Fierce on the Page Community:
Change Your Context

In Chapter 9 of Fierce on the Page, I described how feeding my dying dog taught me creative new ways to feed myself when I was stuck, struggling, and couldn’t make it to my own food bowl.

What if you found a new way to approach an old struggle or stuck place? How could you come at it sideways to find a new perspective? What if you were to make a small shift in attitude or practice—and then another—until you felt a bit more space or ease or fun? What if you didn’t stop experimenting until you found yourself clear to the other side of that obstacle? I’d love to hear how you changed your context to create a new result in the space below.

4 Comments on “Change Your Context”

  1. I find that baking often helps me to find my creative spark again. Baking is so measured, so precise, my creative mind can wander as I follow the steps. This often allows me to pull together the essence of what I can’t find. Barbara Oakley refers to this as diffuse thinking in A Mind for Numbers.
    Another thing I do is to switch writing projects when I get stuck on one. Because I write poetry, fiction, and nonfiction as well as a few blogs, I can usually switch between projects and let the problem simmer until the answer bubbles to the top.
    Also, I find a dance break can be quite stimulating when I’m struggling with something I’m writing.
    So there are a few ways I have developed over time to address stuck places and writing projects I’m struggling with. I’m sure there are others and there will be still more in the future…

    1. Fantastic! I love how many ways you have to move yourself forward when you’re stuck. Baking is one I haven’t tried. Will do so pronto! My son thanks you in advance!

  2. I am working through this book (actually on chapter 30 at this point) and finding it contains excellent insights… But I bookmarked chapter nine as one particularly of interest to me.

    I am a science fiction and fantasy writer (for the most part, but have also dabbled in romance, mystery and other genres) – as yet unattempted at publishing, and I find that the context I habitually employ – trying to force myself to plow through one fiction project at a time…just isn’t working so well. I currently have 88 conceptual ideas for novels, some over a decade old, some hundreds of pages, some one, all sort of precious ideas to me – my continually growing list of unberthed children.

    So with this chapter in mind, I’m trying a new approach, focusing on moving one idea forward and dabbling in the others. I’m also changing the background context of my day to day life to make my writing an imperative instead of just a pipe dream.

    There are a lot of good suggestions in this book. Thanks for writing it Sage!

    1. Hi, Ray! Thanks for sharing your journey and your process. I’m so excited about your focus on a single idea, and your commitment to making writing a primary part of your life. I expect this will accelerate your results and your satisfaction along the way! Happy writing (and reading)!

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