The Searchlight of Doom (A Love Letter)
I can't be happy because... I can't write because... I can't be happy or write because...
Undogmatic writing advice and encouragement from an unconventional romance author. If you’re in need of instruction and inspiration for your writing, read on. Upgrade to paid for classes and access to a friendly, vibrant writing community. And if you like what you read, drop a heart or share it with friends.
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We had a small but mighty group on Wednesday, and talked about doing National Novel Writing month. I gave tips on how to pile up the word count.
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Hi lovies,
The other day I was feeling really good. I’d done my daily 1K word writing session, the sun was shining, I was feeling energetic and alive. And then…
My searchlight of doom switched on.
It’s the light that searches for something wrong.
On that particular day, I remembered that I had an appointment I wasn’t looking forward to. So of course I couldn’t be happy. And then I thought about a family member who was suffering physically. So then I couldn’t be happy. And I remembered I’d forgotten to make an important call. There was no way I could be happy.
The brain says: you’re happy, that can’t be right, must find something wrong. If you’re a normal human (i.e., non-writer) the searchlight of doom might shine on something like this:
—Oh, but, I can’t be happy because of that pain in my hip keeps cropping up.
—Oh, but, I can’t be happy because my kid is flunking Algebra.
—Oh, but, I can’t be happy because I didn’t get that client I wanted.
But if you’re a writer it might go like this:
—Oh, but, that agent who requested my full hasn’t gotten back to me.
—Oh, but, I’m stalled on my WIP
—Oh, but, nobody is ever going to want to buy the story I’m writing.
And so on and so forth, forever and ever. I’m certain you can add your own reasons and make your own very long list. But they all stem from the same base thought, which is, I can’t be happy because __________________.
The human brain is hardwired to cant to the negative. It’s called negativity bias, and it makes you pay more attention to the bad than the good. Here’s how the VeryWell website defintes it:
“This bias toward the negative leads you to pay much more attention to the bad things that happen, making them seem much more important than they really are.”
What a crock of shit. C’mon brains, why does this have to be the case? Why can’t we just be happy when something good happens?
Because it’s a primal thing, a result of evolution. Back in the day (waaaaaay back), you had to be constantly scanning for danger because it was all around you. That giant beast about to lumber in and eat you, dude from a rival clan with a spear sneaking up on you, a terrible storm blowing in (no radar in those days, haha).
It helps me to remember that negativity bias, aka, the searchlight of doom, is a thing. I can remind myself that my nervous system is probably jacked and do some exercises to calm it. Find some examples here and here.1
Besides the examples in the links above, in my experience, the best way to turn off the searchlight of doom is to get your ass out of your brain and get busy. And also focus on those things I harp on all the time, glimmers. Because, who knew? It turns out that paying attention to glimmers is another really good practice for resetting your nervous system. More on that here.
And finally, maybe most importantly, is to remind myself, that it is not yes, but…
Being happy is not a matter of etither or. Being happy is an and. Or a happy anyway. Or in spite of. As in:
—Yes, my kid is failing algebra but I can be happy in spite of that.
—No, that agent has not responded to my query, but I can be happy anyway.
—Yes, I’m stalled for the moment on my WIP, but oh well, I can still be happy.
Love, light, and good writing,
Charlotte
P.S. How do you dim your searchlight of doom?
The Writing Universe
The art of propulsive fiction, from Cathy Yardley.
I loved this slide show on Insta, in which an adventure YouTuber shares all the places she worked on her book.
I’m going to need this when I finish this draft of my WIP. And I also like this.
Things That Inspire/Resonate/Delight
In case you hadn’t figured it out, all of what I wrote about in the love letter is why I put these everyday delights in. AND because writing is life and life is writing. So we need to recognize the joy in all.
Last Saturday I went apple cider pressing. Friends have land in the Coast range mountains west of here and they have many apple trees. Every year they invite people to come press the apples into the most delicious cider you’ve ever tasted. This year we dreaded it because it was pouring down rain. But the sun came out after we sat around and had a nourishing lunch of soup and scones that Marni made. Did I take a picture of the pressing in progress? No, no I did not. But I did snap a photo of the mug I drank coffee from because I loved the saying.
I got a surprise package in the mail from my wonderful cousin (okay, she’s really the hub’s cousin, but I claim her) Mary. A fountain pen! I’ve waxed poetic here many times about my love of fountain pens (and converted others to the cause—looking at you, Kim). This pen is very special because it was one of Mary’s mother’s. I was so honored and thrilled to receive it.
Below, not personal, but fun:
It’s been raining a lot here lately, so just in case you need some cheering up, here’s an article that tells how to brighten a blah day.
If you’ve ever been to France, or even just desired to go, you’ll appreciate this.
Books
And Then There Was The One by Martha Waters. Amazon Bookshop. In a quaint Cotswolds village, murder is afoot. Not just one murder, but three, possibly four. So many that Murder Tourism has become a thing in town, to the consternation of our heroine Georgie. She’s a great character, but her foil (and love interest) Simon, is hilariously wonderful. I’m enjoying this one.
Overseas Workshops
Wells, England, May 2026 — Waitlist only
Céret, France, September 18-25 —Space available (see above)
We had so much fun in both of our creative writing workshops this year. Such great writing camaraderie and so much great writing gone done. Join us next year???
Other places to connect with me:
My website (badly in need of an upgrade)
Our workshop website
My original blog Breaking news! I’m working with a lovely new VA to update this a little. There are so many articles about writing on it, it boggles even my mind.
It often seems to me that suggestions such as deep breathing, taking a walk, etc., are so basic as to be useless. But they really do help.
Read, enjoyed, shared: You know, the usual. ;) The searchlight of doom doesn't hit me too often, but it does happen. I think I'm so busy when I am awake that it doesn't have a chance to derail me, but it happens.