pep talk – marginally

New pep talks!

Meghan December 10, 2018 No Comments

Winter holidays are tough, whether they’re joyful on balance or not, and this year is no exception. Travel, end-of-year work push, family, kids off school — there’s a lot going on. Not to mention the inevitable retrospection, the adding up of all you’ve accomplished and not over the past year. So today, instead of a regular episode, we’re bringing you several pep talks — stocking stuffers for your ears. We hope these pep talks speak to you and whatever you need this season as much as they did for us.

The pep talks (#12-15) can be found here, along with all our pep talks.

inspiration, pep talk, tips

Maybe you’re not bad at it, maybe you just haven’t practiced

Olivia July 18, 2018 No Comments

I was listening to this week’s First Draft podcast, in which the host Sarah Enni interviews author Emily X.R. Pan. It is a good interview anyway, but at the beginning, she talks about how she learned to tell stories through practicing with her father when she was a child. First, he told her stories, and then he started asking her to tell stories, and they would collaborate together.

This was an epiphany for me, even if it’s a really obvious one. I realized that, usually when I hear about writers and how they always naturally told stories, I think, “I didn’t do that, so maybe I’m not supposed to be a novelist.”

In fact, I specifically remember the one time I ever was asked to write a story. I did it like I do everything else – at the last minute, late at night. I think I was 8, but this procrastination thing is really ingrained. I didn’t really know how to do it, and so I worried about it and avoided it, and then it wasn’t very good. My story is lame, and I have always known that. I am sure my grade was fine, but I wasn’t proud of that work.

So I loved hearing Emily X.R. Pan tell how she learned to tell stories, not in a one-off assignment randomly, but over time, gradually, and in a trusting and open environment. And I didn’t have that. And that’s totally fine – it just means I didn’t practice it. But it was also a bit liberating because it also means that I am not necessarily bad at it. Maybe I just didn’t get trained.

So that’s what I’m doing now – training myself to tell stories, to write this novel.

I love simple, obvious epiphanies that hit you at just the right time.

getting it done, getting started, inspiration, magic, pep talk, podcast, productivity, tips

This week, we’re pepping you up

Olivia April 30, 2018 No Comments

Meghan and I have both had a lot of work travel, and we have also been recording pep talks that we wanted to share with you. So, instead of a full-length episode, we have not just one but three pep talks to share:

Pep Talk #4 from our Episode 33 interview with poet and book publicist Abigail Welhouse, where she reminds us that people probably don’t care, but if they do, it’s such an amazing gift. And that writing is all about connection:

Pep Talk #5 from Meghan that should calm your nerves if you’re in one of those times where you’re not writing. Are you still “a writer”? Listen to this:

And Pep Talk #6 is a real-life conversation that Olivia and Meghan had, when Olivia wasn’t sure if she should continue with this novel, her first. Meghan had some great words of advice:

All our Pep Talks can be found here on our new Pep Talk page.

Don’t miss an episode! Subscribe to Marginally on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, or wherever get your podcasts.

friendship, getting it done, pep talk, tips

Asking for help

Olivia April 20, 2018 No Comments

I was just writing to Meghan last night that I really love that we have started this podcast now, when we’re in the middle of our first real creative projects. It means that we have a chance to document and share the micro-lessons that we are learning. Most importantly, we can keep them for ourselves for next time. Whatever happens to our current books, we have so many ideas, and so we can come back to this blog and our podcast (especially our pep talks) and remind ourselves what we’ve already learned.

This week, I’ve been learning a micro-lesson about asking for help. This is something I can use in all areas of my life, something I should remember better than I do, and more often. I always find it hard, but it is harder for me about writing because it is something I do for myself, not for my job or family or other people.

So it seems like a scary thing to prioritize, and something I don’t have much confidence about. Some tiny voices in me say things like this:

What if this is just a stupid pile of poop that I am writing? Why should I ask for time or help with it?

It’s not my real job, so why should I prioritize it? It’s never going to turn into anything?

And so on. I’m sure some of you have a similar helpful voice in your head.

And then it’s like I’m wrestling this whole novel by myself, and all my ideas, and as soon as I shut the Word document, I only remember how much work there is left, and everything is terrible (as we like to say on the online radio show).

A couple weekends ago, I went to a yin/relaxation yoga workshop (led by our former guest in Ep14 Divya Kohli, who has such a gift and I especially love her yin/relaxation workshops) with two of my best London friends. We had such a wonderful time on and off the mat together, exploring Budapest and talking for three days. Since then I’ve just felt so much more open and grounded on one hand, but also have been facing and allowing myself to feel the things that are difficult.

That’s a tough combination, though – you’re open to and suddenly hearing and feeling the scary voices, and not just saying, “Shhhh…. I’ll deal with you later” (which is actually a way of saying to them, “Keep talking!”).

So I started asking for help. A couple examples:

First, I talked to my boss and said I needed to take more time away, at least writing in the morning, even if I am working in the afternoons. I’m potentially going for promotion later this year, so I was planning to have this talk after that was successful, but instead I thought I’d bring it up now, so I wouldn’t be telling myself for months that it may not be possible to get. Guess what? He was fine – basically, if I can arrange my schedule and make sure all the projects are covered, he is happy for me to do that. I am lucky because I lead a team, so I can sort of flex things to fit around me, but I’m also in consulting, and clients can be demanding. But I got the theoretical “okay,” and I feel a lot better. And it’s because I asked for help.

Second, I sent Meghan a panicky voice message about how I should probably quit my book and so on, and she is fantastic, so she sent me a voice message back with lots of encouragement. It was such a great exchange that we are going to turn that into a little pep talk for you guys, although originally it was just our normal conversation.

Third, I wrote my writing mentor and asked her, “I need to know if I should continue with this book. It is probably weird for me to ask you this, and you’ll probably say only I can decide, but I haven’t done this before and I don’t have anyone else to ask and you just read it.” That’s not an actual copy of what I wrote her, but it’s close. And I think, by writing it, I already knew the answer, but it was so important for me to share that HUGE QUESTION with someone else, and ask them to help me with it. And she did (she said I should continue).

So, guys, and Future Me: don’t wrestle monsters by yourself. Call your friends. Ask your boss (if it’s possible). Ask someone else the questions that feel like they are eating you in the middle of the night.

day jobs, getting it done, pep talk, productivity

Do you write on your commute?

Olivia March 30, 2018 No Comments

Yesterday I saw this article on TheMillions blog about Fiona Mozley, a writer with a 9-to-6 job who started writing her Man-Booker-Prize-finalist novel Elmet on her commute. I really liked this quote from her:

the sentences and paragraphs I wrote on my phone during my commute were very useful for keeping up the momentum. Sometimes when you’re writing–particularly if you’re working full time–you can have periods of writing nothing at all. Even if I found myself unable to write full sections, jotting ideas down on my phone meant that I felt a constant sense of progression.

I really liked this, and I liked her journey that she went on – from writing as an escape from a job and from a life that wasn’t working for her, to moving out of London and gradually building up confidence through part-time work. It is a good article just to get a sense of one writer’s journey.

I am not usually a commuter-writer; in my Eastern Europe city, I walk to work, and in London I was usually on a crowded Tube car. But I totally get the appeal – even apart from the obvious aspects that it’s just a chunk of time you can’t ever get back. I have done it a few times, when something was burning in my head, or when I just didn’t feel right and I needed to get it down. I have written a couple of really powerful scenes or parts of scenes in the Tube, and I always feel like I’m on fire, and like I have an important secret that is somehow also public (you’re surrounded by people, after all), and it does feel like magic.

As writers (and as podcast hosts!) sometimes we read the news about different writers’ routines to find out the magic formula, what can help us to finish our novel or inspire people. But when you really break it down, like this article does, it’s just about making small steps that turn into big leaps – and suddenly you’re writing a real book.

With Mozley, maybe if she’d thought about quitting her job to do a PhD when she first started, it would have sounded like too much, too hard (I don’t know, just speculating). But after she’s spent hours and days on this book, maybe it felt more possible – more and different things feel possible about writing once you start doing the actual writing when you can. Once you start working writing into your life, it also changes your life.

Writing on your commute, like writing during your lunch break or before or work or after work, is a signal that you’re taking yourself and your private, secret work seriously. And that can be hard when you’re working full-time, or when you’re caring for others full-time, or anything else you think you should pay more attention to than your own projects. But still we do it. We wake up early, or we huddle into our jackets and write away on a tiny notebook so no one can watch us on the train. We start typing ideas in our phones, or we try to type some sentences on the Tube or train.

It helps us to become who we are, and the practice of doing it helps us to find out who we are, too.

news, pep talk, podcast, update, you can do it too

Episode 28 is short and sweet

Olivia March 19, 2018 No Comments

Episode 28 is short in duration but rich in news and content. We give a shout-out to two listeners who listed us in their favorite podcast lists (LitandPie and Audrey J Martin). Thanks again for that!

Then we talk about a new occasional feature that we’re calling “You can do it, too,” all about margin-writers we’ve been reading about, who’ve used their day job in their writing or who talk about their day jobs.

And finally, we’ve got a What’s Working Now/Everything’s Terrible.

And maybe pneumonia and some howling cats.

Full show notes here.

getting it done, pep talk, tips

25 Ways of Getting Over Getting It Out There – Guest Pep Talk

Meghan March 6, 2018 No Comments

Hi margin-writers! We’re excited to have a guest pep talk today from writer and editor Michelle Vandepol. Last week, we shared our lessons learned (so far) from starting a podcast over on Michelle’s website, and this week, she’s sharing this excellent pep talk. I think we got the better end of the deal 🙂 I’ll be working on 19 and 21! -Meghan

A Word of Encouragement for Taking the Next Step in your Writing Career

Getting over “getting it out there” is part of every writer’s life. Today’s writers need to conjure up courage not only to submit to the usual sources of publication but also to click publish on the social media platforms that are part of the writer’s package expected by agents, editors, and readers.

Whether you are thinking about launching your blog or e-book, submitting to a contest or new market, or reaching out to collaborate with other writers on your social media platform; it is often better to click send a bit before you feel ready. You will have some no’s and some yes’s either way. Waiting doesn’t increase your odds. Take your time to prepare, sure, but if you don’t get in the game until you feel ready; you may be unnecessarily slowing yourself down.

Is it possible things won’t look as polished as they will down the line? Most definitely. You will get better as you go along. Will some people turn you down? Not the right ones. You are meant to carry out that artistic dream that it on your heart. I’m not talking about big risk like bankrolling a writing business start-up with your line of credit. This is just coming up with a strategy to move forward and then persistently executing on it.

Here are 25 ways to get over getting it out there. Use them to put together a strategy that works for you.

Get Social

Decide which social media platform you are going to focus your attention on
Build community through participating in and hosting online challenges
Schedule an editorial calendar to keep your postings consistent
Contribute helpful content to your niche market on forums and in groups
Spend time away from social media as well to recharge and get creative

Pound the Pavement

Query a magazine you like with an article or story idea
Read your work at an open mic night
Reach out to other writers and arrange guest posts or features
Offer to lead a community workshop
Recruit like minded folks for a writing group

Draft some Deadlines

Set a regular day of the week for queries, blog posts, or social media features
Attach a year-long countdown widget to your blog or social media platform to promote a launch
Outline down a year’s worth of author newsletters or your next novel
Establish a list of short story ideas to write & send out (2 stories/month is a collection at year’s end)
Negotiate dates for exchange of guest posts to give yourself a submission & posting schedule

Focus on a Quality Few

Spend a bit of research time on your favourite social media platform and hone your own branding
Settle on a key project for this year with supporting acts if time allows
Evaluate what has been working and what has not, and cut something out
Determine your rhythm: some hours work best for writing and some are best for the business side 20. Select your beta reader audience- who appreciates your genre and can tell you like it is?

Consider your Vision

Investigate what does your ideal writing life looks like. What components can you incorporate now?
Analyze what brings you joy to write and share about. That is likely part of your voice.
Affirm yourself for your vision. It will not appeal to everyone and that’s ok. It’s yours.
Track your habits in a bullet journal. Are you noticing any changes? growth? clarity?
Write your bio for current day you and then for future you. What milestones have you highlighted?

Bio: Michelle Vandepol is a writer, editor, and bookish Canadian who loves connecting with other readers and writers on instagram at @michellevandepol . For more articles on the writing life, visit her website www.michellevandepol.com

news, pep talk, podcast

Episode 24 is here to pep you up

Meghan February 19, 2018 No Comments

We’ve been doing pep talks off and on here on our blog, and find they’re helpful not just for our followers, but for ourselves as well! So this week, we’ve introduced a new short segment for our podcast — the pep talk! Go here to listen to the our first two talks and the stories behind them in the full episode, and look for just the excerpted talks themselves as single releases. Make sure you’re subscribed in your podcast player so you don’t miss a single pep talk.

Have a pep talk you’d like to share, or one you’d like to here? Let us know in the comments!

inspiration, pep talk, podcast, tips

Our Episode 23 chat with filmmaker Ashley Maynor

Olivia February 11, 2018 No Comments

Episode 23 is live, and we are super excited to bring you our wide-ranging conversation with Ashley Maynor, who is a university librarian by day and an award-winning filmmaker by night. Ashley is a long and dear friend of Olivia’s. This conversation is anything but boring – we touch on divorce and our inner octagenarian, as well as farm animals.

Using her mad librarian skills, after our chat she put up this great Resources for Creatives page, with things to get you unstuck, a crash course on starting a podcast and a guide to microbudget film production. We thought you’d like to check it out!

Full show notes are here.

getting it done, pep talk, productivity, tips

Writing while sick (and how to jump back in when you’re better)

Meghan January 26, 2018 No Comments

Flu season is raging right now, and while (so far) my family has been safe — high five for vaccines, hand washing, and getting enough sleep — I know it could hit anyway. Even without the flu, we’ve had a pretty rough winter, including having to reschedule a flight from the airport parking lot because of my 4-year-old’s sudden stomach bug. A stomach bug I got 5 days later, on Christmas Day. I’d just gotten over a brutal cold, and then a week after Christmas, another one that lasted into mid-January.

It’s funny, because at the beginning of the season, I was looking forward to curling up inside and hitting my revisions hard. I’d hoped to be able to start researching my next book — I’m trying to decide between two different historicals, and one involves reading lots of Brontë. Perfect for miserable winter days, even if (full disclosure) I don’t usually experience much cold where I live.

This winter though? There’s been lots of cold. Snow, even. It’s 35 degrees F outside right now, though the full sun makes me feel guilty for being indoors. Exactly what I imagined back in late November. Except … I forgot to imagine being sick for a month straight.

Ok, that’s all super boring, but I’m pretty sure everyone out there can commiserate with their own stories. We all get sick — some of us because it’s winter and we have small kids or travel frequently, and some people because of chronic illness. I can’t speak to the last one, but I recommend Esme Wang and Kim of Her Pickings for some insight into living a creative life with chronic illness, and would love to check out any others you want to share.

So, what I want to talk about is how to deal with being sick when it isn’t a part of your normal routine.

Make it a routine

I’m not saying to get sick all the time. I’m saying to think about how you could think about what your routine could look like on a sick day. What are your low-energy tasks? What absolutely must get done, no matter what? What can someone else do instead?

These questions are much easier to answer before you get sick, but they don’t have to be decided ahead of time.

We love this kind of emergency plan (we talk about applying it to holidays or vacations here); the great thing about it is how versatile it is to any disruptive situation.

Do what you can

Sometimes you can curl up in bed with a notebook and journal. Even if it’s just whining about feeling bad — this works best when you feel terrible, but aren’t sleeping 23 hours a day. If you’re lucky enough to be able to take a sick day from your day job, consider using any time you feel like doing something to work on your writing instead. Not that a sick day is the equivalent of a writing retreat, but if you’re home sick from work, it can be good to not work if you aren’t expected to.

Don’t do what you can’t

Honestly, the week I was sick, I didn’t do much. I didn’t wake up early to write, and I didn’t even try to come up to my quota. I wasn’t trying to meet a real deadline — that is, one that isn’t self-imposed — and I did have other things I needed to take care of that week, like pick children up from school and some of my day job. Freelancers know the pain of no sick days, as do those whose employers have terrible expectations of sick employees.

As we’ve said before, be gentle on yourself. Being sick is no joke. Pushing yourself too hard will only prolong your misery, and chances are you’ll have to burn everything you wrote anyway, because it will make no sense.

Have a re-entry plan

After being sick for weeks on end, the day I felt better, I felt SO MUCH BETTER. I wanted to do ALL THE THINGS, but I also had a fresh reminder of the dangers of jumping in too quickly, and didn’t want to end up sick again. So I looked at my generic re-entry plan. It’s something I use for busy work weeks, but can be adapted for any disruptive situation, and is a tip I picked up from my book coach.

You can work this out when you make your emergency plan, long before getting sick (like right after you read this!), but you can also count on spending a couple of hours after getting well figuring out what to do. It’s always disorienting switching tempos, so give yourself some transition time and an easy checklist to get back into the groove. That way, you don’t sit at your desk wondering what you should be doing, and bouncing from one task to another.

Some ideas:

Read through the last 10 pages or so of your manuscript to get it back into your head

Journal. A few pages of rambling about how distracted you are, or how sick you were, or all the things you wanted to do but didn’t can help you get all the junk out of your brain so you can focus on what matters.

Move. Take a walk, do some gentle yoga. Get outside if you can.

Change your surroundings. Take your work somewhere else (again, if you can). Even changing the desktop background on your computer or using a different notebook can help you really feel the fresh start.

Don’t worry about it

If you spend the whole first day back doing nothing, that’s ok. Maybe that’s what you needed anyway. Pick up your re-entry plan as soon as you feel restless and touchy — that’s always a sign I need to get focused. Choose one thing that you know will make you feel like you accomplished something, and do it. Then, at the end of the day, consider a have-done list instead of worrying about what’s crossed off on your to-do list. Start with a blank piece of paper and write down everything you did, whether or not it was on your to-do list. Don’t compare it to that other list — in fact, you can throw that list away.

Congratulate yourself for being alive and able to breathe through your nose and stay awake past 7pm!

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