Tips for a Writing Residency AKA Tips for Encouraging Your Writing When You Have Any Window of Time for Writing

I know we all know these things—that they are general knowledge—that it doesn’t take an Einstein, etc, etc. But it is good to remind each other (and ourselves) of these realities on a fairly regular basis. Consider the items below advice for when you are planning how to use a couple days—or a couple hours—as writing time.

a) Movement. Sitting still is…well, not good for the human trying to write. Walk, change rooms, positions. Use an exercise ball to bounce on. Best of all: go outside and walk, especially if your someone whose attention is easily shifted (that’s a gift, not a hazard!). Go let your brain wander along with your body.

b) THE THINKING SHOWER. I’m sure somewhere there’s an excellent paper on why warm running water stimulates the thinking mind, but we don’t have to read it to know that it does. Soap up and process your thoughts and ENJOY.

c) Reading. Y’all. Bring yourself a box of books that liberally samples across genres. You just don’t know what you will need to engage or distract you. This week I have read THE SHARED WORLD by Vievee Francis, Anne Sexton’s Complete Poems (no, not quite done yet! 60%), Anne Carson’s H of H Playbook, 50 Shades of Grey (oh surprised you didn’t I), and I started Middlemarch this morning. The brain is a wonder, roll with it, inspire it, let it graze and gavotte and play and learn.

d) Self-soothing. Without saying “should,” I think self-soothing activities are so helpful to bring to your writing practice. Whether that’s exercise, a substance (ice tea is one of mine this week!), spending time under trees (go look up at some LEAVES— wow this is helpful!), plant and animal IDs (Merlin Bird App or Picture This, anybody?), etc, etc. Your emotions will be up and down when you finally let yourself relax and write. Be prepared to soothe your body, too.

e) Food is really important. Protein is important. Hydration (especially if you’re on SSRIs or have migraines and it’s the summer). Meal plan for yourself, or eat a good meal before you write for a couple hours. After I got to my residency this week, I went grocery shopping *just for me,* which is not something you do very often as a parent! I got lots of fresh fruits, veggies, greek yogurt, humus, and a container of prepared/off the bone rotisserie chicken. A few healthy frozen meals. Having simple food, and food that is prepared for you, is a wonderful way to take care of yourself while you write. Even better if someone else does it for you (no I have never ascended to this lofty height but ONE CAN DREAM, and maybe hint at a loved one?).

f). TAKE BREAKS. Today I went to the local bookstore* and perused the poetry section, just to go somewhere/do something. Looking at Brenda Shaughnessy’s The Octopus Museum in the bookstore (yes, I bought it!) formally opened my eyes and helped me understand that something I thought was an essay might be a poem—it was inspiring to see full-page text in the context of a poetry collection! I also went to the grocery store again and got snacks, even though I don’t really need them. Mental, physical breaks. Take them. Thank me later. (As I’ve said before: the best thing you can do for your writing is something else).

g) Practice self-permission. Ask yourself: what do I want to do? And then wait and listen to yourself. We are always critiquing ourselves and thinking about what we “should” do. We set up unrealistic productivity goals, and feel ashamed when we do not meet them. But listening to your body is a great way to train yourself to also listen to your mind and your thoughts, and to recognize when you need to write something down. Or take a nap. Or binge read something silly. Our bodies are not factories. This week I have worked on typing up essays, writing poems, and listening. (On that note, I think we can undervalue sitting and doing “nothing,” which in actuality, we really need to do nothing sometimes so that we can listen to our inner monologues and the ideas that come, unbidden).

Whether its two hours or two weeks, I hope you take care of yourself while you write this summer.

.