anger; it’s most architecture and yoga, pretty art and photography, pics of friends’ babies, and lovely books. Nothing that should make me uncomfortable. So why was I so much more settled and calm away from the feeds?

I started thinking about the 5 minutes I spent on TikTok a few months ago and realized OH! Scrolling through flashing videos is like staring at a strobe light. At concerts, strobes make me super uncomfortable. That’s what the new style of feed feels like to my poor little brain. It distracts me, and it makes me anxious. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Social media evolution is in my control.

Going forward, here’s my plan. My business Fridays will include a small blog. There is no set format for this. I might share what I’m reading or what I’m watching, how it’s nourishing me as an artist. I might post cat pictures. I might talk about what I’m working on, about what I accomplished that week. Who knows?

On Fridays, I’m setting office hours. I will be here, with you. I will be present and engaged. I will answer comments on the blog, should anyone wish to engage here (I hope you do! Eventually, when the socials have died out, I will still be here for you.) I will be out on my social feeds commenting and talking and interacting with friends and readers. But I’m only going to do this one day a week like I used to do in the dinosaur age.

It took a wad of podcast listening (shoutout to Cal Newport, one of the best intellectual philosophers and digital ethics gurus we have today), Brad Stulberg (I’ve written many of these notes all over The Practice of Groundedness), my beautiful friend Andi, my husband-shaped sounding board, and a quiet resort on the Gulf of Mexico for helping me pull together all these thoughts. This feels right. And sometimes, as Andi has taught me, we have to do what feels right for us in our bodies and minds rather than what is expected of us.

I suppose this is my version of the Great Resignation in many ways. It’s my opportunity to put into practice all the thoughts and feelings that have been swelling inside of me during the pandemic. I’m a writer. I want to write you books, and talk about the writing of said books, instead of devising ways to hit it big through the perfect hashtag.

I invite anyone who wishes to join me in this contrarian endeavor (and boy, do I hope you decide to) to sound off in the comments. Fridays are a great time to talk books and writing. Let’s do this.

Friday Reads 📚

In addition to a quick pass through the three most recent books in Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series preparing for the glorious experience of a NEW Jamie and Claire story, I just started reading Michael Pollan’s A PLACE OF MY OWN: The Architecture of a Daydream. It’s Michael’s story of building, by hand, a “room of his own” in his backyard, a place to pursue his writing dreams. Very cool.

What are you reading this weekend?

November 25, 2021

Happy Thanksgiving! 🦃 🍁

November 25, 2021/ J.T. Ellison

A day for traditions, a day for quiet grace and giving thanks, a day to forgive and forget. Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. It’s chilly and raining here in Nashville, and we’re traveling to family this afternoon, but this morning it’s a cheery fire, the scent of cinnamon and sweet potatoes, a big mug of tea, cozy cats taking baths, and a re-read of one of my favorite series, Diana Gabaldon’s OUTLANDER, preparing for her new novel that came out Tuesday. I ordered a special signed copy and it’s not here yet, but that gives me time to catch up on the other books.

It’s these quiet moments that makes Thanksgiving my favorite. My gratitude list is long this year, and on the top of it is you. I’m so incredibly grateful to have you in my life. I hope you have a quiet and peaceful day, and if there is any drama, it’s only in your books or on the screen.

PS: I’ll be back tomorrow to officially break my social media sabbatical.