By Elisa Boxer and Kjersten Hayes
Welcome back to our series, 20 QUESTIONS!
This is the place where we here at the Soaring ’20s answer questions about our picture-book process.
While we hate to be Scrooges, there’s nothing like the holiday spirit to put a damper on productivity.
Of course, it’s not just holiday time that presents a challenge to creators. Feeling stuck is a year-long struggle. But between feasting, family, shopping and school vacations, December can really put the kibosh on creating.
We’ve got your back, along with some tips for manifesting more mojo to fill that blank page:
What’s one thing that helps you get unstuck, when you feel unmotivated to work?
Joana Pastro
Joana Pastro, author of LILLYBELLE, A DAMSEL NOT IN DISTRESS: “I don’t fight it. It’s like quicksand: the more you fight it, the worse it gets. I simply try to find something else to do that will nurture my creativity, and ease back into it when I feel ready.”
Lindsay H. Metcalf
Lindsay H. Metcalf, author of FARMERS UNITE! and BEATRIX POTTER, SCIENTIST, and co-editor of NO VOICE TOO SMALL: “I let myself play. I write a stream-of-consciousness story about a talking foot with my 9-year-old. I fumble on the ukulele or noodle on the piano. The creative process is supposed to be fun, so I shelve the ‘work’ and let my mind go loose and free.”
Julie Rowan-Zoch
Julie Rowan-Zoch, illustrator of LOUIS: “Reading poetry is like Goo Gone! Visually descriptive writing unbuckles my imagination and immediately takes my thoughts away from my own projects and worries.”
Kirsten W. Larson
Kirsten W. Larson, author of WOOD, WIRE, WINGS: EMMA LILIAN TODD INVENTS AN AIRPLANE: “When I feel stuck or unmotivated, I read more books! For me, a good mentor text is always the way forward. I get new inspiration and ideas from fellow creators all the time.”
Carrie Finison
Carrie Finison, author of DOZENS OF DOUGHNUTS: “I find that having deadlines really helps me. That’s why I sometimes take on work-for-hire jobs or I’ll sign up for a writing class. If I’m being paid to write, or if I’m paying to write (as with a class), it’s much easier to find motivation!”
Mary Wagley Copp
Mary Wagley Copp, author of WHEREVER I GO: “I try to be patient with myself and not have a sense of urgency (very difficult sometimes). I see my writing life as being full of ebbs and flows and I need to ride those waves. When I see the process as being partially beyond my control, I let go of expectations and I feel more space in my mind and my heart. There are times, though, when I do make myself sit at my computer or look at my blank sheet of paper until a few words come! Sometimes those words are just what I need to get the juices flowing.”
Angela Burke Kunkel
Angela Burke Kunkel, author of DIGGING FOR WORDS: JOSÉ ALBERTO GUTIÉRREZ AND THE LIBRARY HE BUILT: “I’ve become an evangelist for positive self-talk. Talk to yourself the way you would to someone you love! When I feel stuck or unmotivated, it helps to recall a time when I felt inspired or invigorated by a project. That feeling can only return if we work toward it.”
Darshana Khiani
Darshana Khiani, author of HOW TO WEAR A SARI: “I’m in a low-key picture book accountability group, where the goal is just to spend 15 minutes a day. The simple act of being able to type in the time done on the spreadsheet is oddly gratifying.”
Kjersten Hayes
Kjersten Hayes, author of THE ELEPHANTS’ GUIDE TO HIDE-AND-SEEK: “When I feel stuck, it’s usually because I’m getting ahead of myself and dwelling too much on the outcome I’d like form my work. A goal that has nothing to do with quality nearly always helps me. I don’t have to write something ‘good,’ whatever that is, and instead just need to write X amount in X amount of time, no matter how bad it is.”
Elisa Boxer
Elisa Boxer, author of THE VOICE THAT WON THE VOTE: HOW ONE WOMAN’S WORDS MADE HISTORY: “Early on in a manuscript, I tend to get stuck on how to get from point A to point B. So I will literally ask out loud, for example, ‘How does the protagonist transition from being down at the dock, to being in the parade?’ (This is from an actual work in progress.) Then I will sit down with a coloring book, freeing my subconscious mind to come up with an answer while I focus on the colors filling the page. It really works!”
Candy Wellins
Candy Wellins, author of SATURDAYS ARE FOR STELLA: “I look through my writer’s notebook. I see fragments of stories I want to revisit, ideas I still want to pursue and the rough workings of completed stories that motivate me to keep going.”
Hope Lim
Hope Lim, author of I AM A BIRD: “Reading a book of poetry always reminds me of the power of words and ignites my passion for becoming a better writer.”
Kelly Carey
Kelly Carey, author of HOW LONG IS FOREVER?: “It’s easy to get tangled up in the weeds of revising an overworked manuscript and lose that wonderful carefree creative joy that comes when words are really flowing. When that happens, open a fresh document and create with reckless abandon. Once you rekindle the creative flame, you can go back and look at the sticky manuscript with fresh energy.”
Now, over to you. What’s your go-to for getting unstuck? Leave a comment below and let us know!