A writer is somebody for whom writing is more difficult than it is for other people. ~Thomas Mann
‘Morning, all —
I just had my scrumptious crispy, gluten-free ginger crepes for breakfast, so there’s nothing to interrupt a good writing session. Except laundry, which needs doing. And the carpet is horrible and really needs vacuuming. And the kitchen floor is filthy. And there are dishes to be done, blah blah blah. On crutches, of course.
But if I don’t write while the keyboard is hot, I’ll lose my train of thought and never get back to it. What to do?
I am constantly torn between writing and the things that fall apart while I’m writing. Sometimes it feels like they are opposing sides in the tug of war called Resistance. When I clean, I am resisting writing. When I write, I am resisting cleaning. When I get in a good flow with either one, the other one suffers. There’s got to be a better way.
Well, I think there is. Ben Franklin was right: “Moderation in all things (including moderation).”
The truth is that when I truly get in a good flow, both sides balance automatically. I’ll be cooking a healthy breakfast, and thoughts for a blog post will come to me. I’ll be doing good work on a post but I need to stretch for a minute, so I start a load of laundry. When I keep up with the dishes, I eat healthier, because cooking is easier. When I eat healthier, I have the mental and physical energy to pound out 2500 words in a day.
It’s the back and forth, the balance, that works for me — on a good day.
On a bad day, when I’m stuck and can’t think of a thing to write, I force myself to sit here and type babble about all the things I’m not getting done. And nothing meaningful gets written OR done. I’m not balanced. Of course, getting balanced was the whole point of starting The Complete Flake and look how far that got me. [I kid — it got me YOU, silly!]
When I was an obstinate, very messy kid, my mother would try to make me clean my room. She wouldn’t let me do anything else until the job was done. Which meant I didn’t do ANYTHING. I remember lying on my bed, engrossed in daydreams, perfectly happy to do nothing. I didn’t even need the radio [no TV in bedrooms back then], which of course, Mom had turned off. Once, after dark, she even turned out the light; it didn’t bother me a bit.
My room? I remember it being tidy only twice. There’s a reason certain relatives [not my mother] said I was irredeemably lazy.
It feels the same now — only I’m the mom: I don’t let myself do anything else until I finish what I’m supposed to be doing. Right now, I’m stuck on 2500 words, which means I’m not getting blog posts written because I have this weird idea in my head that I am only allowed to write 2500 words of useless crap first, before I’m allowed to write anything useful like a blog post. I don’t know where I got that idea, but of course, we know that it’s just another avoidance technique.
Catherine Caine is the Queen of Awesome? I am the Queen of Avoidance.
The trouble is, I don’t like writing — not when it’s hard, like this.
I love it when I get in the flow of it, when everything’s going right and it’s easy. Going back and reading some of the previous paragraphs, I was struck by how unpleasant it all sounded, as if I regard writing as an onerous task that must be endured, like high school homework. And you know what? I do — when it’s not going well.
That sounds awful! Who would want to do that, day after day? Certainly not me.
My Resistance is going full throttle whenever something is hard. Should I just get over it and learn to do hard things? Well, of course I do hard things, when I have to. But I don’t want writing to be a “have to” thing. I want to love it. So maybe the solution is to find ways to make writing easier instead of trying to force it. I need to lighten up, take the burden off, and find ways to make writing fun again.
I’ve read that’s the difference between a pro and an amateur: The pro writes whether s/he wants to or not; the amateur waits for inspiration. I want to be a pro, but I don’t want to subject myself to torture on a regular basis either.
Somebody, please tell me what you LIKE about writing. What makes it fun for you? How do you push through when it’s hard?
Image credit: kirainet
Leave a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Personally, I love not knowing where my writing is going to end up. Even when I think I know, it always goes a different direction entirely. I like that sense of surprise! And the idea that I've found something out about myself that I didn't know before, just by letting it flow through to the page.
To be honest, I don't like writing. I used to like writing until about 8th grade when I set a bar for myself. My frustration with writing isn't due to a lack something to say. I have lots to say! Rather, it's due my expectations of how well crafted my writing should be.
I've had a blog since 2004, but my updates were sporadic because I didn't enjoy the writing. I participated in the NaNoWriMo last year and failed miserably because the words kept getting in the way of my storytelling.
I don't like writing, but I do like communicating. Turns out the solution for me is video.
And that's me being completely unhelpful. 🙁
Like Kerrie, I'm finding I would MUCH rather talk than write. I get stuck all the time, even when I have an idea of what I want to say. Unlike Kerrie, I just started blogging 6 months ago and am only now realizing this. Now I'm working on getting up the gumption to actually record a video. Someone give me a shove, please!
Like Kerrie, I'm finding I would MUCH rather talk than write. I get stuck all the time, even when I have an idea of what I want to say. Unlike Kerrie, I just started blogging 6 months ago and am only now realizing this. Now I'm working on getting up the gumption to actually record a video. Someone give me a shove, please!
Three cheers for video! ::gentle shove::
I think you'd make wonderful videos, Wendy. And people love videos. Go for it!
Hahaha! You're not unhelpful at all, though you're pretty darn funny. 🙂
I just found a great quote that I pasted in at the top of the post: “A writer is somebody for whom writing is more difficult than it is for other people. ~Thomas Mann”
So I guess I AM a writer after all. I wonder if I could make a living writing about how hard it is for me to write? Because that seems to be all I ever write about these days.
I like the surprise too — afterwards, not before. I often get stuck because I had a preconceived idea of where I wanted to go, but the words want to go somewhere else. Frustrating when you have a point to make, but fun when you just give up and go with it. Guess I'll have to try letting go more.
Thanks for your comment. 🙂
“I wonder if I could make a living writing about how hard it is for me to write? Because that seems to be all I ever write about these days.”
But you're writing! 🙂
Yes, there's that. 🙂
I echo something I heard another blogger say once. I don't love writing as much as I love having writter. Always better to be finished and proud of what I've done.
That's exactly my problem! But of course, I never used it as motivation to
get through the writing. Good reminder, thanks. Also: treats are good.
Thanks for visiting and commenting!
I face this problem often enough. I've found that I have success when I create a context in which I can succeed (which usually means setting the bar really low) and when I nurture and coax my creativity, which sometimes means moaning and whining in a 5-10 min free write or letting myself sketch or tinker with my guitar for 15 minutes. And I use external rewards too.
Forcing just doesn't work for me, so I try to set small doable goals, and when I meet them, I act as if I just saved the world or something! 😉
Thanks for sharing such a great article!
Good advice, Ami. I'll try that. Thanks for visiting!