Your Creative Life
as an Innie
By Mary McCauley-Stiff
An innie? You mean my belly button?
Stop navel-gazing. An innie, according to author Marti Olsen Laney, is an introvert. Olsen Laney is the author of The Introvert Advantage: How to Thrive in an Extrovert World. A psychotherapist and introvert, she has spent years studying and researching introversion.
As a writer, you spend much of your writing time alone. In fact, you may actually crave this special time when you can shut the door on the world and commune with only yourself (or, for those mystically-inclined, your Muse). You may have thought this peculiarity went hand-in-hand with the writer's life, but perhaps it runs deeper than that. Maybe you are an innie.
According to Olsen Laney, your desire to be alone with your thoughts is part of your inborn temperament as an introvert. You are as unlikely to shed it as you would be to try skydiving (risk-taking is more of an extrovert thing, as Olsen Laney explains).
Fine, you say, I'm an introvert. I'd rather spend the evening perusing the K section of the dictionary with a hot cup of tea instead of hitting the bars. What does that have to do with writing?
Plenty. The information Olsen Laney provides for introverts to survive in an extrovert world (we're outnumbered three to one) applies directly to our creativity.
According to Olsen Laney, introverts and extroverts differ from each other in three ways:
* Energy usage - Introverts are energy conservers. Extroverts are energy users.
* Response to stimulation - The noise and hustle of the world can overwhelm an introvert, while extroverts are thrilled by a variety of stimuli.
* Approach to knowledge - Introverts like a narrow, in-depth focus. Extroverts
prefer to collect a wider base of data. Think of the difference between a "specialist" and a "jack of all trades."
Each of these traits affects your writing life.
ENERGY USAGE
After a social gathering, you're wrung out. You can't wait to get home and crawl under the comforter. But your partner for the evening can't shut down. "What's next? Wanna get some pancakes?" You can barely keep one eye open to smack him in the face. Meanwhile, he thinks you should talk to a doctor about that lack-of-energy problem.
Who is more normal here? According to Olsen Laney, both energy levels are normal within the introvert/extrovert continuum. Extroverts burn fuel as fast as an SUV and find it easy to refuel by doing more social activities. In fact, they must learn to give their bodies and minds a break. Introverts are energy conservers. Being out and about in the world uses up their energy, and it is used up more quickly than an extrovert. Introverts cannot refuel with more social activities. Instead, they must take a break from the outside world and immerse themselves in their inner world-- a world populated by "ideas, impressions, and emotions."
The key is energy management. As a writer-introvert, you must manage your energy output. Do not expend all your energy until you are running on fumes. If you do, you won't have anything left for yourself, which directly affects your creative output. Olsen Laney writes, "Introverted people who balance their energy have perseverance and the ability to think independently, focus deeply, and work creatively."
That doesn't mean you should use your room like a bomb shelter and cower in there all day, stockpiling energy like bottled water. Introverts need to be out in the world to avoid isolation. We writer-introverts must regularly dip our fingers in the wet of the world to remember how it feels and live new experiences.
RESPONSE TO STIMULATION
Writer-introverts who love reading and research may be surprised to discover that there is such a thing as too much information. While an extrovert loves a variety of stimuli, Olsen Laney explains that too much noise, activity, people, or information can overwhelm an introvert. When this occurs, an introvert may feel sluggish or dazed.
The real danger is if the information comes from too many sources at one time. According to Olsen Laney, introverts enjoy complexity best "when they can focus on one or two areas, without pressure."
Of course, you may not have this option, especially if you write full-time for a variety of publications. Olsen Laney recommends being aware of your individual limits and approaching projects with a step-by-step method instead of a kamikaze approach. In this way, you will reduce your stress level and conserve energy at the same time.
APPROACH TO KNOWLEDGE
When it comes to gathering information, an extrovert is like a hummingbird, flitting from flower to flower for the choicest nectar. Extroverts are happiest when they can sample all life has to offer. Remember, they find it energizing. An introvert is like a bear relishing a honeycomb. He digs deeply for the last drop of honey. Olsen Laney writes, "[Introverts] like to delve deeply into topics and look for 'richness' more than
'muchness.'"
This sounds great for a writer-introvert, but watch out. Introverts take longer to access memories or information. They also tend to feel like they don't know much about a subject, even if they really do. Olsen Laney explains that this is part of our brain neurochemistry-- how the brain stores and accesses information. Extroverts, as part of their brain neurochemistry, store more information in their short-term memory, while introverts store more information in their long-term memory, which takes the brain more time to access. Have you ever had trouble matching the fast-paced chatter at a party? It's probably because you were an introvert surrounded by extroverts.
Olsen Laney has a solution for this "mind/vapor lock." More time. Take your time answering questions. This enables your mind to locate one of the associations, or keys, linked to that piece of information or memory. For larger issues, sleep on it. We don't dream just for nighttime entertainment. During sleep, our brain mulls over the events of the day. A problem you wrestled with all day may be crystal clear in the morning. Furthermore, if you write down your thoughts, you will discover that you do indeed know a lot about the subject matter in question.
INTROVERT TRAITS THAT HELP -- OR IMPEDE -- YOUR WRITING
As a writer-introvert, you are already hard-wired for excellence in your field:
* Introverts can focus deeply on a subject, which makes them excellent researchers.
* Introverts can be alone for long periods of time to crank out that writing.
* Introverts store information in long-term memory. They have the potential to use that information again and again in their writing.
* Introverts prefer listening over talking. Just by sitting still, they can harvest writing material.
However, make sure your other introvert traits don't sidetrack your writing:
* Introverts don't like to feel rushed. They need to avoid backing themselves into a corner with impossible or multiple deadlines.
* Introverts may procrastinate before starting a project. This can lead to the problem mentioned above.
* Introverts may unintentionally isolate themselves with too much alone time. They can get out of rhythm with the rest of the world, which makes it that much harder to re-enter it.
ACCEPT YOUR INTROVERSION
Once you accept your introversion as an in-born temperament, you can learn to work with it, instead of expending energy feeling guilty or trying to change yourself. You are free to concentrate on other aspects of your life-- like your writing.
******
The introvert/extrovert temperament is just once facet of personality. However, after reading this, you may realize that introversion does affect a large portion of your daily and creative life. For those writer-introverts interested in more information,
The Introvert Advantage: How to Thrive in an Extrovert World relates introversion to nearly every facet of everyday life: how introverts interact with loved ones (innie-outie relationships as well as innie-innie relationships), introverts and work life, and even introverts and their social life. (Yes, it appears we must have one.)
The Introvert Advantage: How to Thrive in an Extrovert World
By Marti Olsen Laney
ISBN 0-7611-2369-5
http://theintrovertadvantage.com
Mary McCauley-Stiff is a writer-introvert who is relieved to be married to another introvert. One of their two children has been positively identified as an extrovert. She is revising the draft of a novel with the help of the WriteCraft online critique group
(http://www.writecraftweb.com), and writes articles and essays when the inspiration strikes. You can contact her at
marykayems@yahoo.com.
