Creative Process

The Three Forms of Pressure: 27 Bee Stings

A number of years ago I heard a first-time author speak about getting her book published. She was rejected 27 times before landing a contract. The 28^th time was the charm.

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The Three Forms of Pressure: So, Yes. Wandering.

Creative Process

I wrote about the Three Forms of Pressure the other day, and I want to talk more about wandering. It’s the most subtle of the pressures, and for me at least, the most difficult to overcome. (If you haven’t already read The Three Forms of Pressure: The Second Idea, start there and this will make more sense.)

So, yes. Wandering.

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The Three Forms of Pressure: The Second Idea

Creative Process

Zen Buddhism says that pressure is caused by one of three forces: tension, conflict, and wandering. Buddhists speak of these in a spiritual sense, but I’ve found they are the pressures of the creative world as well.

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Overlooked

Creative Process

I find winter to be the hardest creative season. The world is colorless and my energy depleted. There is no mad flush of spring, no incessant heat of summer, no urgency of autumn. Time feels monotonous, endless. Until it does end and I’m left feeling as though I’ve squandered it all.

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Groundwork

Creative Process, Musings

On my writing desk is an orchid that has been in bloom an unusually long time. It’s crisp white blossoms have greeted me every morning for over half a year. As I sit here writing this, it’s just now starting to fade. I have other orchids that have gone into bloom, but none have lasted as long as this one.

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Survival Guide to 2022 – January Edition

Creative Process

We’ve reached Year III of the pandemic, and some days it doesn’t feel like it’s getting any easier. Seasonal affective disorder is setting in. It’s cold outside. Or it’s not cold, but muddy instead. We’re all just one camel straw away from a meltdown. You need a survival guide.

Here’s mine.

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