Butt in chair

Tips, tricks, inspiration, and encouragement for storytellers of all stripes

Greetings from Sarasota—

Earlier this week I began my newest session of Joyful Journeys, a memoir workshop I teach over at the Senior Friendship Center.

As per usual, with every writing and storytelling class I teach, one of the first and most pressing questions I get asked is… how do you make yourself write? How do you build a daily practice?

The particular spin yesterday was: I love writing. Once I’m in the flow, I never want to leave. But getting into the flow? It’s so hard!

What’s wonderful about this question is that it reveals a fundamental truth about ALL writers… the sitting down is the hardest part! For everyone, everywhere, for all time.

I’ve shared this quote before. Journalist and novelist Mary Heaton Vorse (1874–1966) usually gets the credit for originating the line: “The art of writing is the art of applying the seat of the pants to the seat of the chair.”

Poet Dorothy Parker (1893-1967) puts it a bit more viscerally: “Writing is the art of applying the ass to the seat.”

And prolific author/editor Jane Yolen shortened it even more: BIC. As in, “Butt in chair.”

Darth Vader voice: “We meet again at last.”

There’s no short cut. If there’s no BIC, there’s no story. That perfect draft in your head doesn’t exist until it’s on the page or screen. The butt is the conduit for the brain.

I’m a big believer in routine, but everyone is different. Comparison is the thief of joy. Compare and despair!

But since I always get asked…

I like to get up early and take my laptop outside. There’s something about hearing bugs and breeze and birds… it’s chemical, actually. Those sounds tell my subconscious I’m safe. I do a little stretching, and I get down to it. The fresh air and creeping dawn help me focus. I CRANK for that hour or so before the coffee kicks on and I go wake Rebecca and the pups.

But this routine is relatively new! Before I got that laptop, my routine was significanly different. Hard to lug a desktop outside.

You’ll find your routine evolves. Because of course it does. It’s there to serve you. To free you, not to box you in. When routine becomes rigid, it’s no longer a springboard. It’s a straightjacket.

Last week I mentioned letting your story breathe, lest you strangle it with strictness. Same goes for your routine. It’s gotta breathe.

However often your routine adjusts, the only constant needs to be BIC. The trappings and surrounding and accoutrements can come and go. But your flywheel gets spinning only if you BIC it.

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The Page&Stage Podcast

The next episode of the PAGE&STAGE PODCAST will land in your inboxes on Monday.

Inspirational speaker, memoirist, and igniter of dreams Risa August shares her incredible journey from being a successful athlete to facing a life-altering diagnosis of a brain tumor. She discusses her experiences with Ironman competitions, the challenges of her diagnosis, and the transformative bike ride from Canada to Mexico that followed. Risa also delves into her writing process, the importance of storytelling, and her exploration of Gestalt therapy. Throughout the conversation, she emphasizes the power of resilience, authenticity, and the lessons learned from her experiences.

You can listen on the Substack App, and all episodes are also available on Apple or Spotify.

And if you want to put faces with voices, the video version will be available over on YouTube.

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Quick reminder that you are welcome to comment on this newsletter. I do my absolute best to respond to every comment, so if something I’ve offered above tickles that question/comment/complaint nerve in your reader-brain, I’d love to hear about it.

And if there’s a storytelling topic or issue you’d like me to address—writing, acting, directing, speaking, whatever—email me directly at jason@jasoncannon.art. If I don’t have a ready answer, I’ll make it my mission to go find one.

Thanks as always for reading, and have a great weekend—

Jason “BIC it” Cannon