by Jennifer Karchmer

I'm hot and cold about writer's retreats. This is pretty funny because I've been a professional writer for more than 25 years, so you'd think that I would jump at the chance to share a comfy couch with fellow scribes and commiserate about the craft.

​But my relationship to the weekend escape known as the retreat is more like a "Sam and Diane" connection (think TV show "Cheers") rather than a hand-in-glove love affair. I'm a writer in passion, talent and career, but I tend to resist the meta — the bird's-eye view of writing.   

This ambivalence is rooted in two precepts common to many writers — fear and procrastination. What if I find out that my writing sucks, that everyone else is better than me? Am I just stalling by getting away from it all, when what I really need is to get my butt in the chair? 

"A writer writes, right? How could attending a veritable break get more words on the page," I thought? 

Last fall, I decided to drop all of this psychological baggage to attend Write Doe Bay, a writer's mecca in Washington state that dubs itself, "an intimate artists' retreat and multi-workshop event..." Now that the dust has settled, I can say this three-day weekend (Oct. 6-8, 2017) gave me  ... 

Don’t tell my editor this: I've always had trouble meeting deadlines. The moments leading up to the finale crush me as I work frantically getting a piece done, sometimes kicking myself that I didn't dig deeper sooner.

What exactly do I resist? Avoid? Battle with? Struggle with?

So I ask myself: Is it fear of failure? Fear of performing? Fear of rejection?

When I write, I see the faces of my audience, as if I’m on stage. I’m ready to utter my lines, but my throat tightens with censorship. Will the performance be as good as the rehearsal?

I write the story in my head, but when I face the page, my mind is blank like a painter’s new canvas. Why does that prospect instill panic, rather than entice like an invitation?

As I sit at my desk toiling over my next draft,  judgment enters the room. She takes a seat, clipboard firmly clasped against her chest. She bites the end of a pen, her peering eyes above the bifocals ooze critique. She’s not front row and center shaking her head. Rather, I see her midway, maybe seven or eight rows back, just far enough to give the guise of objectivity, yet close enough that I can feel her heat.

These worries are cliché: a writer stalled, mind numb, paralyzed in the chair, what to write?

Enough of this, I say.

I’ve been resisting the muse for too long. I take an ice pick to my writer’s block; it’s time to chip away. I turn to my best friends on my bookshelf: King, Lamott, Goldberg and others who instruct and inspire. Strunk & White are in the corner (smoking a cig and sipping whisky).

The block begins to melt, just slightly. I pull a marked-up paperback off the shelf. On the cover, I see six thin pencils, standing at attention, serving as tree trunks to the web of ideas a writer calls upon when she grabs words from head and heart. The inside back cover is like a New York City subway car in the 80s: scribbled graffiti with lists, arrows, bullet points -- my notes from the first time I read the book.

​​It’s “The Forest for the Trees,” by Betsy Lerner, a long-time editor. She dubs it “Advice to Writers,” gently providing food for thought in the Track Changes of our writer minds. It’s one of my favorites, and today, I summon her counsel.

As I flip through the pages, I happily find several passages that I had circled, underlined or starred to remind me why I am a writer, why I struggle with my confidence and why I resist my muse.

From Lerner, I learn:

Ah! I recall the day I originally highlighted these poetic and prophetic paragraphs. As a collective, they lecture me like a professor: Your writing is like a piece of clay. You don't begin with the etchings of the tiny details and fine lines. You must build the foundation before it takes shape. So too with writing, one must put the thing up and lay it out. You cannot carve away (edit) pieces that could be saved for good use later.

Early in “Trees,” Lerner tells a story of the time when she got to study with Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Jorie Graham. One day during a private conference, Graham had played a trick on Lerner – one that set in motion a detective's work of discovery.

​To be instructive, Graham had reassembled a series of the student's poems in such a way that transformed Lerner's approach to writing. The poems had gone from “acorns" to "an oak,” Lerner recalls.

With renewed creativity and a permission slip to experiment, Lerner rushed home and sifted through her poems to create new masterpieces, which eventually got published in prestigious literary journals.

“If you are struggling with what you should be writing, look at your scraps,” she says.

Back at my desk, I sit down and pull the paper snowballs out of the trash. I dust off an unfinished essay that was demoted to the lower drawer I rarely open. 

I hear Lerner's advice continue: “Whatever you do, I beg you not to look at the bestseller lists.”

Don’t try to copy what already exists, she says. Look at your scraps; therein lies your pot of gold.
​
Now, resist the voices that sit on your shoulder. Judgment does not have to be front and center; relegate her to the back row, I tell myself.

A version of this article was originally published in Red Wheelbarrow Writers.

by Jennifer Karchmer
 
How long have you been dreaming about opening a restaurant? How about quitting your day job and travelling around the world? Maybe you’re still thinking about getting that yoga certification? Or wondering when you’ll get published even though you’ve stuffed 50 pages of your memoir in a drawer because you’re worrying it’s not any good?
 
We all have lifelong dreams. They drive our passions and feed our imaginations. For some, we lock them away (like the manuscript) because we think they are out of reach, too lofty, or “crazy.”
 
It’s easy to get discouraged when you share your vision with friends or family only to get shot down with: “It costs too much. Your head is in the clouds. That will never happen. It’s too expensive. It will take forever.” On and on those negative thoughts permeate your daily life and soon enough, the dream bubble is burst and we truly believe that our dreams are as far away as the sun.

Digging Deep
Theo Mahy is a business coach in New York. Originally from France, Mahy came to the US to help other French entrepreneurs relocate to the States and find new ventures and grow their businesses. He’s since branched out and works with a variety of clients, from college administrators, to restaurant owners, to athletic company CEOs to freelance writers.
 
“It’s like digging deep,” Mahy says. By giving yourself at least one hour each week, you can “let go and work on yourself and create value just around you.” Mahy himself worked regularly with a coach when he was student. It was a great way to set up measurable goals and, most of all, stay accountable. When we know we have to report to someone, we’re more likely to do the work, he says. Those sessions, “help you see yourself as powerful.” And who doesn’t want to powerful?
 
So how do you know it’s the right time?
If you’ve considered working with a coach, then you’re ready. Just having the idea percolate in your mind means it’s important to you and that your dreams are poised to become reality. Somewhere in there is a block but you’re open to sharing your most intimate fears and doubts with an objective third-party.
 
Your BFF and your mom lend a listening ear, but a professional coach will give you the good, the bad and the ugly truth about your mindset.
 
So what is holding you back. Perhaps it’s opening up to a stranger? The dent in your pocketbook? Does the thought of actually achieving your dreams seem scary?
 
Here are some common fears and ways to overcome them:

1. Fear: "I’m nervous about opening up to a stranger."
   Solution: Do your homework and work with someone who shares your vision. A professional will listen non-judgmentally and keep your information confidential too. Search online for keywords that are important to you (i.e., fitness, dreams, lose weight, travel, etc). Send emails, ask about rates, read up on the coach’s philosophy and see if you’re a match.
   
   
2. Fear: "I can’t afford it."
   Solution: You can’t afford not to. It’s a cliché but true. Working with a coach is a long-term investment. What you get out of each session is knowledge and inspiration and practical advice that you will hold onto and use for the rest of your life. Changing your mindset from negative to positive is like money in the bank so start saving today.
   
   
3. Fear: "What if I don’t achieve my goal?" 
   Solution: But what if you do? Moving to Africa, becoming a best-selling novelist, earning your pilot’s license – does the thought of achieving your lifelong dream give you the butterflies or catapult you to a stratosphere that is impossible to imagine? You need to believe it before you can achieve it (someone said that). Your first step is to accept what you really want is within reach.

 
The bottom line: if you’re even thinking about working with a coach to reach your dreams, then the time is now to find the right person who can guide you and help keep you accountable. Why wait any longer to be able to say, “I have fulfilled one of my lifelong dreams.”

Back in the day when I was a reporter for my hometown paper, The Poughkeepsie (NY) Journal, we were advised to carry a stack of coins in our pockets to make a call from a pay phone to get an attorney on the line in case of trouble. This advice was mostly for the reporters covering crime and the courts. As a reporter on the business section, the most danger I could expect was pissing off potential advertisers.
 
Today, however, the advice to reporters covering politics, demonstrations, and even run-of-the-mill public meetings has shifted: program your lawyer’s number on your smartphone’s speed dial, and make sure your bank account is flush so you can make bail if you find yourself in handcuffs.

Here is latest episode of The jPod -- interviews and conversations with a journalist. Today, I talk about the work of international female journalists and discrimination in the newsroom. My guest is Elle Toussi, an American journalist based in LA who started the nonprofit "In One Minute" as part of her platform for multimedia storytelling.

Click here for the podcast: www.jenniferkarchmer.com/podcasts.html#ElleToussi

Pay particular attention (go to 14:00) to the discussion of the lack of female trainers in the hostile environment training field. Can men effectively train women for dangerous assignments? Should more women be part of the teams preparing reporters for conflict reporting? 

Join the conversation via these hashtags and links and comment on this blog below:
#WomenMatter 
#WomenInJournalism
#PressFreedomMatters
Elle Toussi @ElleToussi 
SPJ @spj_Tweets
SPJ International Community @SPJ_IJC 
Jennifer Karchmer @journalist_jk

For Further Reading:
"Report: Violence against women journalists," by Annabelle Sreberny
“Violence and Harassment against Women in the News Media: A Global Picture"
“International News Safety Institute, Survey: violence against women journalists”

Years ago, while living in New York City, I would spend a Friday night at the Barnes & Noble at 14th Street-Union Square. First, I would grab a handful of books I had on my reading wish list and plunk down in a comfy chair. Unfortunately, my pocketbook at the time allowed me to purchase only one book. Before departing, I would get a coffee at the café and go to the metal folding chairs set up in the reading gallery to listen to an author talk about his or her latest book.

​When I wanted to support a small, independent bookstore, I would head over to BookCourt in Brooklyn and do the same.More recently, while living in the Pacific Northwest, I listen to authors of fiction, memoir, non-fiction, humor, and all genres by attending writing conferences like the annual Write on the Sound held in Edmonds, Wash. When I want to hear an author do a reading from his or her book, I go to Village Books, an independent bookseller in Bellingham, Wash.

Bonus info: 
While this video (below) is geared toward public speaking, I'd argue it provides an excellent structure for all storytelling. 
​
Authors and writers take heed... watch this short explanation (8 mins) of how to succeed at public speaking and pay particular attention to the parts about giving your audience a reason to care (5:32) and building metaphors (6:45):
https://www.ted.com/talks/chris_anderson_teds_secret_to_great_public_speaking#t-39948

This is an excerpt from Jennifer’s upcoming book,“Take (Your) Time To Write: The Path to Peaceful Writing,” based on the concept of slow writing. 

I’ve always been a slow writer. In the 1990s, at my first job as a reporter, I would take hours to finish a 500-word column that should have taken an hour or two after sifting through my notes. I would return from a school board meeting or a run-of-the-mill press conference and toil over the lede (first sentence of a news story) and every sentence. I would rewrite and rewrite until everything was just right. Of course, accuracy is critical in journalism, so I checked, rechecked, and made my quotes perfect. Still, my editor pulled me aside one day, and while assuring me I was doing a good job, she said I needed to produce more quickly. They were paying me by the hour ($5) and wouldn’t be able to afford me if I kept up this tortoise pace.

​Thankfully, I learned to speed it up. After putting in more than a decade in busy newsrooms, I can say I have never been fired for missing a deadline. (Admittedly, as I work on this post, I see out of the corner of my eye on the TV, three episodes of Seinfeld have passed in addition to at least half of “Dirty Dancing” so we’re moving in on three hours and I’m only halfway finished.)

Several years ago, I made the transition from a “Just the facts, ma’am” reporter to a personal essay freelance writer. Today, I make my own deadlines – a dream come true for a writer, but with the autonomy comes discipline. So I’ve turned to other writers for guidance.

Frightfully, at a cocktail party, I overhear one writer say she jumps out of bed at the crack of dawn to get her butt in the chair before the family begins to stir. Similarly startling was the time a fellow scribe tell me he neurotically crosses off “Wrote 1,500 words!” on his daily To Do list. Getting up before the roosters? Hitting a daily self-imposed word count? ​Is this discipline or competition?

Realizing these conventions are not for me, I try to build my confidence, and my writing practice, around a slower, more relaxed pace that seems more in tune with my molasses gait. I admire you early risers, I really do. But it’s just not my style, so why force it? Writing is not only a career but an art, a passion–one that inches along to the tune of the muse whom I invoke when the sun and moon align.

Well, it’s actually not that magical but I put a lot of stock in how I am feeling. I am a productive writer, but these laments make me feel stressed out and depleted. Am I really a writer if I don’t adhere to these routines? I had left the busy newsroom grind and didn’t want to replace it with tortuous rules that seemed to leave me with a wet blanket of guilt draped over my shoulders.​

by Jennifer Karchmer
 
Gone are the days when you would open the classifieds of The New York Times and circle all of the news jobs you could find in the Employment section. In the mid-1990s, as I pounded the payment in the Big Apple, the stock market was flying and many of the news gigs were on Wall Street. I finally made my way to Prudential Securities as an editor, then the Bond Buyer as a municipal bond reporter and finally to CNN Money as a personal finance writer. Times were good for reporters and many other professions.
 
Today, it’s no secret the downsizing sword has slashed newsrooms — to domestic and international bureaus alike. Many of my news brethren have jumped ship, turning in their cub reporter hat for the PR flak jacket. Others have changed careers altogether. Unfortunately, parents are advising their college-bound teenagers with: “There is no money in news,” “Don’t choose journalism as your major,” “The pay is bad.” Like a broken record, this gripe about our profession has been spinning for 10 or 15 years.

But the tide is turning. Due (or thanks) to the hostile environment created by today’s White House toward the press corps, news agencies seem to be stepping up and, I believe, it is the best time to launch your journalism career and throw your hat in the ring. Amid the esoteric headlines screaming “alternative facts” and the oxymoronic “fake news,” today’s reporters are serving as the Trump Administration’s punching bag, and in some cases, they themselves are feeding the frenzy.

A new generation needs to pick up the reins and continue the legacy of journalism, the tenets that the profession sits on: questioning authority, holding government and those in power accountable and asking the hard questions. We need you now more than ever. Here’s some humble advice:
 
Find the jobs. If you’re a recent college grad boasting a journalism degree yet whining there are no jobs like your counterparts with humanities and social sciences degrees, then you’re in the wrong profession. A true reporter is out there digging, mining, pawing and pushing until the jobs surface. But you don’t even have to get your hands dirty these days. Hundreds (yes hundreds) of online portals list jobs.

Just last month, on March 29, I did a search on the website for The Wall Street Journal (a Dow Jones company, which is owned by NewsCorp), and 21 media jobs appeared, including copyeditor, reporter, photographer and producer. And those are positions just in New York City; WSJ has bureaus around the country. If you can deal with working for Rupert Murdoch, there’s a place for you to consider.

How about ProPublica, the independent news organization that does investigative pieces? They too are hiring: Web Producer, Engagement Reporter, Senior Editor, Data Reporter. Don’t forget about the obvious social media sites like LinkedIn, where I engage with companies directly, find recruiting managers and see job listings all the time for reporting and writing. We all know Facebook is great for posting birthday wishes for your cat and pictures of your favorite dessert, but I’m finding freelance, part-time and remote reporting jobs in FB groups dedicated solely to journalism. The best part about FB is that you can see who is posting the listing and you can send your resume directly to them, or request more information about qualifications and pay and get your foot in the door through networking.
 
Question Authority and Don’t Back Down. “If journalism is good, it is controversial, by its nature.” So said WikiLeaks’ Julian Assange in the 2013 documentary, “We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks.” Whether or not you’re a fan of Assange (he has lots of detractors), you’ve got to admit that he hits the nail on the head when it comes to role of journalism in our society. Who are we who call ourselves journalists if not the very people who ask the hard questions and challenge authority?

​The Trump administration is playing offense with the media, using a Twitter feed and overly aggressive tactics to prey upon and mock the people in charge of taking him to task. Being hard-nosed comes with being a journalist, and it’s nothing to apologize for. Get your journalism degree and wave it proudly (even if you are making only $10 an hour).

Join a news organization. The Society of Professional Journalists, the International Society of Weekly Newspaper Editors, Reporters Without Borders, the Committee to Protect Journalists, the International Women’s Media Foundation, the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press – these are just a handful of the scores of journalism and media organizations that exist worldwide. They all do good work toward defending press freedom and it may be out of your pocketbook or schedule to join all of them. Many offer student discounts to join so if you’re even a few year’s out of college, now is a great time. Take one afternoon in front of your computer with a cup of coffee, and peruse each of these worthy organization’s websites and decide to support at least one this year.
 
Sure journalism is tough in terms of the workload, the pressure, the hours and schedule, but if you’re a true reporter and things like ledes, active voice and writing headlines are in your blood, then you know that the profession is right for you. Don’t let your parents, guidance counselor, friends studying business or anyone else downplay your passion. Now is not only a great time to choose the profession, it’s necessary.
 
“It is the role of good journalism to take on powerful abuses, and when powerful abuses are taken on, there is always a bad reaction.” – Julian Assange of WikiLeaks
 
An edited version of this piece was published in “Grassroots Editor: A Journal for Newspeople,” put out by the International Society of Weekly Newspaper Editors (ISWNE), vol. 58, no. 1. This essay was one of a dozen op-eds written by ISWNE members for the special Spring 2017 edition: “The tension between the president and the press: Are journalists affected?” Jennifer is a member of ISWNE.

It's the dead of winter and you see the white stuff on your lawn, but thoughts of summer are entering your psyche I'm sure, as you start to plan your warm weather itinerary.

You're ready to pile the kids (Rover too) into the SUV and hit the road? How about a day trip to Bellingham, Washington? Just 90 miles north of Seattle, Bellingham has culture, outdoor scenery and shopping -- a great destination for the entire family.

Don’t forget the SPF
First stop is Lake Padden, a favorite for locals and visitors alike. Bring your bathing suit to take a dip in the lake then ride bikes on the relatively flat trail that encircles Padden. Even the youngest in the family will enjoy walking the easy 2.6-mile smooth gravel loop. Sorry, no motorized vehicles are allowed in the lake but that’s OK, because you can float around in a kayak or on paddleboard. Rover can go off-leash in the designated dog area.

Letter to friends and colleagues, written on the eve of the US Presidential inauguration:

During the past few weeks, since the reality of the new President has emerged, I have a very good friend who has been asking, "What can I do?” She is not only not in agreement with the President-Elect, but also finds him reprehensible due to his disrespectful behavior and comments. She is not one to sit around and expect things to change on their own. Well-spoken, knowledgeable, and intelligent, she is an activist and motivator. 

On this moment ahead of the Presidential Inauguration, I know she is not alone. A new president will be sworn in just a few hours from now, and some (many?) of us are scared about our freedom of speech, among other rights.

Today, I share actionable items, something that she, and you, can DO with your pocketbook of course, but more importantly, with your intelligent conversation with friends, your FB and social media feeds, and with your principles. I'm talking about following and reading up on the SPJ, the Society of Professional Journalists. 

SPJ is a nonprofit more than 100 years old that works every day to protect and safeguard our First Amendment rights. Although "journalist" is part of the name, the organization is comprised of journalists and non-journalists alike, individuals from all professions who believe that a strong, objective free press is the cornerstone of democracy. Unfortunately, we are faced with an incoming administration that may crush those rights and freedoms.

To show you the kind of work SPJ does, just this week, SPJ joined with more than 60 journalism organizations (yes, there are that many journalism organizations and more around the world) to request a meeting with PE Trump and VPE to discuss journalists' access to government. 

This is the kind of stuff SPJ does on a regular basis, pressuring the administration on behalf of the public. It has HQ in Indianapolis and chapters throughout the US. 

As a member of the Seattle SPJ chapter since 2009, I volunteer with the SPJ FOI (Freedom of Information) committee trying to preserve our right to access public records. Also, as a member of the SPJ International community, I work to improve the safety of journalists working in dangerous regions around the world.

So, click here for SPJs special campaign about joining.

But don't let this come across as a New Year's plea from yet another worthy non-profit desiring a much- needed donation. Really, it’s not so much about the money (although I’m sure they would love your donation), but getting yourself informed.

Read up on what the SPJ does on behalf of the public. Here's the press release with the information about the SPJ letter to PE Trump I've mentioned above.

And for those of you also saying, "What can I do?" these are ways to join in the protection of the First Amendment:

1. Look up #PressThePrez on social media.
2. Join SPJ today. 
3. Make a donation to SPJ, the biggest journalism organization in the United States.
4. Write to me, a freedom of the press advocate who covers free speech and First Amendment issues, and tell me how I can help strengthen your right to free speech. 

Lastly, I will share with you that since 2010 I have traveled internationally talking with reporters in Johannesburg and Pretoria (South Africa), Reykjavik (Iceland), Paris (France) and in other parts of the world, and time and again, they all have cited the United States as the bastion of press freedom. 

They say, “Jennifer​,​ you have the Washington Post, the New York Times, Watergate, Woodward & Bernstein.” They know the names and the institutions; in some cases, they have earned a journalism degree at the very competitive Columbia University (NY) studying our media. They look to the US as a role model in this regard.

If we cannot secure, preserve, and strengthen our free speech freedoms, especially during a time of threat, then how can reporters and the public in repressed regimes around the world have hope of democracy and their freedom of expression?

RESOURCES
Twitter: @spj_tweets
#PressThePrez 
FB: SPJ 

Thank you,
Jennifer Karchmer
Independent Journalist & Freedom of the Press Advocate
www.jenniferkarchmer.com