Fast-Track Your Writing Production with Meditation by Heather Smith Meloche

I’ve been struggling with writer’s block for over a year, but the worst of it was last winter. It was a portal-to-pure-hell kind of feeling. Worse than a creative drought, it was accompanied by a thousand daily voices in my head telling me my work wasn’t worth it and everything I wrote was crap. I was broken as a writer, and I had to figure out how to deal with how writer’s block was quashing my creative flow and replacing it with an incapacitating fear of putting words on paper.

To get out of the slump, I tried running, taking long walks, reading more than usual, having long heart-to-hearts with my critique group members, who, I’m sure, were pretty sick of hearing me complain about my inability to produce anything. I took online courses to put myself on deadlines. I tried to write side projects aside from my current novel to “inspire” me, but everything always fell flat, and I still felt unable to write effectively.

Then one day, I opened a digital newsletter from writer and creative coach Heather Demetrios, who I follow because she has mad talent and her book I’LL MEET YOU THERE blew my mind with how she dug so deeply into the emotion of the characters. Buried in that newsletter was a link to a blog post entitled “I’m Going to Pavlov Dog the Crap Out of This Meditation Stuff” by another writer, Jessica Conoley, who had gone on a retreat only to find MEDITATION on the workshop schedule. She was unthrilled with the prospect, not caring much for the hippy dippy reputation surrounding meditation. But Conoley needed to find a way to slow her mind and focus, so she gave it a shot, attended the workshop with Heather, and it worked – giving her concentration, helping her produce, keeping her on task. A writer’s dream!

Still, I was hesitant. Meditation just seemed like a waste of my time. The idea that I had to stop being productive to be more productive was nuts. But writer’s block is its own personal hell, and I wanted out. So I signed up for a “Mindfulness for Writers” course with Heather, which included guided audio meditations, emails, and video chatting. I’ve always told my husband that, in order to write, I have to ease into it daily, settle and focus, and find that creative spot and flow. Sometimes, with kids and dogs and work and phone calls and social media and deadlines and—ack!! --that’s nearly impossible! But, crazily, I found that just twenty minutes of meditation got me straight to “that place of focus,” that magical spot where I could sink right into my story world without being distracted. I found meditation is like priming the creative pump in your brain. To quote my own quote on Heather’s creative coaching site, “I started filling pages with words again! It’s like flipping a creative switch on a daily basis, and it helped to shut off those critical voices in my head that told me everything I was writing was trash.” For me, meditation was a game-changer for my writing process.

So I’m throwing this out to all my fellow SCBWI-ers to challenge you to see if it works for you, and I asked Heather to tell us in her own words why she thinks meditation is something every writer should be doing daily. Here’s the interview:

How do you briefly explain what meditation is for people who don't know much about meditation?

Meditation is a practice that helps you learn how to work with your mind so that you can more elegantly navigate the challenges of humaning. It can be relaxing, but it’s not about relaxation. It’s about waking up to the present so that you can show up for your life and, by extension, your writing. While meditation is an ancient practice, it’s more necessary than ever in our modern world: when is the last time you just sat for twenty minutes and breathed? Not checking your phone or ticking things off your to-do list or multi-tasking. Just simply being? Meditation is really a way to work the muscle of paying attention. The act of meditation sets so many neurological things in motion, including creative flow. It also directly deals with the part of our brain that houses our inner critics. This is legit neuroscience, but, like anything, you just have to give it a go. Most people I know who give meditation a fair shot end up being pretty darn amazed by how the practice changes things for them. It opens you up. It switches on lights. It gives you back your life.

How did you get involved with meditation, and how is it a part of your life currently?

I basically came to meditation on the verge of a nervous breakdown. I’d been completely shattered by my exhausting publishing schedule and decimated by what the industry was doing to my self-confidence and my artist’s spirit. I’d been a seeker my whole life and so I’d tried meditation before, but I’d never needed it. A friend introduced me to guided meditation, which was a great way to stave off the panic of sitting in silence with my brain that goes a mile a minute. Now, of course, I sit in silence, but you have to start somewhere. I knew that the only way I’d have a practice was if I really did it for real, so I sat nearly every day. I went to a local meditation center, got instruction. I quickly began to see the connections between the meditation practice and the writing practice. The two have been in conversation with each other almost from the beginning. Meditation gave me back my dignity as a published author and it taught me how to balance my creative life with career. It grounded me, and reconnected me to my spiritual side. It’s taught me how to be gentle with myself and has gotten me through some pretty bad creative blocks. Like, actually eliminated the blocks. It’s not a cure-all, but it’s a big, big help. Especially if you suffer from depression and/or anxiety.

I eventually got certified to teach and I teach meditation and mindfulness to writers exclusively—both in person and online. I also infuse the practice into my coaching and use it even with editorial clients—you’d be amazed at how mindfulness can make you better at craft. I teach retreats, too. This October, I’ll be teaching one at Highlights where we’re going to look at how mindfulness can help you through the revision process. I blog regularly about the topic, and bi-monthly I do a Mindfulness Monday post for Vermont College of Fine Arts. For my own practice, I sit every day for twenty minutes, go on at least one long intensive retreat each year, have various mindfulness practices that I infuse into my life, and I study Buddhism, as well. Mindfulness naturally led me to Buddhism and I now identify as Buddhist. It just makes so much sense. So much about my studies help me with my writing process—it’s so exciting to see how my meditation and writing support one another. Side note: you don’t have to be Buddhist to meditate. I teach from a secular point of view. But Buddhist philosophy—the concept of non-attachment in particular—is really helpful in terms of navigating the ups and downs of the writer’s life.

Why do you think meditation is important for writers?

Our job is to pay attention—I’d say that’s almost our primary function as writers. To pay attention and then report back. And it’s very, very hard in the current culture to do that. And even harder once you’re published and there are pressures to push your books and have a brand, yadda yadda yadda. Meditation teaches you to pay attention. It reminds you when you’ve forgotten. The rewards of the practice aren’t on the cushion so much as off it, when you go out into your life and you suddenly start noticing things. And you better believe that shows up on the page. So there’s that. There’s also the very real neuroscience of flow and how meditation helps us work with the inner critic. And then there are various practices that help us to cultivate kindness toward ourselves, to be gentle, to accept failures, and to have perspective on them. This was especially helpful for me as I struggled with failure and rejection and perfectionism. The dividends are unreal. I blog a lot about all of this—it’s endlessly fascinating for me.

What tips or resources do you recommend for writers who are interested in learning more about meditation?

If you go to my blog, www.mindfulnessforwriters.com, I have a huge list of books, websites, apps, and articles. That should set you up pretty well. And if you sign up for my newsletter, that gets you access to my Inspiration Portal, which has my 7-Day Meditation Starter Kit, plus lots of the downloadable guided meditations I created just for writers, as well as worksheets and other additional resources.

My basic tips I always give is to start small and to build gradually. Five minutes to start, then build up to twenty minutes a day. Starting with guided meditations is good, but you’ll eventually want to meditate on your own—that’s where the magic happens. And just know that I was ALWAYS someone who said they couldn’t meditate and I am here to tell you that I can, and you can too. Your mind will race—normal. You just go back to the breath when you realize it’s racing. You will be bored sometimes—normal. Boredom works a lot of important muscles, especially resilience, which you need a lot of as a writer. You might fall asleep—no big. And if you’re uncomfortable, you’ll eventually find the right position, and your body will get used to it. Chair meditation is cool. So is meditating in your car! ☺ Give it a real shot. Do it every day. People, listen to me: every day. Every now and then you can skip, but the way this is going to change your life is if it’s non-negotiable. And then?

Watch what happens!

I’m happy to answer any questions you have. Please feel free to contact me any time. Happy writing—and sitting!

So many thanks to Heather for sharing her knowledge! And keep a look-out for Heather Demetrios’s inclusion in DEAR HEARTBREAK: YA AUTHORS AND TEENS ON THE DARK SIDE OF LOVE – a collection of letters from teens and the raw, powerful, autobiographical letters in response from YA authors. DEAR HEARTBREAK releases in December 2018!

Heather Demetrios is a certified meditation teacher and the critically acclaimed author of six young adult novels. When she isn't spending time in imaginary places, you'll find her traipsing around the world with her husband in her newest creative life hack: a grand international housesitting experiment. Heather has an MFA in Writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts and is a recipient of the PEN New England Susan P. Bloom Discovery Award for her debut novel, Something Real. Her novels include I’ll Meet You There, Bad Romance, as well as the Dark Caravan fantasy series: Exquisite Captive, Blood Passage, and Freedom’s Slave. She’s the editor of Dear Heartbreak: YA Authors and Teens on the Dark Side of Love and the author of Codename Badass, an upcoming feminist pop biography of WWII lady spy, Virginia Hall. Her honors include books that have been named Bank Street Best Children’s Books, a YALSA Best Fiction For Young Adults selection, a Goodreads Choice Nominee, a Kirkus Best Book, and a Barnes and Noble Best Book. Find out more about Heather and her books at www.heatherdemetrios.com, read about all things mindfulness at www.mindfulnessforwriters.com, and learn more about her coaching and courses at www.pneumacreative.com.

Heather Smith Meloche has written for television, print media, advertising, and marketing, and she teaches academic writing to international students at the college level. However, her first love is writing fiction for young adults. Her work has appeared in Spider, Young Adult Review Network (YARN), and Once Upon A Time. She has placed twice in the children’s/YA category of the Writer’s Digest Annual Writing Competition and won first place for Hunger Mountain’s Katherine Paterson Prize in 2011 for a YA short story in verse. A wild fan of dark chocolate as well as kickboxing and running (to be able to eat all that chocolate!), she lives in Rochester Hills, MI with her family. Penguin Putnam released her contemporary young adult novel, Ripple, in September 2016.






Coming up on the Mitten blog: Creating a Podcast, Painless Self-Promotion, Book Birthdays, and a new Writer Spotlight - who will it be? Did you notice our new blog banner created by our new Featured Illustrator, Cody Wiley? Read his interview here.

Save the date! The SCBWI Wild Wild Midwest Conference returns on May 3-5, 2019!

An opportunity for Michigan SCBWI members only: it's time for Shutta's Scholarship Solution for the Winter Doldrums! This scholarship is offered in partnership with author Shutta Crum and the SCBWI-MI Chapter and covers the costs of the SCBWI annual winter conference in New York on February 8-10, 2019. Hurry, the deadline is October 26th! Here's the scoop: http://blog.shutta.com/2018/10/shuttas-scholarship-time/

The Making of a Book Cover: 3 Stories

This Mitten blog post about book covers was our most popular post to-date, meaning that more people read that post than any other in our nearly two year history. Go Kirbi Fagan! Kirbi's post was so popular partly due to her awesome tribe of supporters and her stunning artwork, but it was also a post that spoke to both writers and illustrators. So, in that vein, let's take another look at book covers with some take-aways for both the writers and illustrators in SCBWI. Here are the cover stories for three of our Michigan Chapter members (starting with my own!):

It wasn’t until my own debut YA novel entered the publishing process that I truly saw the making of a cover. I was fortunate to be involved in many of the decisions, including choosing from four initial cover concepts, all very different.

Here’s what my cover designer, Amanda Schwarz, shared about her initial process with THE ART OF HOLDING ON AND LETTING GO:

"When designing a book cover I search for a way to visually represent the emotion of the novel while not outright telling the audience what it’s about. After reading the book I realized that the heart of the story is the lead character coming to terms with where her life has taken her and accepting change. In particular the Annie Dillard quote at the end of the novel struck me, “Mountains are giant, restful, absorbent. You can heave your spirit into a mountain and the mountain will keep it, folded, and not throw it back as some creeks will. The creeks are the world with all its stimulus and beauty; I live there. But mountains are home.”  

To me, this sums up the feelings of the book. Cara, by the end, comes to realize that no matter where she is in her life, the mountains, along with Uncle Max, will always be a part of her. They are inside of her and a life that she can return to one day. So while not referencing climbing directly, I felt having mountains represented in the covers somewhere is very important as Cara comes to hold on to the important aspects of her previous life, but also learns to let go of others as she grows in the story. It captures the tone but there is also the mystery of what exactly the mountains represent to the story.

While working on the preliminary designs I also decided to use handwritten or script text for the covers. Since we spend the entirety of the book seeing the events from Cara’s perspective, anything that isn’t handwritten felt too impersonal for a very personal story. I choose fonts that have similar characteristics but also contrast to emphasize the emotions of the title especially “Holding On and Letting Go.” 

Heather Smith Meloche's YA novel, RIPPLE, hits bookshelves in September. Heather says, "The cover design was a hard part of this debut publishing process because, when my editor asked me for suggestions to pass on to the designers, I didn’t really have a sense of what I thought should be on the cover. With the title being RIPPLE, I felt like water had to be there somewhere. And I knew there were scenes in a cemetery that were pivotal in the story, so I suggested to the art department that they think “in the graveyard.” But primarily, I knew what I didn’t want more than what I did."

Penguin’s designers came out, first, with a design that I personally loved, since it reminded me of my grandmother’s art, which hangs all over my house. But we weren’t sure if it would hook readers enough. When they came back with a second design that elaborated on the first, I seriously got chills the moment I saw it because I just knew -- THAT was the cover Ripple was supposed to have. It’s dark. It’s edgy. It captures the mood and tone of the book. And I truly couldn’t be happier with the work the design team did.

Cover designer Tony Sahara said this about RIPPLE's cover:

“Here in Penguin Young Readers Design Group, sometimes there are multiple designers working on the same project to create a variation of book cover ideas. Ripple is one of those books. During the initial design stages, my colleagues and I were pretty much working with Tessa in mind, and that was a fun part of our job. We started off with more abstract and type-driven designs in various styles. Some of us physically painted graphic elements, including the book title type, and incorporated them into the layout digitally. I then decided to also create a layout with more human elements. Something that would engage the reader on a very personal level. This became the base of the final cover."

"In terms of the cover concept, I was focusing on the fragile, emotional state of the characters, but visually I tried to maintain the creativity and the spontaneity of the whole cover development process. In the end, my goal is that the author's and reader’s initial reaction to the cover would validate the contents of the story. So, I hope this cover accomplishes that goal when people pick up the book at the book stores.”

Social media has opened up new avenues for publishers to tailor their cover designs, such as Swoon Reads/Macmillan. They ask readers to vote for their favorite of several cover options. Katie Van Ark's debut YA novel, THE BOY NEXT DOOR, was published by Swoon Reads, and you can see the Pick-the-Cover voting process here, including the original four, very different designs.

Katie says, "Having a cover contest was really exciting for me as an author. I was also glad that Macmillan responded to my suggestions on the final cover. (We fixed the characters' hair styles!)" 

To learn more about the crowd-sourced model at Swoon Reads, their cover creations, or vote on upcoming covers, go to their website/blog.


Thanks to Katie and Heather for sharing their book cover process with me!

Want to read more about cover creation? Follow these links:

By the Cover: an ongoing feature at Book Riot.

Cover Evolution: an in-depth look at the process from Chad W. Beckerman, designer and creative director at Abrams. And here's a fun post for picture book author/illustrators: VEGETABLES IN UNDERWEAR! 

Publishers Weekly has a new column devoted to book covers.

Coming up on the Mitten blog: Writing non-fiction, MFA Week, the Sophomore Experience: Your Second Book and More, another Indie Bookstore Interview, and a new Writer Spotlight - it could be you!

Who's going to the big SCBWI conference in Los Angeles next week? Not me. :( We'd love to share your experience on the Mitten blog. View our submission guidelines for guest posts here.

Have a great weekend!
Kristin Lenz

YA Success Story: Ripple by Heather Smith Meloche

I can't remember when I first met Heather Smith Meloche, but it was many years ago through SCBWI-MI, and we've been on a parallel path ever since: writing, revising, blogging, entering contests, submitting manuscripts. When asked about professional jealousy among writers, the kidlit community overwhelmingly responds with examples of heartfelt support. And it's true.

A few years ago, Heather placed first in a contest when I only finaled. We both found our agents around the same time and went through rounds of revisions. Her novel sold, and mine... um, still waiting. Jealousy? No. Kick in the pants inspiration? Yes. Heather's winning entry in that contest blew me away and motivated me to dig deeper into my craft. She's had her share of setbacks, but she persevered and encouraged me every step of the way. I hope her success story inspires you too.

View image | gettyimages.com

Tell us about your book and your journey to publication.

I’ve been writing for children for over fourteen years. Whew! That seems like a long time, but in this business, it’s not really that long. I had mentored with a poet in college and had been a writer for TV, newsprint, and marketing, but I had to sharpen my children’s/YA writing skills. So I attended a trillion conferences, took various classes, and published some short stories for young children before I discovered I’m truly comfortable in a sixteen-year-old’s voice. 

I wrote the first version of my Contemporary Realistic YA novel, currently titled RIPPLE, back in 2008. It was a very personal book that introduced teens dealing with some rarely discussed compulsions and struggles. I received some attention from it back then at conferences, but the comments on it were that it was long, wordy, and needed serious tightening. By the time I’d finished editing, TWILIGHT was out and paranormal was all the rage, so when I pitched it at conferences again, editors and agents wanted to know, “Is there a fairy in it? A werewolf? Living gargoyles?” 

Alas, it was just about a girl with some real-life issues, which made it a tough YA sell at the time. I believed in it, though, so I thought I’d use my poetry-writing background and turn the crux of it into a short story in verse. That story, “Him,” won the 2011 Katherine Paterson Prize for YA and Children’s Writing through HUNGER MOUNTAIN, the literary journal of the Vermont College of Fine Arts. That same year I won first place in the Children’s/Young Adult Fiction division of the WRITER'S DIGEST Annual Writing Competition for a different short story. Contests are such a great way to get your work noticed, and 2011 was a very good year for me in that respect.

How did you get your agent?

After I won the Katherine Paterson Prize, several agents contacted me via email. The first was Heather Schroder, an extremely seasoned agent, who at the time was with International Creative Management (ICM) and has since started her own agency, Compass Talent. We set up a phone conversation, and I really loved how she just got what I was trying to do with “Him.” She really connected with my writing style and my work, so I knew she was a great fit for me. 

I had already started working on a dystopian/fantasy-type novel when Heather contacted me, so she helped me work through several revisions of that. But again, the market shifted, and back came the popularity of Contemporary Realistic Fiction in YA. That old novel from 2008 had a shot now! So I revised RIPPLE to make the voice and the structure relevant for today’s YA readers, and Heather sold it to Penguin Putnam a short while later. It's scheduled to be released in Fall 2016.

What has been surprising or challenging about your experience?

I am an impatient human, and, I mean, like, really impatient. I want things done now and before now. So getting used to the publishing industry, which often moves at a glacial pace, has really taught me to take deep breaths, calm down, and curb my need for speed. I’ve even tattooed the reminder on myself. ;) 

What's next for you?

I’m just finishing work on my latest novel and getting ready to send it to Compass Talent for review. This latest book is very different from RIPPLE in that it is less about romance (though there is still plenty in there!) and more about socio-political issues in the U.S., but I hope it is as well received.

Heather Smith Meloche’s work has appeared in SPIDER, YOUNG ADULT REVIEW NETWORK (YARN), and ONCE UPON A TIME, and she has placed twice in the children’s/YA category of the WRITER’S DIGEST Annual Competition. Her short story, “Him,” won the HUNGER MOUNTAIN Katherine Paterson Prize for Young Adult and Children’s Writing in 2011. She lives in Rochester Hills, MI, with her husband, two boys, and more pets than anyone should ever own.

Website: http://heathersmithmeloche.blogspot.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/heathermeloche

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heathersmithmeloche

Coming up on The Mitten blog: the conclusion of Dawne Webber's Beyond the Book series, a new 3 part craft series on developing voice, an interview with Buffy the Poetry Slayer, Ask Frida Pennabook, and another round of Hugs and Hurrahs. Send your good news to Patti Richards at pgwrites5@gmail.com by June 21st.

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Happy reading!
Kristin Lenz