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I’d like to say I have a writing routine down. A place where I write, a special time of day when the creative juices are flowing, a particular pen, lucky underpants, whatever. The truth is, my writing (extracurricular, that is) is very haphazard. Sometimes the mood strikes and I happen to be near a computer or at a desk and I can capture my ideas. Other times the mood strikes and I tell myself to remember that thought stream until later, when of course I can’t quite hit the spot. I can make myself write when I have, under a deadline my fingers fly, but with things like this blog or the many story ideas I have jotted down in my notebook I somehow find a way to say “later, later.”
For someone who wants to be a writer, to make a career out of words, that just will not do. There can’t be such a thing as writer’s block, or excuses because I’ve had a long day at the office.
So… how do you write? Have you made it a habit, or does it come in waves? I’d love to know.
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Comments
11.17.09
Usually it is a bit of both in my case. With blogging, I make it a habit. I always say that I will post something before lunch, because this is a deadline - that can shift depending on the day.
I also think carrying that journal around is a powerful way to capture missed ideas. It allows us to make sure that wherever we are, if we think of something it doesn't escape us later. Maybe it won't be as potent, but it is not forgotten.
Great post!
11.17.09
Regarding my personal writing:
I make it a point to think out those lightbulb moments that come to me at the most inconvenient of times (at the gym, in the shower, on a date) and tease them out enough so that I can bang out a few hundred words the minute I get to a computer. I also avoid redundancy, which cuts a lot out of what I would write impulsively.
Lately, I rarely know too far in advance what I'm going to write about. It's a strong urge that usually comes out and I just NEED to write. Nothing can stop me at that point.
11.17.09
Great post; I completely know what you mean.
As someone who writes for a living, I continue to grapple with writer's block. In this age of so many distractions, it's really impossible. I have figured out, though, how much time I need to write a piece: Take however long it takes to write and times it by two for procrastination. Take a magazine feature: I can probably write the whole thing in 4 hours (2 hrs to write and 2 hrs to procrastinate)...Productive procrastination is OK in my book.
@JR I'm totally with you when it comes to blogging. If I'm at work or somewhere where I can't blog at the moment, I'll just e-mail myself a few lines. It's amazing how articulate your brain can be when you capture it right at the peak of the thought!
Hmmm...I'm procrastinating...
11.17.09
I am totally haphazard. It's really bad actually. My inspiration and will to write comes and goes like hot flashes.
I need to make it more routine. the closest I get is writing once a week or twice for my blog. When I feel writer's block-y, I read. a lot.
I was watching the Giller Prize last week (Awards in Canadian Fiction), and they asked the finalists how they write. Most of them said they just do it. There can't be engineer's block or doctor's block, so why writer's block?
I took that one to heart. We need to make a concerted effort to overcome our own misgivings about it.
11.17.09
Thank you all for your input, it's great to hear how others work.
@Beth -- I think I need to start making deadlines for myself as well. I need to come up with a way to make them serious in my mind though, I tend to find excuses when I don't have to be accountable to anyone else.
@JR -- I'm going to have to try that. Instead of finding other thing to do, just get to a computer the minute I can and get as much of my idea out as possible. Great tip, thank you.
@Ellie -- I like that... productive procrastination! I agree though, a lot of the time doing something else, like reading or just taking a walk, gets my brain working in a different way. And anything to prevent the frustration of sitting in front of the computer and not knowing where to start is good in my book!
@Mehnaz -- That's a great point, what other careers have some sort of "block" that prevents them from doing their job?? I'm going to write that down and tape it up on my computer to remind myself. Thanks!
11.17.09
My creative writing juices tend to peak between 4-6pm for some reason. End of the day... lots of daily happenings to ponder at that time, but I'm still in front of a computer at that time and won't leave until I've finished writing.
11.17.09
@Carlee -- you've got some discipline! At that time I'm so ready to go home, I just want to get all my work stuff finished with a get outta there! I like the idea of having a time to write, I need to find the time when my creative juices peak.
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