Ask the Author: Priscilla Stuckey
Answered Questions (5)
Priscilla Stuckey
I tend to go long stretches of time with no big project on the horizon. For me, writing is a tool rather than an end in itself. So the idea of a book only crops up when I become aware that a certain kind of message or book may be needed in the world. Writing is a way of addressing that need.
Priscilla Stuckey
Enjoy the process! Don't take yourself or your writing too seriously. Especially enjoy what you write. A wise friend said to me while I was in the middle of my first book, "It has to heal you first before it can heal anyone else."
Priscilla Stuckey
I deeply enjoy the process of writing itself, so one "best thing" is a deep sense of satisfaction. Another is watching the mystery of a book coming into being. I mean, it's a miracle, isn't it? Something that existed as mere ephemera in your own heart and head eventually becomes a physical thing that can be picked up and handed to another. I've been involved in publishing all my adult life, in several aspects of book production, and to me it's still a wonder—almost as miraculous as birth itself. Being creative in any way has that touch of the miraculous, whether you're a potter at the wheel or a writer at a desk or an artist at an easel. Being creative means being open to something larger than yourself and wrestling with that "something larger" until you can shape it into a form that can live on its own. That's the best!
Priscilla Stuckey
I actually don't believe in writer's block—as if there's one such thing. I think what we often call writer's block is just a temporary lack of inspiration.
Maybe you're tired—either physically tired or tired of the topic you sat down to write about. In those cases it's best to either take a nap or find something more refreshing to do! Like taking a walk. Or, as I often do, turning to the words of authors who inspire me. Turning to someone else's words for a while can get the creative juices flowing again.
Or take a walk in nature and focus on each of your senses in turn. During that walk, don't allow yourself to think about your writing assignment—or anything else, for that matter. Feel, sense, look, and listen instead of thinking. You will return refreshed.
Other times we may feel stymied because what we're writing about is difficult to say—emotionally difficult. In those cases, breathe. Feel any feelings that might arise. Keep breathing. Take a break from the intensity, if needed, and come back to it later.
Or we might be afraid of putting such a personal experience out in the world. In that case, remind yourself—as I often have to remember—that readers will go to your work, not to learn about you, but to learn about themselves. Your best writing service is to describe your piece of human experience as fully and honestly as possible; that's what will allow others to connect with it.
So, in other words, I never advise, when a person is feeling stuck, just to push harder. It's more fruitful, I think, to take a few moments to notice what is happening on a deeper level and to take care of yourself as needed.
Maybe you're tired—either physically tired or tired of the topic you sat down to write about. In those cases it's best to either take a nap or find something more refreshing to do! Like taking a walk. Or, as I often do, turning to the words of authors who inspire me. Turning to someone else's words for a while can get the creative juices flowing again.
Or take a walk in nature and focus on each of your senses in turn. During that walk, don't allow yourself to think about your writing assignment—or anything else, for that matter. Feel, sense, look, and listen instead of thinking. You will return refreshed.
Other times we may feel stymied because what we're writing about is difficult to say—emotionally difficult. In those cases, breathe. Feel any feelings that might arise. Keep breathing. Take a break from the intensity, if needed, and come back to it later.
Or we might be afraid of putting such a personal experience out in the world. In that case, remind yourself—as I often have to remember—that readers will go to your work, not to learn about you, but to learn about themselves. Your best writing service is to describe your piece of human experience as fully and honestly as possible; that's what will allow others to connect with it.
So, in other words, I never advise, when a person is feeling stuck, just to push harder. It's more fruitful, I think, to take a few moments to notice what is happening on a deeper level and to take care of yourself as needed.
Priscilla Stuckey
I write when something wants to be written. I am not a daily-dose kind of writer, and I don't generally teach that method either. (But I DO believe in putting in years of writing practice to become skillful with words.) My experience as both a writer and an editor suggests that the best writing happens when someone feels the urge to express a thought or feeling. Finding that thread of excitement or passion, then following it, is key.
Now sometimes I know there's something that wants to be said but I can't quite find that thread of excitement or passion to say it. At those times I might pick up a book or an article by one of my favorite writers and just sink into their words. A poet or writer you love is sure-fire inspiration.
Now sometimes I know there's something that wants to be said but I can't quite find that thread of excitement or passion to say it. At those times I might pick up a book or an article by one of my favorite writers and just sink into their words. A poet or writer you love is sure-fire inspiration.
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