Episode 41 Interview with Nick Lyon and Aleasha Wales Shelnutt

 

https://open.spotify.com/episode/7LLCPUJ95BpxFisel54gHF?si=Yy2sFtDxQ22dNWM2mehQBg

Episode 41 Interview with Nick Lyon and Aleasha Wales Shelnutt

In this episode, we talk about time management for creatives and we talk about our hectic lives with Nick Lyon and Aleasha Wales Shelnutt.

Nick Lyon:

⁠https://writernicklyon.wordpress.com/⁠

⁠https://www.amazon.com/stores/Nicholas-Lyon/author/B0BLT1WW4Q⁠

Aleasha Wells Shelnut: ⁠

https://www.facebook.com/thestudiopromessa

https://thenutthousediaries.blogspot.com/⁠

Finding Your Writing Rhythm: Balancing Creativity in a Busy Life

In a recent episode of Tikiman and the Viking Podcast, hosts H.B. Berlow and William Brian Johnson assembled a roundtable discussion on a challenge familiar to all creatives: time management. Their guests, Aleasha Wales Shelnutt and Nick Lyon, offered valuable insights into how they balance their creative pursuits with demanding professional and personal lives.

The Three-Way Balance

As the hosts pointed out, most people are familiar with the concept of work-life balance—the ongoing struggle to divide time between professional responsibilities and personal life. For writers and other artists, however, there's a third element at play: creative time. Finding space for artistic expression means squeezing it into an already packed schedule of work and family obligations.

Consistency vs. Flexibility

Nick Lyon, author of the award-winning novel "The Baptist Bootlegger" and a high school English and speech teacher, emphasized the power of daily consistency. His approach involves writing 400-500 words every day, typically in the evening after his children are in bed. This habit helps maintain his connection to writing regardless of where he is—even writing from a hotel room during travels.

"I write better in the evenings than I do in the mornings," Nick shared, highlighting the importance of identifying your personal creative rhythm. "I just try to make sure that I do it at some point."

Nick's approach demonstrates that consistency doesn't have to mean rigidity. When life occasionally prevents his daily writing routine, he simply moves forward without guilt: "I might miss one day, but I'm not gonna miss two days."

The Balancing Act

Aleasha, who manages Studio Promessa and numerous roles within the Oklahoma Writers' Federation, offered a different perspective on balance. After "chasing" perfect balance for years, she realized that life balance isn't like a weighted scale with everything perfectly distributed at all times.

"It's more like a bear at the circus on the ball with the spinning plates," she explained. "Nothing's ever going to be perfectly balanced at any one given time, but the balance is over the course of the entire act."

Aleasha emphasized the importance of scheduling but noted that flexibility is equally crucial, especially when living with what she humorously calls "chaos." Being forgiving with yourself and knowing when to pivot helps prevent the metaphorical plates from falling.

Finding Your Creative Rhythm

Both guests stressed the importance of understanding your personal creative cycles. Knowing when you're most productive can make a tremendous difference in your output. As one host noted, forcing yourself to write during non-optimal times can lead to frustration—staring at a cursor rather than producing meaningful work.

Nick pointed out that sometimes, even when you don't feel like writing, the act of beginning can overcome that resistance: "I come in here and I'm like, 'God, I don't even want to do this.' And I sit down and I just start typing away and like, you know, ten, fifteen minutes later, I look up and I'm hitting 500 words."

The Value of Community

A recurring theme throughout the discussion was the importance of connecting with fellow writers. The guests emphasized how attending the annual Oklahoma Writers' Federation conference provides both escape and rejuvenation. Nick recalled the powerful experience of having someone approach him at his second conference with the simple question: "What do you write?"

"These people get me," he remembered thinking. "I'm like this lonely dude sitting in a dark room tapping away at a keyboard, and then I can come to something like this and these are all lonely people too, tapping away at keyboards, and they get it."

Aleasha agreed that such events keep writing "in the forefront of your mind" and make you "more invigorated and wanting to do it, a little more hungry for it." She pointed out that "critique groups, writing groups, conferences, workshops—all of these things are instrumental in helping you carve out time for writing."

Beyond Obligation: Writing as Recharging

When asked whether their creative time represents an escape or a recharging station, both guests suggested it's often both. Aleasha described it as "escaping to it, and when I get there, I'm plugging in and recharging," noting that writing had helped her reclaim her voice after "a very long time silencing myself."

Nick mentioned that while he has many escapes—video games, woodturning, guitar—writing serves a different purpose. The daily practice helps him feel authentic in his identity as a writer: "Writing every day makes me feel like a writer."

The Journey Continues

Both writers are continuing to grow in their craft. Nick recently completed a 65,000-word novel and is planning to return to the sequel of "The Baptist Bootlegger." Aleasha is spending the year pushing herself outside her comfort zone by writing in unfamiliar categories and genres.

Their stories remind us that the writing journey isn't about perfection—it's about progress, consistency when possible, flexibility when necessary, and connecting with others who understand the unique challenges of the creative life.

Whether you write daily like Nick or focus on growth through experimentation like Aleasha, the key is finding an approach that works for your life and your creative process.

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The Oklahoma Writers' Federation, Inc. conference "Conjuring the Mysteries of Writing" is scheduled for May 1-3, 2025. Information and registration details can be found at OWFI.org.