LDSPMA

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poetry

Getting Unstuck from a Creative Rut

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Do you ever feel like your wheels are spinning, but you’re not moving forward?

As a missionary in Flagstaff, AZ, my companion and I literally got our truck stuck in a rut on a very narrow dirt road. I remember the panicked feeling of being trapped and not knowing how we would get home. It took some time, a dozen or so prayers, and a lot of trial and error. Finally, using some very handy sticks for traction and a lot of oomph, we managed to get our truck unstuck.

This experience has never left me, and I think of it often when I’m mentally stuck in a rut, spinning my wheels with no progress, despite pressing the gas again and again. Personally, I don’t believe in writer’s block. I’m always able to put words on a page, even if they aren’t very good words. But, having struggled with motivation for certain projects, I do believe in creative ruts. Over the years, I’ve acquired a few useful tools that help me get unstuck. Here are five tips to help you get out of your own artistic ruts.

Co-Create with Body Doubling

I have a confession to make: I hate revisions. People who know me might raise their eyebrows. “But aren’t you an editor?” Well, yes. But I don’t hate revising other people’s stories—I hate revising my own. Without fail, I hit a wall. All the self-doubt I kept at bay while drafting comes sneaking in, mocking me and making me question all my writing choices. So to avoid that, I simply don’t start the revisions.

This avoidance, however, has proven to be a major problem because it prevents me from making progress on any of my stories.

I came up with an idea to help me with this particular rut. I invited several of my writing friends to hop on a Zoom call with me and just write for an hour. To my relief (and my story’s benefit), I discovered that having someone present while I wrote helped me overcome my motivation slump and actually start revising. I made my way through the murky fog of revision and emerged on the other side better for it.

I still meet with writer friends every week for scheduled writing time, which has had a huge impact on my writing and revising. If you haven’t tried this, I highly recommend it. Having someone on a Zoom call with you makes it a lot harder to get sucked into distractions because you have a witness to your efforts and an accountability partner to return and report your progress to.

Create in a Different Location

Another tool that can help you get out of your creative rut is to change your location. On my bad mental health days, I’ve found that simply getting out of my usual space helps me get out of my head. I’ll go to the library or a local park and just enjoy the world around me. Notebooks and sketchbooks are handy tools for alternate locations. Being somewhere new can spark ideas you wouldn’t have otherwise thought of. If you’ve been tapping the same artistic vein nonstop for weeks, months, or even years in the same location, try changing it up. You might find some new ideas to help you work through whatever is keeping you in that rut.

Explore a Different Medium

I don’t consider myself an artist, at least not in the traditional sense. I have some talent in painting, but my people always look like stick figures. However, when my creativity is running low and I’m struggling to make sense of my story, switching things up by painting or sketching can be therapeutic. It allows me to experiment without the pressure of forcing myself to write. Painting especially helps me want to write more.

Try this out for yourself: if you’re a painter, maybe try writing a poem. (See this article about poetry.) If you’re a writer, try painting or knitting. If you’re a musician, try cooking or cross-stitching. Put yourself in a different medium to get the creative juices flowing. You never know when the perfect idea will strike—it might be while you’re learning to make the perfect crème brûlée.

Change Up the Format

Another tool that’s helped me break out of my rut is changing up the format. Most of my writing is done on my desktop computer. However, there are days when I sit at my keyboard and can’t bring myself to write. I’ll check my email for the thousandth time or watch yet another short on YouTube, but completely neglect the project I want to be working on.

This is where changing up the format comes into play. When I was a kid, I did most of my writing by hand—I have dozens of notebooks and journals to prove it. I still handwrite in my journal, but I rarely do so for stories anymore. Recently, my work-in-progress was being difficult, and my motivation was extremely lacking. On a whim, I put pen to paper in a blank notebook. To my surprise, I wrote seven-and-a-half pages in one session. I’d gotten myself out of the rut simply by changing how I wrote.

Try experimenting with different formats. If you’re a composer who uses MuseScore, try composing by hand. If you’re a painter who mostly uses oil, try watercolors. If you’re a digital artist, sketch something on paper. Writers, try writing by hand or typewriter. The novel format will help you find new pathways forward.

Follow Prompts

What if you’ve tried it all and you are still struggling to get unstuck? Not to worry, my friends, I’ve got one more trick up my sleeve. Despite trying some of the tools mentioned above, I may still find myself completely and utterly unmotivated, uninspired, and unexcited about working on any of my projects.

This is where prompts come in handy. Sometimes the scariest thing about starting a new project is just knowing where to start. Having constraints, such as “paint a picture with only primary colors,” “write a short story featuring a hamster, a poncho, and a hammer,” or “write a poem using only words that start with the letter ‘A’” can prime the pump. Constraints actually allow for more creativity because they force your brain to work within a set of defined parameters, and they give you a firm launch point.

There are countless free prompts available online for all sorts of art. These can include prompts to write short stories with a specific setting, character, or genre; create a song in a certain key, time signature, or rhythm; paint something that starts with the letter “R” or only with black and yellow pigments; and plenty more. Let your muse take over and turn that blank page into an answer to the prompt.

Creating is hard and can take a lot of energy. You’re bound to find yourself in a rut now and then when you work the same way over and over again. My hope is that these five tools will help you find the traction you need to get unstuck and get back to doing what you do best—inspiring others through your art.

A headshot of KaTrina Jackson.

KaTrina Jackson

Author, Editor

KaTrina Jackson loves penguins, chocolate, and piano music, and spends much of each day trying to fit those loves in around her jobs as a freelance editor and a project manager for Eschler Editing. She graduated with a degree in editing and publishing from Brigham Young University. She’s a member of three different writing groups, attends and teaches at multiple writing conferences, has volunteered with LDSPMA since 2021, and recently published her first novel. When she’s not writing, editing, or reading, she can be found practicing yoga, teaching piano lessons, or watching Disney movies while working on a cross-stitch project. She and her husband live in Olathe, Kansas.

    Releasing Your Inner Poet: Five Steps to Writing A Poem

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    Poetry is a beautiful form of expression that captures a range of human experiences. People might think poetry is a dying art. But believe it or not, you hear poetry every day. Catchy Disney songs? Poetry. The newest Taylor Swift hit? Poetry. K-Pop Demon Hunters power ballads? Poetry. Even the country music you despise? You guessed it. Poetry.

    Poetry doesn’t need to be set to music, though. Sometimes the words themselves are pure magic. If you’re a writer of any genre—fantasy, memoir, self-help, sci-fi, literary fiction—poetic elements can help sharpen details and hone imagery.

    But how do you do this? Do you just write, “Roses are red, violets are blue, poetry is awful, skip to my Lou?”

    I mean, you could. That is technically a poem.

    But if you want to practice writing meaningful poetry to improve your craft, I, as a published poet and professional poetry editor, recommend the following five steps.

    1. Observe the world around you.

    There are ideas everywhere; you just have to look for them. Most of my poems are inspired by things I’ve noticed or experienced throughout the day. The key is to set aside distractions and pay attention to your surroundings.

    To start, consider your location. As I write this, I’m sitting in my office, surrounded by knick-knacks, pictures, and mementos that inspire and comfort me. These include a mini anvil, a resin penguin princess (complete with a tiara), a lighthouse music box, dolphin figurines, uplifting quotes, and commissioned art.

    Through my window, a big tree is waving its green leaves in the wind. Snippets of sky peek between the roof of our apartment building and the great leafy tree. I spy the top of a building across the street. The sun’s rays warm my skin as my fingers dance across the keys. I hear the calming strains of jazzy piano from my favorite instrumental playlist and the whir of a ceiling fan. And I feel the gentle breeze from that same fan.

    Now you try. Pause where you are and observe the world around you. Write down what you see, what you hear, and what you feel. Don’t judge, just let the world be whatever it is and be present in the moment.

    2. Find one specific image or sense.

    Make a list of your observations. You could write a poem about everything, but it’s much easier (and creates stronger poetry) if you focus on one specific image.

    Here are a few examples from the exercise above:

    • The sun on my skin.
    • The gently waving tree leaves.
    • The icy sparkles of the penguin princess’s crown.
    • The gentle cadence of the fan in harmony with the jazzy piano.

    All these examples evoke a specific image, sound, or feeling. Your inspiration doesn’t have to be fancy. Just pick one thing from your list.

    3. Practice different forms.

    I’ve talked to many writers who’ve said, “I’m not a poet! I don’t know how to rhyme!”

    Poems don’t have to rhyme. Yes, rhyming is a feature of many poems (and some poets excel at it, like Dr. Seuss), but you don’t have to. I’ve published poems that rhyme and poems that don’t. Just find the form that fits the subject matter.

    Some poetic forms are quite complicated, like Shakespearean sonnets in iambic pentameter. Some are much simpler, such as the rhyming quatrain of an ABCB stanza (Emily Dickinson’s preferred form). Free verse, a common form of modern poetry, doesn’t conform to a particular format. However, to strengthen your descriptive muscles, I recommend following the advice of my poetry professor, who encouraged us to use a structured form. The constraints force your brain to think more creatively than just throwing any random words down.

    One of my favorite poetry forms is haiku, the Japanese poem written in a 5-7-5 syllable pattern. I love haiku because it’s simple and great for practice. It’s also versatile. I’ve written longer poems in renga (sequential haikus) format because the theme didn’t fit into just one verse.

    Traditionally, a haiku is about nature, but you can use the 5-7-5 syllable structure to talk about anything. Here are two examples from the above list…

    • The feel of the sun on my skin:

    Sunshine sparkles bright—

    rays warm my world-weary hands,

    filling me with peace.

    • The icy sparkles of the penguin princess’s crown:

    A royal penguin;

    her crown of ice gleams like gems,

    a mark of her rank.

    Your turn! Pick one of your images/senses and try writing a haiku. It’s okay if it takes some time to find the right number of syllables. No one masters poetry instantly. Relax and play around. You might be surprised by what ends up fitting the syllable structure.

    4. Read your poems aloud!

    Many beginning poets miss this step. As a poetry editor, I read the poems multiple times before I make a single edit, looking primarily at meter and rhyme. Sometimes poets think a word fits the meter when it doesn’t. If the line reads off, it’s likely because one of the words has too many syllables or the final word doesn’t fit the rhyme scheme (if there is one).

    For example, in the penguin princess haiku above, I originally wrote “her crown of ice sparkles like gems,” which is 8 syllables instead of 7.

    5. Revise as many times as necessary.

    Once you’ve read your poem aloud a few times, you can tweak it as needed. Be sure to examine every word and syllable on the page. You might find a word that fits the 5-7-5 structure better, as I found “gleam” to fit better than “sparkles.” Or, you might find a more perfect rhyme versus an imperfect rhyme (when/again instead of rain/again—English is weird like that).

    The lovely thing about poetry is that it’s easy to cross words out and give it another go, especially with something as short as a haiku. Don’t be afraid to try again. Poems are little snapshots of memory. Like a photograph, they don’t have to be perfect—they just need to capture the essence of what you felt in that moment.

    If you’re a budding writer—or an experienced one—looking for ways to deepen imagery or strengthen your character’s emotions and senses, try practicing these steps and creating your own poetry. Who knows? Maybe you’ll discover, like so many before you, you’ve been a poet all along and just didn’t know it… until now.

    May the powers of poetry be with you. Go forth and create!

    A headshot of KaTrina Jackson.

    KaTrina Jackson

    Author, Editor

    KaTrina Jackson loves penguins, chocolate, and piano music, and spends much of each day trying to fit those loves in around her jobs as a freelance editor and a project manager for Eschler Editing. She graduated with a degree in editing and publishing from Brigham Young University. She’s a member of three different writing groups, attends and teaches at multiple writing conferences, has volunteered with LDSPMA since 2021, and recently published her first novel. When she’s not writing, editing, or reading, she can be found practicing yoga, teaching piano lessons, or watching Disney movies while working on a cross-stitch project. She and her husband live in Olathe, Kansas.

      Announcing the Praiseworthy Awards for Emerging Authors!

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      By Katie Wiscombe, LDSPMA Awards Committee Member   

      How are you like the following people: Gerald Lund, Sarah Eden, or even Brandon Sanderson? I’m sure most of you would say you are nothing like these amazing Latter-day Saint authors. But really, you would be wrong. You probably have several things in common, but I’m looking for just one. Any guesses? No? Well, let me tell you.

      You are like these creators simply because they, too, were once unknown authors with the drive, discipline, and talent to take that first step. The first step for you can be right here. If your dreams are tied up in telling the stories rolling around in your head, you’re in the right place. Let me explain.

      In conjunction with our annual Latter-day Saint Publishing & Media Association conference held in October, we offer an opportunity for previously unpublished authors to submit their work to the Praiseworthy Award for Emerging Authors contest. This is a writing contest specifically for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who are unpublished and unagented. And this opportunity has a wonderful prize waiting at the finish line for the winners: feedback from the industry professionals at Eschler Editing! What?! Truly, the chance to have a professional in the field help you on your way is worth that first step.

      The Details

      Now for a little housekeeping. We open for submissions for all genres on May 1, 2021. Fiction submissions are due by June 1, 2021. Nonfiction submissions are DUE by June 15, 2021. 

      You are welcome to submit up to 2,500 words from any genre and on any topic you would like. Picture books to epic fantasy. Romance to memoir. Historical fiction or nonfiction. Poetry or essays. Do you have a manuscript on how to make goat cheese? Or maybe you have a more serious subject matter that needs to be heard. Send it over.  The sky’s the limit. All you need to do is click here for additional information on submitting your manuscript.

      Winners

      Winners will be announced at the conference in October. Besides the feedback from Eschler Editing, all winners and honorable mentions will receive a certificate and a digital badge to post on their social media pages or website. 

      The Invitation

      I hope you follow that voice in your head that encourages you to take that first step. It’s not impossible to think that you could someday be in the same place as those incredible authors above. Nelson Mandela shared some inspired insight on the subject when he said, “It always seems impossible until it’s done.” So what are you waiting for? Dust off your manuscript, click the link, and submit your 2,500 words. Impossible no more–you just got it done. One step closer to your dream becoming a reality. 

      We can’t wait to hear your stories!