Week #6 – UnStuck (with Megan Faulkner)
In Episode #6 we interviewed Megan Faulkner – a writer, speaker, and podcaster out of Ocean Grove, NJ. Megan is also a student ministries director in a one of New Jersey’s busiest little beach towns. We talked with her about how on earth she makes time to work on her own projects, how she found the YES in this past season of NO, and just how she unstuck herself in the face of some serious writer’s block this summer!
We covered a lot of ground with Megan, but one of the things that stuck with me most was the creative way she overcame that writer’s block. Halfway through the interview, Megan confided that the perfect storm of imposter syndrome, a time crunch, and the comparison trap brought her writing to a standstill this summer…and so I had to ask:
“How exactly did you unstick yourself?“
After taking a week off from writing completely, Megan implemented a big change to her writing routine:
“I changed locations…every single day I went somewhere different to write. I moved out of my dining room, I went to a coffee shop, I went to a friends house, I went to my backyard, I wrote on my porch…I never wrote in the same spot where I was once stuck.”
For Megan, the unsticking required movement…and a challenge to what had become a well-established and very reliable routine: that her best writing happened in one spot.
“Well that’s a lie. You can do your best writing wherever your brain is…and that will always be with you!”
How often do we over think it?
What a simple solution to a sometimes serious and very scary situation facing any content creator: when the words don’t come!
In addition to the ways Megan overcame her writer’s block this summer, we also talked about:
- 01:45 – CURRENT PROJECTS – Megan tells us about her unexpected turn into podcasting (Wife Me Up, now in Season 3) and talks a little about her process for getting her book started. Hint: “It’s really stinkin’ hard!”
- 4:30 – FINDING THE YES – Megan talks about her experience in student ministries in the times of Covid, how she had to pull out all her creative stops to find the YES in Covid’s season of NO, and how it lead to her contribution to a larger work on the same subject called Youth Ministry in a Season of Disruption.
- 8:45 – COLLABORATING – Megan gives us this nugget: “The best part of collaboration is when you get to see other people experience someone else’s idea and there’s this burst of creativity or burst of hope that comes from that.”
- 11:25 – AM/PM ROUTINES – Megan talks about her Enneagram number (hint: she’s a three) and admits she really values structure. She keeps her morning routine and night routine exactly the same, every day, no matter what. That way, no matter what, these two things are always consistent and always get done.
- 17:28 – IMPOSTER SYNDROME – Megan talks about all the lies she hears in her head, how they got a hold of her this summer, and how exactly she fought back!
- 21:57 – UNSTUCK – Megan details exactly what she did to overcome the writer’s block (and oh the irony: it involved challenging those very precious routines we talked about early!)
- 27:09 – TOOLS – Megan talks about her favorite tools — and tells the sweetest story about how a legal pad/pen became her best friends!
- 30:00 – MOST PRODUCTIVE TIMES OF DAY – As Megan says, she’s a “bookend girl.” For her, it’s first thing in the morning, and very last thing at night (or after she hits the switch!).
What about you?
We would love to talk with you about your experiences with content creating, collaborating, and keeping fun company for the journey! Join us in our private Facebook group where we break these discussions down each week, share tools and techniques, and hold each other accountable to the work we have been called to create.
Because we know it’s hard…we want to talk about how!
Up next: Tune in to our Facebook page this Monday when we talk with Jennifer Kittredge about her journey from adoption specialist, to steamy romance author, to creator of a safe space for women to Reclaim their Wild!
Until then, set your alarm for whatever time YOU feel most creative and productive, and then…
Rise and Write!
Grace
10/17/21 by Grace Church
© 2021 Rise and Write with Grace & James
riseandwritewithgrace@gmail.com
About our Guest:
Originally from Delaware, Megan Faulkner is a writer and podcaster currently serving as the Director of Student Ministries in Ocean Grove, NJ where she has been for thirteen years.
Her enthusiasm for ministry to teenagers and their families, the marginalized and orphans, have collided into a singular passion for seeing people encounter the love of Jesus and leave radically changed.
Megan’s blog, Joy in the Journey, depicts ridiculous tales of living a life filled with Jesus and His grace. Her podcast, Wife Me Up, is in its third season sharing stories and hope from all different kinds of people in all different walks of life.
Aside from communicating, her passions in life include Haitian orphans, sunshine, and coffee – in that exact order.
Website: www.meganefaulkner.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/meganefaulk
Instagram: @meganefaulk