Looking Through the Snapshots of Life: Reflecting on KAIROS
Contributors to KAIROS (Yellow Arrow Journal, Vol. X, No. 2) were asked if they create through routine, or if they wait for their own kairos moment to find inspiration. Kairos is a Greek word that means “a time when conditions are right for the accomplishment of a crucial action”; “an opportune and decisive moment”; in modern Greek, also “weather” or “time”; and in ancient Greek, “the right or critical moment.” After cover reveal, we asked Yellow Arrow the community to contemplate the question for themselves. Here are the contributors’ responses. Please feel free to add your own response in the comments. We’d love to hear your thoughts.
Stephanie Anderson, “half-bath”
“I’ve tried to have a routine. I would love to have a routine. Creatively, I don’t think I can be anything consistently but restless. A few years ago, my regular writing regimen included keeping myself awake irresponsibly late; now I find my best work falls out of me in the 15 minutes before I am due to leave for somewhere. Everything I write ends up as part of a continual unwinding of my life and that’s an ongoing stew masquerading as inspiration. Sometimes I have no choice but to write something immediately, but more often than not, it needs to simmer.”
Aileen Bassis, “On Seeing Jack Whitten’s Painting, 9.11.01”
“I don’t have a writing routine. I write when something moves me—it can be something I see, a phrase, a metaphor, or a feeling.”
Deepti Bhatia, “Still Here, Still Breathing”
“There are days when I keep staring at the blank paper for hours; those are the moments of creative void and guilt. There also are times when my calm surfaces breach the normed boundaries, usually when I have feelings of retaliation, appreciation, or gratitude. During such times, triggered by the desire of conveyance, I write. So yes, my writings are attributed to certain special moments, when I let my feelings breathe in the open.”
Loretta Cantieri, “The Second Abortion”
“I type daily pages but sometimes I do miss a date. If I am not generating new material, I revise poems. If inspiration comes and I am not in a position to write at that moment I will take notes on paper or on my phone. Inspiration is an elusive critter, sort of like a lynx. It is wonderful if you have a sighting, but you may hike many days without seeing it.”
Roxanne Christiana, “COLONIZING MARS”
“I create through routine: I start my writing sessions at 4:00 a.m. and continue to about 10:00 a.m. During that session I hope to get inspiration, which I usually do. Not always, though, in which case I’ll write down my stream of consciousness and see if an idea emerges.”
Virginia Ottley Craighill, “Last Poem for My Father”
“I have never been good at routine. I might be disciplined for a short time, but that discipline is usually disrupted by some unforeseen event that sends me in another direction. I’ve found that my kairos moment occurs when I am alone, or particularly when I’m out walking. In some ways, walking is a routine that frees the mind to become aware of patterns that break through the finite veil.”
Patricia Davis-Muffett, “Miscarriage, November 6, 2024”
“I do my best to show up for my muse regularly, often in the morning, and try to give myself a little space and a push to write. Twice, I have done a 30/30 challenge, where I created and posted a new poem draft every day for 30 days. That experience taught me that I might be surprised at what is waiting if I stop and listen for a short period every day. My regular routine rarely gives me that kind of space every single day, but I do my best to give it space at least a few times a week.”
Amy Devine, “A poet died today”
“I try to make a habit of creation, scheduling time to write or edit or read poetry on a regular basis. By doing this I give myself permission to take my art seriously, and I create space for inspiration to strike. That said, there is nothing like going about your day-to-day and suddenly witnessing or reading something that has you desperately scrambling to write. I think that you need both the discipline and the inspiration to sustain creative work.”
Johanna Elattar, “Under the Siren: Alexandria, 1973”
“I create through a combination of routine and kairos moments. I rely on consistent writing practices to develop ideas, but often inspiration strikes in unexpected, opportune moments that guide the direction of my work.”
Renee Emerson, “Closures”
“I keep a set writing routine so that when the muse does come looking, she knows where to find me.”
Clara Garza, “The Awakening Aperture”
“Although creation is one of the most important aspects of my life, I rely on patience and my own kairos to find inspiration. I understand that art cannot always be forced. Routine is consistent and reliable, but it is the decisive moment of vision that gives my work authenticity and meaning. In that sense, I create by honoring the moments when inspiration reveals itself.”
Pratibha Kumari Gupta, “At the Community Garden, We Talk of Root Systems”
“I write through a modest routine of reading, reflection, and revision that keeps me close to language. Inspiration often arrives in moments of kairos—unexpected yet timely encounters that transform the routine into finished work. So my practice depends on both: steady rhythm and sudden revelation.”
Taylor Harrison, “Fatherland”
“Even though I am very much a creature of habit, going as far as to schedule a few hours each weekend to force myself to write, I find both inspiration and the passion to create through my kairos moments. My favorite time to create is when inspiration strikes and I am able to drive to a coffee shop and immediately get to work—those pieces seemingly write themselves.”
Elizabeth Hazen, “Past Life”
“I am always trying to stick to a routine, but I think the more honest answer is that I create when inspiration hits. I try to write a little something every day, but my best work happens at times totally out of my own planning.”
Jennifer Randall Hotz, “Prelude”
“I journal most mornings (usually no more than a page, sipping coffee, periodically staring out at the blossoming dawn) and try to dedicate blocks of time to creative work, but I also aim to be alert to emotions/images/phrases that might be the stirrings of a poem-in-waiting. More than once I’ve woken up in the middle of the night and hurried to jot down phrases before they flee.”
Cam McGlynn, “Some Promises Were Meant to be Broken”
“I do both, but I’m a strong believer that you must put in the time and work for your inspiration to show up. I’m not much for actual ‘routine’ as a noun, in the sense of always writing at this time in this spot with this pen and notebook. But I do try to write ‘routinely,’ often and however I can—scribbling notes at the doctor’s office, typing up a poem on my lunch break, poems beside grocery lists across dozens of different notebooks. . . . Both methods can result in a fire, but one is more reliable, if harder work, than the other. If I’m struggling to write, I remind myself what I need for fire: kindling (other poetry, books, memories, news articles, Wikipedia), oxygen (time to write, time to think without other media crowding out my thoughts), and a spark (the most mysterious part, but generally comes if I’m working at it aka writing, rather than waiting for it to happen). The more I write poetry, the quicker it is for the spark to catch. Which is not to say that it’s easy, but it is faster than waiting for lightning.”
Gloria Ogo, “Two Familiar Strangers”
“My process lives somewhere between routine and kairos. I try to keep a steady rhythm of writing because showing up to the page keeps the words moving, even on days when inspiration feels far away. But then there are those rare kairotic moments, when a line or image arrives so suddenly it feels like it’s been waiting for me all along, and I have to drop everything to chase it. Routine keeps me grounded; kairos reminds me why I write in the first place.”
Rebecca Hart Olander, “The Last”
“I haven’t always practiced writing on a regular schedule, but I have been steadfast in my attention to poetry over time. I used to think some muse had to hit me over the head to grace me with an idea. Now I know it’s necessary to, as Emily Dickinson famously said in a letter, go ‘out with lanterns looking for myself.’ For me this means cultivating fertile ground and creating sparks, such as engaging in the poetry community, spending time in artistic spaces or in nature, responding to prompts to get myself generating, and reading the work of others.”
Giulia Paglione, “At the post office”
“All my poetry happens for, within, about, and because of kairos. I wait for those moments when something shifts. Sometimes I chase them consciously, trying to capture an emotional truth as it unfolds—but the best poems arrive unannounced. They can strike anywhere: in a Byzantine church or while folding laundry in my living room.”
Danielle Salerno, “Meet Me at Burning Man”
“I try to create from routine, or at least, give myself the opportunity to do so, though oftentimes I either don’t like what I’ve come up with, or I don’t manage to come up with anything. But I do think the more writing and creating is a habit, the easier it is to have those moments of kairos to find inspiration.”
Darah Schillinger, KAIROS guest editor
“I used to always wait for inspiration to strike to write but since graduating from my writing program I often find that kairos escapes me. Being inspired felt effortless when my main job was being a writing student and now it feels more like an errand after a long day of work than a need. When I fall into these moments of lackluster I usually look for inspiration in other pieces or poets I admire and see if a word or phrase stands out. I also have been forcing myself to write for the sake of writing by carving out intentional time, which is less productive than when I wait for inspiration, but keeps the muscles moving.”
Hillary Smith-Maddern, “Intake Form After the 2024 Election”
“I have a writing routine. Or rather, I really attempt to maintain a writing routine in which I do some sort of daily writing-related task. My most visceral, sticky ideas tend to come naturally but I’m the kind of person who needs to have some sort of order in her life. I use my notes app to jot down any kairos that titillates my brain.”
erica r. such, “In Defense of Career Suicide”
“Being a college student in a writing major, I am grateful for a structured routine to write where I am assigned a wide variety of modes and prompts to explore. However, when I am not in classes, I still see inspiration for my craft everywhere I go. I keep a running document on my phone of ideas for when I feel motivated to start a new project. Sometimes, I don’t know I experienced a kairos moment until years after I experienced it. I’ll have a kairos within a kairos moment of epiphany where I realize a long forgotten event was crucial to the person and writer I am today.”
Vivian Walman-Randall, “Quilting”
“I do attempt to create my own routine, as I find that my inspiration is often there yet my urge to actually write is less. I tend to need the structure to get me to sit down and do it.”
Kathleen Weed, “Blue Jacket”
“While I admire writers who create through sticking to a routine, I find inspiration in being attentive to my wandering mind. I am inclined to write when a phrase or puzzling perception persists in my thoughts. I don’t write because I have something to say. For me, writing is an act of discovery.”
Katharine Weinmann, “Right On Time”
“Crafting and editing poems for my forthcoming collection, Skyborne Insight, Homemade Love, I developed a routine, writing with a silent Zoom group early weekday mornings. When I blog, I also typically set aside Sunday evening for a Monday drop and later in the week for a Friday poem posting. Now it’s been an occasional response to inspiration’s quiet nudge, knowing that the extraverted, exuberant energy of the all-too-short Alberta summers demands I take advantage. I’ve come to trust that once home and settled from my annual autumn travels, I’m ready to cocoon in my small studio and create. I’ve come to know that this seasonal pattern is a surrender to the wisdom of kairos, coming easier with age, where I need more quiet, more stillness, and intentional slowing down to notice and to settle a nervous system agitated by so much outer strife in the world.”
Audrey J. Whitson, “In Sharp Relief”
“I set aside time for writing on a regular basis. At times this has been daily (at one point I wrote on the bus to work), but often it has been on weekends or on occasional retreats. I journal sporadically, usually at the end of the day. I also have bursts of insight, ideas, and words while ‘averting my gaze’ from the page, especially when I walk in nature. I carry a notebook with me at all times. My maxim: write everything down.
Keri Withington, “Southern Summer #5”
“My process includes some of both. I like routine in a lot of ways, and I think that having a writing routine helps me to actually make the time to write. I am busy with work, family, gardening, and other commitments beyond writing and so it is easy for writing to be the thing that is always put off for more urgent concerns. I have started adding writing to my to-do lists and trying to schedule time for a writing routine to make sure that I actually write, even if it’s only for a few minutes. At the same time, my writing brain is always running in the background, like a crockpot that’s just kind of cooking, even when I’m not paying attention to it. I don’t always know when things will suddenly click. I also can’t predict when something will spark a new idea. With the poem ‘Southern Summer #5,’ for example, I started writing it on the back of a receipt on my steering wheel while I was stuck in traffic by the lake. I jotted down a few lines and images for it, in a moment of inspiration, then I came back to those lines later to revise and build on them.”
Chelsea Yates, “Jill”
“It’s a mix of both. I find it essential to carve out regular writing time—even just a few minutes of freewriting each day—because if I wait to ‘find time,’ it never happens. I often turn to prompts to generate ideas (I especially like Lynda Barry’s creative techniques and prompts, such as those outlined in her book What It Is—they’re great for sparking memories to explore through writing.) Most of my freewrites don’t go anywhere, but occasionally they lead to something worth developing. A few of my recent essays grew from that process. At the same time, inspiration sometimes arrives unexpectedly—through a song, a book, or, as with my essay ‘Jill,’ a conversation with a friend.
Kristin Camitta Zimet, “TIGERS”
“I trust myself to create, and I don’t feel a need to make myself write on schedule. I am just always listening in case the ghost of a poem stirs, and I fling the door open to it. If a poem is coming in, everything else has to wait. So I am never without pen and paper. (This includes when I am driving, when I am sleeping, and next to my beach shoes when I swim.) I know that tigers can yawn. Poems can leap out with the least provocation. When my little shoulder bag gets to feeling heavy, I empty it out. Last time, I found that I had squirreled away 20 pens.”
Where do you find your time to create?
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