• Home
  • Creative Workshops
  • Shop
    • Account
      • Orders
    • Cart
    • Art Materials
    • Cards
    • Classes
    • Commissions
    • Home & Decor
    • Notebooks
    • Watercolours
  • About
    • Blog
      • Beauty
      • Faith
      • Family
      • Food
      • Me Time
      • Writing
      • Work Life
  • Work with me
  • Contact
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter

Finding Joy

Words that uplift and empower | Creative Experiences and Art by Joy Adan

  • All
  • Art Materials
  • Classes
  • Cards
  • Commissions
  • Home & Decor
  • Notebooks
  • Watercolour
You are here: Home / Work Life / Writing / Am I still a writer if I’m constantly struggling to prioritise it?

Am I still a writer if I’m constantly struggling to prioritise it?

12 March, 2018 By Joy Adan Leave a Comment

5 ways to get over your fear and start writing

I have a confession to make.

Writing is not an easy or pleasant experience for me.

Sure, once I get a few paragraphs in I find myself in “flow” and can bang out a few sentences that somehow come together and make sense. But everything in the lead up to that state of “flow” is excruciating. It is like fighting a battle with myself, and the writer in me rarely wins.

On one side of the war, is Practical Joy. The Joy who is well aware of the lists upon lists of things that I need to do (like feeding my children, driving one to school, sorting out the washing, and checking that my invoices have been paid) and things I should probably do (like reading the news, vacuuming the floor, ringing my mum, and returning the cake stand that I borrowed from a girlfriend 6 months ago). This Joy wins almost every battle because she always has a compelling reason to spend time on EVERYTHING ELSE EXCEPT WRITING.

On the other side of the war, is Writer Joy. The Joy who has a million ideas zipping around her head for stories that she should be pitching to publications she would like to contribute to. The Joy who has about 5 hours worth of interviews with her parents that she should probably transcrcibe because the memoir she has been working on for several years isn’t going to write itself.

Writer Joy is timid, self-sabotaging, and likes to find excuses to not do the thing she would really like to do.

Practical Joy is assertive, pragmatic, and likes the satisfaction of having ticked items off her many to-do lists. And she rail-roads Writer Joy into a corner every. single. day.

Right now, Writer Joy has experienced a semi-victory (i.e. I’m writing this post – yay for me) but that’s only because I have a deadline in 5 hours and I’m using this blog post to put off writing the thing I’m meant to be writing to meet that deadline. (To be fair, if this was a client’s or editor’s deadline, I would have finished it by now… the deadline I’m speaking of is a workshop where I’m supposed to bring something that I’ve written so people can help me make it better. I’m freaking out about it, which is why I’m not writing anything. Yet.)

As I write this I’m realising:

  1. I’m referring myself in the third person. Hmm… not a great thing. But will carry on.
  2. Practical Joy generally wins because there is always something else to do that seems “more important” than writing. Except this doesn’t make sense because I’m A WRITER, ergo what is more important than writing???

I know there is much I need to work on if Writer Joy is going to win. I think I’m getting better at it (well… at least I hope I am), but in case you’ve come across this post and are still reading because you find yourself in the same situation (or you are Future Joy, and are reading this post because you’re doing that thing where you read because you’re putting off writing), here are some reminders so the writer in you wins more often:

1. Stop underestimating the value of writing

I really need to unlearn what I think about writing. Growing up, writing was the thing I did in school to demonstrate that I understood what was being taught. It was the thing I did (loved to do!) in my spare time.

But now that I have neither the need to demonstrate comprehension or any spare time, it’s easy for writing to constantly get shuffled down to the bottom of my to-do list. The problem is that my to-do list is always growing, and so if I keep waiting for everything else to be done, I’ll never actually write. I just have to remember that for me, writing is just as important as the other things on my to-do list.

The books that I read when I grew up and taught me so much didn’t write themselves. The books that my children are reading today didn’t write themselves. The articles in newspapers and magazines don’t appear out of thin air. People are committing time to getting these stories down because they’re important. They capture our history, our discussions, our thoughts; they are a snapshot of who we are at this point in time. They are the stories the next generation will discover and unpack so they can learn from our victories and our mistakes.

Writing is just as important as any other artform. Stop waiting for the spare time. Write.

The book isn't going to write itself | 5 ways to get over your fear and start writing

2. Everything else can wait

I seem to understand this sentiment in every other aspect of my life except writing. Even when there are other things I should or would rather be doing, I’ll say yes to the meeting; I’ll stay for the extra drink; I’ll sing the extra song so my 5 year old falls asleep; I’ll drive to that seminar. I find ways to shuffle everything else around so that I can do these things and the other things that I think are important.

Now I just need to remember… that just because the book is not a person that I will disappoint if it doesn’t get attention, it doesn’t mean I should keep putting off writing it. Something else can wait for now.

3. Show up, even when you’re not feeling inspired

Simple, but important (because nothing is going to happen if you — the writer — aren’t there).

Allison Tait, an Australian author, spoke about this recently in Episode 225 of So You Want to Be a Writer (which is an awesome podcast, by the way – if you haven’t heard it yet, do yourself a favour and start listening).  In Al’s words:

“It’s so unsexy, but the unsexy stuff is what gets stuff done.”

4. Make yourself accountable

It’s easy to let yourself off when the only person who knows you’re striving for something is you. But when you share your goals with other people – especially other writers – you have people who are not just holding you to account but cheering you on. Sure, no one is going to care about your project as much as you, but it helps to have other people to lean on when you lack the energy or inspiration to keep going.

In the last month, I’ve applied for a local Creative Arts Grant, which (if successful) will allow me time to work on my parents’ memoirs. I’m also going to monthly writing workshops so I can improve the pieces that I’ve already written. The more I talk about writing about my parents’ journey from the Philippines to Australia, the more I see why their story needs to be told and the more encouraged I get that this passion project isn’t some stupid idea that will end up a big waste of time. There are thousands upon thousands of stories of immigrant Australians who form the culture and communities we live in now – they deserve the spotlight too.

5. Start

I don’t even want to think about the number of times I’ve wasted minutes sitting in front of my laptop, staring at a blank screen, only to have Mr 1 wake from his nap or Mr 5 walk in with a request for attention the second I start writing.

I spend so much time with my chin cupped in my hands, waiting for the right sentence to form. But I know that this never happens when I’m still. It only ever happens when I physically put pen to paper, or when my fingers start to race across the keyboard. When I stay still, my brain is also still. But when I start writing my brain starts to move, and the words start to flow.

Usually what comes out in the first few minutes is crap. But a crappy paragraph that can be edited and improved is better than a blank page. So start. Even when you think you have nothing to write, write what’s in your head. Starting is the hardest thing, but it’s the best thing you can do while you’re there.


And on that note, I should probably go start on the piece I’ll be reading out at this afternoon’s workshop.

 

Related

Hi

Joy Adan

I'm Joy. I'm a 30-something, storytelling, coffee-drinking, book-devouring, ocean-obsessed freelance writer, brush lettering enthusiast, speaker and content producer. You'll find some of my stories and art here, along with my advice about attempt at balancing the creative career + family life hustle.

Don't miss a beat - subscribe below and join me on this crazy adventure!

  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

DON’T MISS A SINGLE POST! SIGN UP HERE:


Thank you!

You’ve joined Finding Joy’s mailing list. No spam, only love. I promise. 



Like what you see here?

Please keep this writer going. <br> Show your support:

Buy me a coffee!

As seen in

Essential Baby

Practical Parenting

The Catholic Weekly

2017 Bupa Blog Awards Nominee | Celebrating Health and Care

Find more like this

Categories

Recent posts

  • Catholic Quotes to save on your phone
  • Inktober Prayer Prompts
  • So much to (un)learn
  • Simbang Gabi – The Best is Yet to Come
  • So blessed, I can’t contain it

Instagram

joyadanwrites

🇵🇭🇦🇺 #Writer, #brushcalligraphy #artist, speaker, podcaster, book hoarder. Mum. #Lettering, creating & stumbling through life @findingjoyau

Finding Joy | Joy Adan
Ran the first in-person lettering workshop of 2022 Ran the first in-person lettering workshop of 2022 today! So so so blessed to introduce a group of incredible women (and their beautiful kids!) to @findingjoyau and the joy that comes with exercising our creativity. 💕

Oh yes... and I'm moving/switching up my Insta. You'll find me sharing more of my art/lettering/how-tos and all things making and creating over here 👉👉👉 @findingjoyau so give this lady a bit of love (and a follow). 

xoxoxo
Needing rest and recovery is a massive shame trigg Needing rest and recovery is a massive shame trigger for many people, myself included.

I've found this to be especially true within migrant families and communities I've worked with - rest was not an option for lots of people because it was literally a matter of work now to survive, otherwise you die.  

I know that the absence of that "threat to survival" puts me in a very privileged position. I also know that even though the pressure to survive at any cost might be gone, the expectation to overwork and overcommit still weighs heavily and still demands sacrifice - from women especially. Thankfully, I (and many in my generation) have the added privilege of better education - we now know that failure to rest when our bodies and minds need to rest leads to poorer long-term health outcomes.

So a few months ago I turned down opportunities to do amazing work with amazing companies. Instead, I decided to hit "pause" and put my health and my family first. The past 2-3 years have been a bit of a fiasco. I really had to make a call about where to spend my time and energy, and I knew that if I wanted to keep giving my best in anything - work, home or community - I needed time out before taking on new or additional challenges.  

It was (and still is) terrifying, and it took me a good few months to truly "switch off". Once I did I became so grateful that taking a break meant being able to slow down and breathe, to focus on home and health, to enjoy agenda-free days with my kids, to take the foot off the accelerator, to embrace creativity, connection and serving my community... you know, things that too often get chucked on the back burner. 

I share this because I want to normalise people taking a break when they need a break. It might just be a short break in a busy day or week, it might be a career break. Point is... we all need rest, and we should NEVER feel guilty for wanting some downtime or pausing to reprioritise, refocus or recover. 

No one else should get to determine what "success" or "productivity" looks like/means for you. 💕
Impromptu paint workshop with some little visitors Impromptu paint workshop with some little visitors today! Whipped out the watercolours and acrylics after lunch and just enjoyed some down time, playing with colour, experimenting with texture and stamping mint leaves... and discussing the fact pink is not an actual colour according to science (and then had to assure them that pink did still exist... But apparently it is just something our brains made up? What?!). 

Painting really is therapy for me. There's something primal and grounding about the activity that helps me enter a completely different space mentally and emotionally. And so it was nice to be able to offer this as a method of play and recreation (and to experience it myself).

Tip 1: Watercolours are a far less stressful way to introduce paint to little ones - find cheap non-toxic washable paint and don't stress about mixing all your colours - it's part of the fun. Embrace the mess. 
Tip 2: I have been reusing the same blue dollar store table cloth to protect our dining table for 4 years. We wipe it down with paper towels or baby wipes at the end of a painting session, and wrap it all up abd shake it off outside after a play dough session. It's getting a bit holey but it does the job. 
Tip 3: Use a clothes horse to peg up and dry paintings as kids finish them. It's pretty satisfying seeing all their pictures hanging up and shining in the sun.

🌞🖌🎨🙌🏽💕
To the woman wondering if she'll ever get through To the woman wondering if she'll ever get through her to-do list before the end of the day... you are enough. 

To the woman wondering if she's cleaning/working/playing/exercising/cuddling/learning/teaching/disciplining/guiding/supporting/giving/loving as much as she can/should... you are enough.

To the woman who can never keep up with messages and voicemails and always forgets to reply... you are enough. 

To the woman doubled over in pain because her body isn't agreeing with her and she can't access the support she needs... you are enough. 

To the woman who is run ragged... you are enough. 

To the woman who knows she shouldn't probably eat that/buy that/say that... you are enough. 

To the woman wondering if she should apply for the job when she doesn't meet all the criteria... you are enough. 

To the woman who wonders if her contribution to her home or her community will ever get the recognition it deserves... you are enough. 

To the woman who is tired of searching for a place where she is respected - not just for what she brings but who she is... you are enough. 

To the woman wishing days like this weren't so exhausting... you are enough. 

To the woman who fears (or has been told) she is intimidating (instead of confident), outspoken (instead of articulate), too soft (instead of empathetic), power-hungry (instead of hard-working), lazy (instead of balanced)... you are enough. 

To the woman wondering what her worth is when so many are seen, recognised, paid and promoted before she is... you are enough. 

To the woman feeling uncertain, afraid, exhausted, frustrated, alone, restless... you are enough. 

To the woman who hopes and works hard for a better world for the future, wondering if we'll ever get there... you are enough. 

The world needs you, whether you're ready for battle or ready for rest. The world needs you, whether you're certain or still seeking. The world needs you as you are, because you are unique and irreplaceable. You are worth celebrating, today and everyday. 

You are enough. 

--- Tag a sister who needs reminding. ❤ xoxo

#iwd2022 #internationalwomensday #sisterhood
Yesterday marked the start of the Lenten season fo Yesterday marked the start of the Lenten season for millions of Catholics around the world. The road to our usual church was blocked yesterday due to floodwater, but thankfully some the rain eased and I could make it to morning Mass today. 

This week the skies are heavy, as are the hearts of many who have lost their homes and their peace - whether due to war or natural disaster. And so I pray. I pray because I know I need to ask for God's grace and mercy - I know I am so small and unable... but when He guides me I can see more clearly where to serve, how to help, where to channel my energy, time and resources... 

When it's all too much and I am unsure, this is the place I can return... knowing that the time I spend in His presence empowers me in a way no human eye can see.

If there is something you would like me to pray for, especially this Lent, let me know (you can shoot me a message too), and I'll bring it to our Father with love. ❤❤

#Lent #Lent2022
Went to Mass this morning after a very restless ni Went to Mass this morning after a very restless night. The Gospel was about a man who had brought his child to the disciples asking them to heal the child from convulsions that would often put him in physical danger. The disciples were unable. Here's part of the the conversation Jesus had with the father: 

"Jesus asked the father, 'How long has this been happening to him?' 

'From childhood,' he replied 'and it has often thrown him into the fire and into the water, in order to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have pity on us and help us.' 

'If you can?' retorted Jesus. 'Everything is possible for anyone who has faith.' 

Immediately the father of the boy cried out, 'I do have faith. Help the little faith I have!'" For the full Gospel, see Mark 9:14-29

Yes, this Gospel is a reminder that anything - and everything - is possible for anyone who has faith. But, as Fr Redmond pointed out this morning, it's also about believing that our faith has the ability and opportunity to grow. Faith isn't a one-off grace or gift we get once. It's a seed that is planted, it is something we can nourish and nurture. It is something that can wane when challenged or ignored. 

Simply put, faith is something we shouldn't take for granted. Faith required prayer, action and desire on our part.

That exclamation from a father desperate to do whatever he can to save his son is a prayer. It is a cry for help to God, asking him to increase and strengthen his faith. "Help the little faith I have!" he pleads. 

O Lord, that I may be humble enough to come to you and request the same when my faith is too small and I put limits on your grace. Help the little faith I have.

ID 1: An open page of a dot grid journal. The words “I have faith. Help the little faith I have” are lettered in pink ink. A pink Pentel Brush Sign Pen lies on an angle in top right corner. 

ID2: A golden tabernacle is in the centre of the frame. On either side are embroidered images from Bible stories.

.

.

.

#FindingJoy #JoyAdanWrites #PursuitOfJoy #PerfectlyImperfect #PracticeMakesProgress #CalledToCreate #CreativePractice #CreativeEntrepreneur #CatholicCreative #BibleLettering #Journal
Consider this permission to slow down. ❤ ID: Op Consider this permission to slow down. ❤

ID: Open page of a notebook with lilac hand-lettering that says “Don't rush to the urgent at the expense of the important”. A lilac @pentel_australia brush sign pen lies on top the page beside the writing.
I reckon this is one of my favourite lines in “S I reckon this is one of my favourite lines in “Surface Pressure”. It's one of many truths in the song, but I love this one in particular because people who know their worth & dignity tend to light up the room. 😉

Meanwhile, we've just ended 1 week of iso.. which we spent listening to the @encantomovie soundtrack on repeat and playing Super Mario and table tennis for hours on end. Thankfully, COVID symptoms were mild and shortlived, the boys maintained good spirits, and I managed to squeeze in painting as down-time over the weekend while everyone else slept. Now to declutter my desk and get back to business.......

ID: An open page dot grid notebook lies on a wooden desk. The left page is painted with blue, gold, brown and green watercolour flowers around the border. In the centre is navy blue lettering, with the words “I move mountains, I move churches, and I glow coz I know what my worth is.”

#ink #handwriting #catholiccreatives #qotd #pentelbrushpen
Flashback to this nugget of wisdom. ❤ Wherever y Flashback to this nugget of wisdom. ❤ Wherever you are, whoever you are, may you rest in the knowledge that not only are you made to love others, you are made to receive and worthy of being loved also. 

Image: Framed image of the quote “Love is, therefore, the fundamental vocation of every human being. - St John Paul II - Familiaris Consortio” lettered in blue foil and sitting on a wooden shelf surrounded by green plants. 

#LoveIs #Vocation #Calling
#StValentinesDay
Have had the best kind of whirlwind week of weddin Have had the best kind of whirlwind week of wedding bliss!! Big big love to my Toasties @kate_samways @sammyjkerr and cuzins4lyf @philipjamolin @simmyyyy 

You both chose parts of John 15 for your ceremonies. ❤ Praying you always remember that your love for each other comes straight from the same Love that powers every good thing in this universe... that whenever you hear music that moves you, marvel at the mountains, feel the sunshine on your skin, ride the waves, or stop in awe or wonder, you remember that a spark of those beautiful things isn't anywhere as big and powerful as the spark that brought you to the one you chose to enjoy your days with. And that through every magical moment, big or small, joyful or sorrowful, that your love for each other remains powerful and complete. 🥂💕🥰💕❤
“Without God, we cannot. Without us, God will no “Without God, we cannot. Without us, God will not.” - St Augustine

Been reflecting about this one a lot over the past few weeks... about the agency we too often forfeit or conveniently forget when change demands effort and intention. We're invited to be co-creators, to be cooperators... but that in itself is both power and a responsibility (yep, just got all Spiderman on you, whoops) 😝.

I lettered this one while watching the morning surfers at Flynns Beach. The waves came in fast, strong and big that day. And the thing that kept popping into my head was the determination of the surf students as they made their way out. We can't control the waves... another power beyond us does that. But we do have to consider when we start kicking or when to jump on the board if we want to ride the waves. 

🌊
I made a thing! Finally unboxed and turned on the I made a thing! Finally unboxed and turned on the sewing machine I bought during the last lockdown. The first thing I did was “fix” a fitted sheet (by sewing a seam on the wrong side, but I mean it still fits on the bed so... It's technically fixed). And because I'm an impatient person, I jumped right into making a half-circle skirt with remnant fabric (thanks Google) and then stuffed it up by adding a pocket without really planning ahead. Because why would I even bother making clothes if they don't have pockets??

You know my love for imperfect things (the pocket kinda faces the wrong way and there's a random seam next to the pocket that makes it bunch up) 😂 but WHATEVER. It fits (*just*😝), the pocket is functional and I am wearing it today because I can. Lol. 

#WhatAmIEvenDoing #SewWhat
Load More… Follow @joyadanwrites
  • About “Finding Joy”
  • Blog
  • Shop
  • My Account
  • Cart
  • Terms of sale
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

KEEP IN TOUCH - SUBSCRIBE BELOW

Thank you!

You've joined Finding Joy's mailing list. No spam, only love. I promise. 

Copyright © 2022 · Joy Adan · 22 657 108 897