August 5, 2009

I read a terrific article today about writing, being professional vs. being a hobbyist, finding your best creative habits, and writing even when you don’t feel inspired.

I hope you find this article as helpful as I did.

 

“Organizing: Writing When the Spirit Moves You”

          by Randy Ingermanson (used with permission)

“I write when the spirit moves me,” William Faulkner once said. “And the spirit moves me every day.”

What about you? When do you write? What do you do on the days when you just don’t feel like writing? Do you write anyway, or do you prefer to do your writing only on days when you know you’ll be good?

I’ve heard from a lot of writers on this, and the strong impression I’ve gotten is that most writers, most days, don’t feel like writing. That’s as true of professional novelists as it is of the newest novices.

In fact, it may be more true for the pros. For a novice writer, writing is a new and exciting hobby — a way to have fun during time stolen from boring Real Life. Whereas writing is a professional writer’s job, every day, every week, every year.

What makes the professional novelist a professional is the fact that most professionals, most days, write their word count. It doesn’t matter whether they feel like it or not. They sit in the chair and type their quota.

Doesn’t sound very sexy, does it? Well . . . it isn’t. Writing fiction is a job. You put in the work. Then you get paid. If you don’t put in the work, you don’t get paid.

If that was all there was to it, then of course we’d all quit this game and go into something more fun and less risky, such as lion dentistry. 

But the fact is that writing fiction is fun. When you’re fully into the flow and the story is pulsing out of your fingers onto the page, then you barely notice time whizzing by. That’s fun. When the spirit is truly moving you, it feels like you’re flying. 

What isn’t fun for me is getting ready to write. Sitting down at the computer isn’t fun. Opening up my word processor isn’t fun. Staring at the blank screen for the first couple of minutes isn’t fun. The fun starts after the first few minutes, when the screen isn’t blank any longer and the voices in my head start talking.

Here are three things you can do to get past those first few horrible minutes when writing isn’t fun:

* Daydream about what you’re going to write before it’s time to write. Do this when you’re supposed to be doing something else. If you have a day job (most writers do, even most professional novelists), use any down time to daydream about your story. Some jobs have more down time than others, but most have at least a few minutes during the course of the day. Spend that time wishing you were writing your novel. When you finally get a chance to write, you’ll be primed for it.

* Get a running start by editing what you wrote yesterday. It’s hard to start typing on a blank screen, but if you quickly read through what you wrote last time and fix any small glitches, after a few pages your head will be fully in the game and you’ll be itching to go. DON’T get so caught up in yesterday’s work that you have no time for today’s. Save the real editing for later. Just use this editing time to get the juices flowing.

* Make sure you’re using the creative style that’s right for you. Last month, I talked in this e-zine about various options you have for creating your first draft. Some writers work best by writing “seat of the pants.” Others need to take an “edit as you go” strategy. Others prefer to map out the high level part of the story in advance, leaving the details to emerge in the first draft (using a tool like my Snowflake Method to guide them). Other writers do best when they’ve worked out a full, detailed outline up front. You are who you are. Use whatever creative style is best geared for your particular brain.

Writers love being creative. I like to think that being creative is what makes us human, or keeps us human, or helps us to fake being human. Whatever. We like being moved by that pesky spirit.

The trick is to regularly show up in a place where the spirit can move you. Then hang around long enough for the spirit to get rolling.

What happens after that is the magic of writing.

Award-winning novelist Randy Ingermanson, “the Snowflake Guy,” publishes the Advanced Fiction Writing E-zine, with more than 16,000 readers, every month. If you want to learn the craft and marketing of fiction, AND make your writing more valuable to editors, AND have FUN doing it, visit http://www.AdvancedFictionWriting.com.

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3 Comments »

1. 

   Terrific tip on reading what you wrote yesterday to get back into the groove. One I have to start doing myself.

   Warm regards,
   Donna
   Children’s Author
   Write What Inspires You Blog
   Donna M. McDine’s Website

   Comment by Donna McDine — August 6, 2009 @ 10:36 am

2. 

   I love this line:

   “If that was all there was to it, then of course we’d all quit this game and go into something more fun and less risky, such as lion dentistry.”

   I find when I’m excited about a story, this EXACTlY what I do:

   “Daydream about what you’re going to write before it’s time to write. Do this when you’re supposed to be doing something else. If you have a day job (most writers do, even most professional novelists), use any down time to daydream about your story. Some jobs have more down time than others, but most have at least a few minutes during the course of the day. Spend that time wishing you were writing your novel. When you finally get a chance to write, you’ll be primed for it.”

   Thanks for the tips, Kristi!!

   J

   Comment by John C. Bryan — August 7, 2009 @ 9:07 am

3. 

   Donna, it’s always good to see your name pop up so we can touch base. Thanks!

   And John, it’s great to see your name as well! I do think daydreaming is rather a lost art these days–I’m glad you indulge! We are so used to having noise plugged into our ears or coming at us from some screen, and that obliterates a lot of “down” time where we formerly could daydream, be creative, and/or hear from God. Back to daydreaming!

   Comment by Kristi Holl — August 8, 2009 @ 9:44 am

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