There are times when you have to stop and assess your surroundings because you’re feeling anxious, stuck, or disorganized.

The past two weeks was one of those times.

Last March, after my historical gothic romance novella, Harbor House: Say You Will was published in an anthology, I took all my storyboard Post-it notes[1] from the psychological paranormal thriller, Harbor House: Last Blood, that occurs in the same location with the same family but 100 years later and typed the notes into a treatment/synopsis outline, giving myself an October publication deadline.

Even though I was finishing the publication of CPE, its companion workbook, and two audiobooks—all projects I had started the year before, and knew I’d be teaching a two-week Master Class, had a blog commitment, and was going to a weekend writing workshop, I figured I could get the book written and edited by summer’s end.

So, I made announcements of my intent to publish Harbor House: Last Blood in October.

What I didn’t expect was the time it would take to finish those three preceding projects. As I worked on them, the outline sat on my desk, gnawing at me, the characters screaming, “It’s our turn. NOW!”

Between then and last week, I was able to write 75% of the first draft. A good beginning, but, I noticed since returning from the weekend workshop that my writing had slowed. I was struggling. I began to doubt I could make the October deadline. After all, it was now August, and the first draft wasn’t finished.

I had to get past a scene that didn’t feel right. So, I went ahead and wrote it, and then later that night, I knew I had to delete it totally. Instead of having a dog poisoned, it would be found locked in a distant room, which appears to have been on purpose. Problem solved.

So, I was writing again, but I was still dragging my feet. Why?

Looking around, I sensed it was my surroundings. My bookcases were messy. The energy (Chi) was stagnant and getting caught in corners.

In the end, I took a few days to…

• Cull my books—no more double-stacked shelves!
• Move my desk a bit, giving myself more room to move around.
• Clean off my desk.
• Move my published books to shelves behind me, so that my profile on Zoom is more professional.
• Organize my binders so that the projects published are together and the projects to be finished are on a different shelf.
• File loose papers into their proper binders or in file folders.

As I worked, I felt the Chi in the room swirling. Energy in motion.

I had been stuck mentally because my projects were stuck (messed up) physically. My environment had been affecting my creativity.

How about you? Do you find you have to clean things out to feel motivated again or to feel refreshed? Do you find changing your surroundings leads to better creativity?

[1] I write about my storyboard Post-it notes method of plotting in my how-to book, CPE: Character, Plot, & Emotion, which has an accompanying workbook with full plotting sheets as an aid. Sold only on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/CPE-Character-Emotion-Diana-Stout/dp/B0D2TQ7ZG8.