My family spent three weeks in June/July driving an RV around Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming. It was beautiful and breathtaking, and I got to see thousands of my new favorite animal, the bison.
Bison are huge. They weight 2,000 pounds and look like someone took a mountain and stuck pony legs on the back half of it. They are hairy and have horns, and go anywhere they please. Because they're bison. We saw bison in fields, on hiking trails, in a parking lot, next to boardwalks at geyser springs, and in the middle of the road.
Here's the thing about bison: they look docile and slow moving. If you're anything like me, you want to give one a hug. But they're terribly dangerous and can run very fast and gore you while throwing you into a tree. Yikes.
And sometimes in your writing career, there's something standing in your way. A giant road block. It looks friendly enough, but it's standing in your way. Your writing bison could be someone who is impeding your career, or it could be your own inner critic. Something that seems innocent enough, but, given the chance, will throw you into a tree.
This might be a metaphor for a recent agent fracas in which I was involved (and I'm happy to announce I am now represented by the wonderful Jennifer Laughran of Andrea Brown Literary Agency!). Or it might just mean I should write a picture book about a bison.
There are a lot of things that might stand in the way of your creative process. A job, your kids at home for the summer, illness, or any major life change are all real roadblocks.
But I think all too often we see a bison in our way and imagine that it's fifty bison tall and impossible to get around. But really it's just the one bison, and if you wait long enough, or take a bit of a detour, you'll be on the other side.
The most common threat to your creativity is when you let yourself fall out of the habit of creating. It doesn't have to be daily, but it does have to be regularly. You can write for five minutes at a time. You can write on the sidelines of swim lessons. You can get up early or stay up late. Creativity begets creativity, and if you nudge yourself back into the habit, your brain will reward you with inspired ideas (and the ideas will shoot from your head just like water from this geyser) (which was another cool thing we saw).
I talked a bit on Twitter about the importance of moving forward and believing in your ability to create, especially in the wake of something like a fraudulent agent.
You're strong. You don't need a special coffee shop or a conference or class or three hours of free time in a row to create. You need a piece of paper and a pen (or the back of an envelope and a crayon, even). Don't coddle your creative habit. It doesn't want to be coddled. It wants to be shoved toward greatness.
Ah! Love this part so much: "Here's the thing about bison: they look docile and slow moving. If you're anything like me, you want to give one a hug. But they're terribly dangerous and can run very fast and gore you while throwing you into a tree. Yikes.
And sometimes in your writing career, there's something standing in your way. A giant road block. It looks friendly enough, but it's standing in your way. Your writing bison could be someone who is impeding your career, or it could be your own inner critic. Something that seems innocent enough, but, given the chance, will throw you into a tree."
Yes, I'm being a weirdo and reading the old posts (slowly, over time). What can I say? DIY MFA.