When it All Seems Daunting

“Fear is the edge of your comfort zone.“

Jonathan Mearns O.B.E., Author of One Mountain, Two Minds

In addition to the fact that I could listen to Jonathan Mearns’ north London accent—All. Day. Long.—I am continually inspired by the content of what he says as life coach, speaker and author.  Especially when it comes to looking at our writerly intentions and feeling like Mt. Kilimanjaro is looming over us. 

Having climbed some serious literal mountains, including Kilimanjaro (which he says he “hopped up”… please!) as well as a 20,000-foot challenge in the Himalayas and Mont Blanc, the highest peak in Europe, Jonathan has applied what he’s learned from those journeys—which at one point led him to a near-death experience—to life itself. He describes those in depth in his stunning non-fiction book One Mountain, Two Minds.   

For us, as we begin our new series on concrete ways to bring our writerly life intentions to fruition, one what he calls a “chunk” of the six-phase mountain metaphor is vital for us as we stare up the slope and find it daunting. 

That is: preparation

What do you need?

The most intuitive writers among us would rather chew glass than make a plan. You just want to go for it and let it play out along the way. 

That’s not what we’re talking about. 

Whether we’re seat-of-the-pants intuitive or intentional to the point of developing a 40-page outline (I own that…), we all need the preparation phase. If you do climb actual mountains (the very thought of it makes my nose bleed), you don’t go charging up Mt. Everest without the training, the equipment, and a clear understanding of what you’re letting yourself in for. The same goes for anything related to writing, be it the intentions (like finding voice or getting up the courage to make your work public) or the projects. If we just throw ourselves into it without certain preparations, we at the very least waste a ton of time and at the worst chuck the whole thing altogether. 

Preparation looks different for every writer. Sometimes we don’t even know what we need until we get started that first time and have to go back and get it together and begin again. That can include (but isn’t limited to):

• A space to write with no (okay, few) distractions
• Time carved out on a regular basis
• Some work on the skills without which there are gaps in your crafting of a story or non-fiction piece
• Research on the context, the background of your novel, or the necessary expertise from pros on the topic of your NF book
• Even something as seemingly mundane as a chair that doesn’t turn your spine into a pretzel or a laptop that isn’t twenty years old

I’m personally a fan of whatever gets me in the zone, and I’m not alone in that. Writer and podcaster Abigail Horgash has a special writing hat she crocheted herself which takes her straight into the fantasy world she’s creating. Author Joyce Magnin swears by her red Converse tennis shoes. I do my best creative work if I have a cup of freshly brewed loose leaf tea (I’m a bit of snob that way.)

It’s worth making a list, however short, of what gives you the optimal chance to slide into Kairos Time as you face your writerly intentions. 

Who needs to know?

Although he’s a Scribbling Man, Jonathan gets that women are pulled in at least six directions by their unavoidable responsibilities, and many of those involve other people. Spouses. Partners. Kids. Fellow church members. Friends who always seem to be in crisis. 

Obviously we can’t completely ignore all that to go up into a garret and write for weeks on end while someone (and who, pray tell, would that be?) leaves food outside the door. Nor would we want to (not ALL the time, anyway… ), lest our lives become lopsided. 

What we can do, as part of our preparation, is let the important people in our lives know that we are going to carve out time to pursue our intentions in aid of creating work that can make a difference in lives. Keeping in mind that:

• We aren’t asking for permission
• We’re not justifying our decision
• We don’t have to explain or defend it
• We’re considering our own needs as well as the needs of those close to us

How we move up the mountain

That’s just the start of it, right? And without it, we can’t take another step. We’ll talk about the other five phases of the climb in the weeks to come, each one taking us closer to leaving the legacy that happens when we pursue those beautiful intentions. 

For now, how can you pull your intimidated gaze away from the summit and simply do what you can to get ready? Whether that’s a list longer than a snooze-worthy sermon or just one small, niggly thing, recognize it, embrace it, and make it happen. 

Only then can you scribble on.

For more

To make sure you don’t miss any part of this mountain climb, feel free to subscribe to this blog. 

If you want to luxuriate in the downright fascinating voice of Jonathan Mearns, check out Episode 21 of the Scribbling Woman podcast, which you can access from here on the website. 

And if you are a writer of the female persuasion and you’d like to be part of the Scribbling Women community, contact me through Facebook at facebook.com/nancynrue 

Blessings,
Nancy Rue