Note: December is Word-of-the-Year Month at Christine’s Blog. As we roll into another New Year, each day will feature a new guest blogger who chose one word as a way of setting intention for her whole year. Today’s guest is Alice Osborn. More about Alice below.
Whenever I hear the word “chicken” I suddenly think of doing something I’m afraid to do. I think of my doubts and insecurities. I think about looking stupid. But I’m a writer and I’m always insecure, always trying new things, always pushing my writing skills and jumping before I’m truly ready. So, what does a reasonable person do? I kill the chicken. Yes, I kill the chicken of doubts, realize my value, and conjure up the faith I have in myself.
When I first became a serious writer, I was so enthusiastic and happy to be out of my old career, I wasn’t afraid of anything. I placed my efforts in the right spots, I made up business cards, and I started a writing group. But the more invested I became in my work, the more I felt the presence of the deadly chicken. I’ve decided my chicken likes to come out during a full moon and when I have a deadline.
I felt my chicken roost when I was halfway through writing my thesis and my deadline was coming in three days. I had to write at least 50 more pages and add to my research. I had gotten a total of ten hours of sleep in two days. My thesis advisor wanted more depth and I had to deliver, or else.
The chicken told me, “So, Alice, it’s okay if you don’t finish. You need your sleep. You can finish your thesis later. If you don’t finish you won’t have all of this horrible stress.” And I really wanted to stop and take it easy. But if you stop and take it easy, you won’t get anything done and you won’t be anything! I couldn’t walk away from my thesis writing after all of my prior work! I did a few sit-ups, stretched my legs, and pushed through the chicken to get my thesis completed.
Same thing happened when I had a freelance assignment. I couldn’t get my words to work. I kept hitting the blank screen of white death. I heard that chicken. So I went to bed at 11pm, and got up a few hours later to finish my writing. Maybe I fooled my chicken my taking a short nap and recharging, but I didn’t hear from her again.
I coach emerging writers and so many of them make excuses for not get their writing done. They know writing is hard and revealing, plus who wants to do something painful when they can watch The Office or clean their bathtub?
They tell me, “It’s too overwhelming and why try, anyway? Who’d want to read my work?”
I say to them: Take it one step at a time. Set some time aside, say fifteen minutes, and write. The next day revise what you wrote the day before. Keep adding to your writing time and you’ll see. You’ll see. Above all, I tell my clients to take themselves seriously as writers. If they don’t take themselves seriously, no one will.
So the next time you feel doubts creeping up and that old voice inside of your head is telling you to drop a creative project, please kill the chicken. You’re bigger than her anyway.
Alice Osborn http://www.aliceosborn.com
Raleigh, NC
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{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
Thank you.
Never thought I had a chicken hanging around and I realize that I do. What you shared hit home. I always waited for the last hour to finish an assignment.
It is time to begin again.
What I like about this post, or one of the many things I like, is your pragmatic description about how the chicken comes to roast over and over again. There is no definitive one chicken to kill, but a whole coop of them in our lives. Thanks for the wonderful post.
Oh man, I totally relate. Especially for my songs. I was so fearless in the beginning, but now I’ve got a whole chicken coop too!! Thanks for helping point this out, now that I’ve identified what it is I can start to do something about it.
What a fantastic post Alice (and surprising word) ! I think your thoughts can be applied to so many activities that hit difficult moments, when it would be “easier” to just stop. The chickens around me better be on their guard now !
What I like – this word is “different”. Different in the sense that it plays to fears. I love how you’ve integrated this word into those situations that are “fearful”, or “unknown”, or situations of “doubt”. Reminding yourself that the chicken will appear – and then knowing that when it does – you have the power to send it on it’s way – a very liberating word!
And, it just fits so well in a couple of things I have going on right now. Whoa! The easy route is to let the chicken in. Or is it? If letting the chicken in means that we accept comfort now – does that also not mean – that we might be giving up a part of us? That it might lead to days down the road, where we say “what if?”. And maybe that’s not the easy route anymore.
Alice, the more I write on this here, the more I really love the meaning of this word – in my life. Or, how I can use this word to help through some of the hurdles I face…
LOVE the word! It made me laugh immediately when I saw it as your word of the year, and made me want to keep reading. ‘Chicken’ also takes the mental stuff we get stuck in and presents it in a humorous package vs a scary one. Awesome. Thanks!
Hey Alice,
Great advice for writers to take their writing one step at a time. Love “You’re bigger than her anyway.”
Thx
Giulietta
Yay for Alice. My word for the past two years has been courage. This year I think I have the courage, now I need the ENERGY.
I’m glad I am not a vegetarian anymore so I can really sink my teeth into this metaphor!
As a writer and a healer who is just trying to learn to take herself seriously (in a not-so-serious over earnest sort of way, of course!), this is such a great bit of advice. When I begin to trust the strength of my voice and the power of my hands I am beginning to realize I just may be unstoppable. Now I just need to make sure that I don’t get frightened by that next!
Thanks for this, Marisa
I enjoyed this. It came on a day when I can really use this advice. Funny. I don’t know how this blog got into my Reader. I didn’t put it there but it’s in there! I think it was just meant for me to read this today.
Thank you.
Alice,
You brought up a great and painful memory for me but that’s OK ’cause I realized that I’ve got some chickens roosting that need neck wringing.
When I was in grad school, working three jobs, raising two children with a not involved spouse and everything was done except my research papers, I’d try to muster up the energy to get to it. Excuses in chicken costumes always whispered in my ear, that yes!!! the bathtub did need to be scrubbed. But I killed those Chickens. You killed yours with leg stretches and sit-ups, and I played a game or two of jax. 1 bouncy ball, 10 jax’ and I’d run a game up and back sitting on my dining room floor. Just what I needed to get to it and get those papers done.
Thanks for bringing up the memory and pointing out that I was killing chickens, I just didn’t know it at the time.
Now where did I put those jax, Here chicky-chicky…
Go Alice! I laughed out loud when I saw the title of your post. (So I had to go find some good clipart for you!) Anyway, I’m happy to read that you are facing those writing fears – and helping others do the same!