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Writing as a Second Career #4
Happiness, Anxiety, and Writing: Using Your Creativity To Live A Calmer, Happier Life
Asking What If? and imagining the worst possible outcome ratchets up conflict in stories. For that very reason, in real life it can create or heighten anxiety. So do many other habits writers and creative people develop.
But it doesn't need to be that way.
You can use your imagination and writing skills to create a calmer, happier life.
In this book you'll
- Techniques to derail anxious thoughts you otherwise repeat;
- Ways to talk to yourself and others that promote calm rather than reinforce worry;
- Specific, targeted exercises to direct your creative mind and imagination in a positive way;
- How and when to write and rewrite the best parts of your life for greater happiness;
and more.
Part memoir, part How To, Happiness, Anxiety, and Writing explains clear, simple steps to lower anxiety and stress, solve problems, and increase happiness. It includes examples from the author's own journey from being gripped by anxiety to a healthier, happier life.
But it doesn't need to be that way.
You can use your imagination and writing skills to create a calmer, happier life.
In this book you'll
- Techniques to derail anxious thoughts you otherwise repeat;
- Ways to talk to yourself and others that promote calm rather than reinforce worry;
- Specific, targeted exercises to direct your creative mind and imagination in a positive way;
- How and when to write and rewrite the best parts of your life for greater happiness;
and more.
Part memoir, part How To, Happiness, Anxiety, and Writing explains clear, simple steps to lower anxiety and stress, solve problems, and increase happiness. It includes examples from the author's own journey from being gripped by anxiety to a healthier, happier life.
168 pages, Paperback
Published February 26, 2019
27 people are currently reading
31 people want to read
About the author
Lisa M. Lilly
42 books154 followersIn addition to the Q.C. Davis Mysteries, a traditional detective series that includes The Worried Man, The Charming Man, The Fractured Man, The Troubled Man, The Hidden Man, and the novella No Good Plays, Lisa M. Lilly also is the author of the four-book Awakening supernatural thriller series.
Like her character Quille C. Davis, Lilly lives and works in Chicago, Illinois. Under L.M. Lilly, she is the founder of WritingAsASecondCareer.com. She also hosts the podcast Buffy and the Art of Story.
Lilly also writes horror, including When Darkness Falls, a gothic horror novel set in Chicago’s South Loop, and the short-story collection The Tower Formerly Known as Sears and Two Other Tales of Urban Horror, the title story of which was made into the short film Willis Tower. Her stories and poems have appeared in numerous publications.
Her non-fiction books, written as L.M. Lilly, include Super Super Simple Story Structure: A Quick Guide to Plotting and Writing Your Novel; The One-Year Novelist: A Step-by-Step Guide to Writing Your Novel in One Year; and Creating Compelling Characters From the Inside Out.
A resident of Chicago, Lilly is an attorney and a member of the Alliance Against Intoxicated Motorists. She joined AAIM after an intoxicated driver caused the deaths of her parents in 2007. Her book of essays, Standing in Traffic, is available on AAIM’s website.
For information on new releases and to get free bonus fiction, including a Q.C. Davis Mystery novella, join her email list at LisaLilly.com/QuilleStories.
Like her character Quille C. Davis, Lilly lives and works in Chicago, Illinois. Under L.M. Lilly, she is the founder of WritingAsASecondCareer.com. She also hosts the podcast Buffy and the Art of Story.
Lilly also writes horror, including When Darkness Falls, a gothic horror novel set in Chicago’s South Loop, and the short-story collection The Tower Formerly Known as Sears and Two Other Tales of Urban Horror, the title story of which was made into the short film Willis Tower. Her stories and poems have appeared in numerous publications.
Her non-fiction books, written as L.M. Lilly, include Super Super Simple Story Structure: A Quick Guide to Plotting and Writing Your Novel; The One-Year Novelist: A Step-by-Step Guide to Writing Your Novel in One Year; and Creating Compelling Characters From the Inside Out.
A resident of Chicago, Lilly is an attorney and a member of the Alliance Against Intoxicated Motorists. She joined AAIM after an intoxicated driver caused the deaths of her parents in 2007. Her book of essays, Standing in Traffic, is available on AAIM’s website.
For information on new releases and to get free bonus fiction, including a Q.C. Davis Mystery novella, join her email list at LisaLilly.com/QuilleStories.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
October 10, 2020
I found this book tremendously helpful as a person who suffers from a lot of anxiety. It was full of practical advice, acknowledging that the efficacy of some of it would depend on your dispositions, and included great tips about how to implement said advice. The format in which you're supposed to fill in the blanks was a really good idea and engaged me with the program in a personal manner more than merely reading and highlighting would.
Here's a list of the best tips I recall:
* The notion that people with higher anxiety than typical can turn that anxiety into fuel for plots--taking the mental habit of imagining the worst possible scenarios for one's life and directing it to imagining the worst possible things that could happen to a fictional character instead--that is a priceless idea for the anxiety-sufferer who wants to be a writer.
* I had heard of keeping a gratitude journal before, but her tip about using detailed imagery when writing in it has made it more effective, I think.
* The delineation between anxiety and concern was illuminating--that is, one's concern about a topic can make worrying about the same topic unnecessary.
* Rephrasing the questions I ask myself to be less likely to produce spirals of anxiety was helpful. ("If we ask ourselves negative questions, we will get negative answers.")
* Altering the way we talk to ourselves about the world can change the way we experience the world.
* Setting aside time to catch up with the news instead of letting it be a constant presence in my life (e.g. with news notifications on my phone) has also been really helpful.
* Acknowledging that self-affirmations like those parodied by Al Franken in his character Stuart Smalley--"I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and doggone it, people like me"--don't work for everyone, and in fact, can be counter-productive for some people (myself included).
* Noting that while talking to others about one's anxiety can sometimes be helpful, it also sometimes ends up increasing our own anxiety (just as ruminating to oneself would) and tests the patience of friends, no matter how much they might say otherwise.
She cites a number of self-help books as giving her ideas, but I wouldn't have ever picked up the cited books on my own, as self-help gurus tend to have a lot of associated baggage I'm not interested in. So her no-nonsense no-frills approach and summary of these ideas, alongside her own original strategies, was much appreciated.
I think I gained more from this book than I would have from any of her citations, honestly.
She seems trustworthy, reasonable, and grounded, while too many self-help gurus come off as snake-oil salesmen.
As a fellow attorney, some of what she had to say about her anxiety related to a life of work in the law was so similar to my own experiences that it felt mightily coincidental to have picked this up. I'm very glad this book came into my life. By buying this book, I got an excellent source for dealing with my anxiety, inspiring me to write, and career advice, all wrapped into one short package.
Bonus: L.M. Lilly included a link to her YouTube cover of "Keep On The Sunny Side" within the text of the book--as part of a chapter on "interrupts" to spirals of anxiety, which can include music--and it is adorable: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LIwiL...
Here's a list of the best tips I recall:
* The notion that people with higher anxiety than typical can turn that anxiety into fuel for plots--taking the mental habit of imagining the worst possible scenarios for one's life and directing it to imagining the worst possible things that could happen to a fictional character instead--that is a priceless idea for the anxiety-sufferer who wants to be a writer.
* I had heard of keeping a gratitude journal before, but her tip about using detailed imagery when writing in it has made it more effective, I think.
* The delineation between anxiety and concern was illuminating--that is, one's concern about a topic can make worrying about the same topic unnecessary.
* Rephrasing the questions I ask myself to be less likely to produce spirals of anxiety was helpful. ("If we ask ourselves negative questions, we will get negative answers.")
* Altering the way we talk to ourselves about the world can change the way we experience the world.
* Setting aside time to catch up with the news instead of letting it be a constant presence in my life (e.g. with news notifications on my phone) has also been really helpful.
* Acknowledging that self-affirmations like those parodied by Al Franken in his character Stuart Smalley--"I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and doggone it, people like me"--don't work for everyone, and in fact, can be counter-productive for some people (myself included).
* Noting that while talking to others about one's anxiety can sometimes be helpful, it also sometimes ends up increasing our own anxiety (just as ruminating to oneself would) and tests the patience of friends, no matter how much they might say otherwise.
She cites a number of self-help books as giving her ideas, but I wouldn't have ever picked up the cited books on my own, as self-help gurus tend to have a lot of associated baggage I'm not interested in. So her no-nonsense no-frills approach and summary of these ideas, alongside her own original strategies, was much appreciated.
I think I gained more from this book than I would have from any of her citations, honestly.
She seems trustworthy, reasonable, and grounded, while too many self-help gurus come off as snake-oil salesmen.
As a fellow attorney, some of what she had to say about her anxiety related to a life of work in the law was so similar to my own experiences that it felt mightily coincidental to have picked this up. I'm very glad this book came into my life. By buying this book, I got an excellent source for dealing with my anxiety, inspiring me to write, and career advice, all wrapped into one short package.
Bonus: L.M. Lilly included a link to her YouTube cover of "Keep On The Sunny Side" within the text of the book--as part of a chapter on "interrupts" to spirals of anxiety, which can include music--and it is adorable: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LIwiL...
June 14, 2019
I'm so grateful I found this book
From the opening pages, it sounds as if the author is describing me! I tend to overthink situations, and if I'm not careful, the anxiety loop will play on repeat in my head.
What's even better? The book is designed especially for writers. I found so many gems that will help me in my author career going forward.
Did I mention it's incredibly well-researched and written? Her techniques to derail anxious thoughts are worth the price of the book alone. Highly, highly recommended!
From the opening pages, it sounds as if the author is describing me! I tend to overthink situations, and if I'm not careful, the anxiety loop will play on repeat in my head.
What's even better? The book is designed especially for writers. I found so many gems that will help me in my author career going forward.
Did I mention it's incredibly well-researched and written? Her techniques to derail anxious thoughts are worth the price of the book alone. Highly, highly recommended!
August 30, 2019
This book has some very good tips and tricks and little excercuseis to help you actually follow threw and take a minute to actually think about while reading the book. I took the time to not only read but practice and excesize theses pauses and it's what I do when I'm in a writers block type of phase or when my anxiety rises. Pretty good and remindful points in this book, read it
March 4, 2025
I’m a Therapist - This book Is Legit
This was a breath of fresh air to read about things I teach people every day at my day job - but put into a writer’s perspective. You know, my moonlight alter ego.
Actionable advice. Sound advice. Therapist stamp approval. Thanks!
This was a breath of fresh air to read about things I teach people every day at my day job - but put into a writer’s perspective. You know, my moonlight alter ego.
Actionable advice. Sound advice. Therapist stamp approval. Thanks!
October 30, 2025
The idea that writers TRAIN themselves to catastrophise sounds so reasonable to me; of course we do. That’s how a lot of us write stories… but what if this happens?
4 stars
4 stars
October 3, 2019
Practical tips that work!
It’s not often that you find a helpful book that matches with exactly what you need in life. Working full-time and balancing a second career as an author isn’t easy. The tips and personal examples not only helped me see that I’m not alone, but I found them to be easy to add into my daily routine.
It’s not often that you find a helpful book that matches with exactly what you need in life. Working full-time and balancing a second career as an author isn’t easy. The tips and personal examples not only helped me see that I’m not alone, but I found them to be easy to add into my daily routine.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews