Our first month of 2020 passed and I am glad it’s over, not for writing reasons, but for life reasons. I shared about “winter blues” and my husband’s sister’s death over the holidays and, two weeks after her burial, we learned of another serious illness in our family. As we help family find the right care, every step of the way is harder than it has to be. After each step I think, How could things get more complicated? Then the universe shows me how. We schedule a biopsy, but then there’s no transportation to the hospital. We request medical records get faxed to other cancer centers to get second and third opinions, but are told that the records are only available by CD and must be picked up in-person. (CD? Computers aren’t even made with CD drives anymore! Oh, and our family is out-of-state, so we would need to hire a courier or drive 12 hours round-trip to do it ourselves.)
In the midst of the stress, I still maintain my creative writing time. #5amwritersclub on Wednesdays, early mornings on weekends, plus a few breakfast poems sporadically through the week. I realized that the question I keep asking as I’m dumbfounded by life–How could things get more complicated?–is exactly the question we need to ask ourselves as we’re writing. If your character is sitting in a coffee shop, how could that get complicated? Do they spill their coffee? See a bug floating in their latte? Are they on a blind date and get stood up? Or maybe their date arrives, but as they learn about each other they discover they’re distant cousins?
How could things get more complicated? is my new writing mantra. Why? It makes me consider the absurd. The absurd is memorable, revealing, and poses situations that characters can react to. Absurdity adds to dramatic tension and keeps your reader engaged. How could things get easier? doesn’t really do that, right? (Although I’d really like life to head in that direction.)
Now that we’re a month into the year, consider your own current writing project. Manuscript prep? Poem? Story? Chapter? Revisions? Ask how things can get more complicated, then ask if you’re answering that question.
Tara Lynne, you have been through a lot recently. I have too. My husband is going to the Duke Cancer Center so my suggestion would be to check with the hospital to see if there are any volunteers who can help you out. Every hospital has information about groups you can join as a care giver. Join one of those groups and ask for suggestions for help. Join the Facebook group for whatever Cancer you are dealing with. Good luck. I’m sending healing prayers to you and your family.
Elizabeth Calwell #Dearpassenger
Elizabeth, thanks so much for your suggestions!! We are scheduling a consult w/Duke this month and I love everything I’ve read about them so far. Great to learn that they have volunteer help and caregiver “coaching”. I hope your husband’s treatment is going well. I will keep you both in my thoughts.
I’m so sorry you’re experiencing all of this stress. That was my life two years ago, so many endings, just awful. Meditate, get exercise, that helps the most for me and write.
And thanks for the reminder that all of our characters, even in a poem, are complicated. And if you haven’t already done so, flash fiction is the perfect place to put surprise and complication. I’m a Judge in a Flash Fiction contest out here in San Francisco and have been writing flash over the past year. I’ve also taken two online workshops with the phenomenal Flash teacher Kathy Fish. I tried to get in to one of her 2020 sessions. She has so many followers they use a lottery system. Didn’t make it this time. Will keep trying. I generated so much great work in those two weeks. Loved the feedback from other attendees too. Anyway, stay strong, keep the faith. Things will get better. I promise…Mary Eastham
I’m sorry to hear of the trials and death that have touched your life already in the New Year.
Our writing and our ‘real life’ intersects all the time. It’s interesting to see how the lessons from one avenue often can be applied to the other. Although I hate hearing the bad news you’ve shared, I enjoyed your take on the ‘how can it get more complicated.’ As I’ve just started a new book and am only a few thousand words into it, I needed to hear this. It will help the story become more than a ‘She lived here – then they moved – then she died’ tale.
Thanks for still being here, despite the current difficulties.
I’m so sorry you’re going through this. Thinking of you.