Stress

Stress

Have a break, have a kit-kat

Or in my case a box of Jaffa Cakes and mugs of tea. I promised that I would be blatantly honest about writing and that doesn't just mean blogging about how amazing it is to be a writer, but also blogging about how hard it can be as well. So many elements have to be taken into consideration when talking about the everyday stress of writing, in fact of just being a human full stop. Personally speaking, I seem to go through phases as it were of writing. I tend to have a good week of writing, filled with ideas, enthusiasm and determination. But then I will suffer for a week or so in return, maybe because my brains have been sizzled as I am a little bit of a workaholic. I am driven and I like everything to be organised, but this comes at a price sometimes.

Recently, taking some time away from manuscript writing, I have been concentrating on other areas.

1.  Designing new and better maps
2.  Designing and creating numerous family trees and noble houses
3.  Designing and writing back stories for several characters and plots
4.  Designing and writing folklore
5.  Designing and writing a historical account of both the Kingdoms of Calnuthe and Meer, from the eyes of one of my lesser known characters, Lar, who happens to be a historian from Caci.
6.   Writing book covers, query letters, synopsis’s and so forth, to send away to various publishing houses.
7.   Writing blogs
8.  Designing and exploring the next chapter of Eveline’s (Celestine’s) journey and the dozen or so other characters and several plot lines also.

And whilst I have been conducting this process for a great many months now, this past month in particular, it is a heavy workload and you don’t get paid for it, so the incentives needed to keep at it have to be worth it.

When the going gets tough…

And the going does get tough, very tough, especially when you are moulding, designing and creating a new world, filled with new races, histories, characters, religions, political systems etc. etc. And when your characters and their stories are calling out to you, stepping away seems nigh on impossible, but it is.

What to do when you feel stressed?

When I feel as though I am slowly being devoured by stress, I take immediate steps to ensure I am not completely devoured. You can almost hear the alarm bells going off and when you do, put down your pen, stop designing and creating and step away, even though the very thought of stopping seems un natural. Do it.

Good God, what do I do now?

You’re not just a writer, you are a person and your world cannot simply revolve around your books, characters and so forth. Remember what it feels like to go out and have a coffee, whilst chewing down a book? Go do that. Your ideas, characters and stories are not going to go up in fire the moment you walk away, in fact I would argue that it is the other way around. Your story and characters need a break too.

How I cope with stress?

1.         I buy a book- When I am in the process of writing, I never read fiction and stick to reading books within the realm of history or geopolitics. I never want my writing to be inadvertently influenced by a story or character and so stay away from fiction until I give myself a period of grace to devour all the fictional books I have awaiting my eyes.
2.          Exercise- I am no gym buddy, but I do however love to hike and it just so happens that my eleven year old sister does as well. So when we are near the mountains, we both spend a good couple of hours hiking and simply getting away from the noisy world around us. This is a great task, not only because it helps to alleviate stress, but it gives you inspiration.
3.          Food – Healthy food just makes me feel so good inside, and just to clarify I am no health freak, I have to be the biggest Jaffa cake fan and will never ever give up my Jaffa Cake obsession. However, healthy food not only makes you feel good but it really contributes to your mental health.
4.         Baking/ Cooking – Put on some Italian/ French music and bake/ cook! As a baking/ cooking amateur, my skills only go so far….cupcakes/ pasta dishes…. It is however great fun and in the end you can bask in that sense of achievement, boosting your confidence and devouring the stress.
5.         Music – My personal taste in music is somewhat complex. I am a great lover of classical and opera music, and if I am really stressed, I like to blast some Mozart, Vaughan Williams or Puccini. I do however love to listen to 80’s hair metal music, 60’s/70’s rock (Led Zeppelin, Toto and Yes). And then there is world music. Nothing calms me more than some French music.
6.         Films/ TV – To be honest, I am a total baboon for BBC Four and their great historical documentaries. But when I am stressed, I will re watch my favourite shows; Game of Thrones, Penny Dreadful, Black Sails, Vikings, Last Kingdom, The Tudors, Outlander and The Pillars of the Earth. In relation to films, I am a sucker for black and white movies especially any that include Claudette Colbert, Deanna Durbin and Cary Grant. I also love re watch The Lord of The Rings, Star Wars, Star Trek and Harry Potter.
7.          Silence – Yes, silence. Our lives are so busy and noisy and rushed that we often forget the merits of just sitting in peace and quietness. And when I am beyond myself and feel that the walls of China are falling about me, I find a place in which to just sit and find some perspective in silence. I encourage you to find a place outside and sit in silence for at least ten to fifteen minutes. And if you are a writer, why don’t you see this as an exercise, like I do. Take interest in all that surrounds you and describe your surroundings as an author would describe a scene. We are so busy we lose sight of the beauty that surrounds us and to me it is essential that I do not lose sight of nature, because as wacky as this may sound, it is a healer.

Usually after a day or few days of de stressing, I will find myself re filled with the elixir of creativity and dive back into my workload. And with it comes the newly acquired inspiration that I have picked up along the way. I think the best remedy is to find balance in your workload and once you have achieved this, your workload will not be so hectic or malnourishing. If you have a busy day ahead of you, split it up into sections and take time out to replenish yourself.  And if you are finding yourself submerged in self-doubt, then put away your work and have a rest and remember your book is a gift to this world, even if you cannot see it in that light.

Iseult x