There's nothing that I enjoy more than discussing the craft and the business of writing! As a struggling novelist and a working producer/writer in film & television, I've had the wonderful opportunity of making, and learning from, tons of mistakes in this business. One thing that I've discovered is that, as a writer, there is nothing more important that open discussion and support from others who can share their experiences from the trenches. I've written quite a few essays on various aspects of the craft, as well as the business, of storytelling for my writers' group, and thought it might be provoking to share some of them here.
You can visit me at: www.myspace.com/sardy where I keep a blog about creative writing and film production. I thought I might start off here with an essay about the single-most terrifying and aggravating problem that many (if not all) of us face from time to time: Writer's Block. Hopefully this will prompt some discussion, and I'll continue to post essays as we go...
Just WRITE! (Advice for the Blocked Writer)
The most important rule of writing is to do whatever works best for you.
That said, many of us (myself included) need help. Inspiration. Motivation. Advice. And cameraderie... And that's just what this is all about. Before we can delve into the nuts & bolts of the Creative Process, or the ins and outs of making a living with it, we need to actually Start Writing. I'm always on the lookout for insights and advice on how to make myself as prolific as possible. Here's some advice (things that I have worked out for myself and, based on the many books on the creative process and writing theory I've read, seem to have worked for many other writers, as well) on beginning writing and continuing to write.
But before we get into the guts of this thing and talk about actually writing, I just want to make a note about lifestyle and its relationship (at least for me) to the creative process. There are four aspects of daily life that I find to be integrally related to my creative process and my writing life. Exercise, diet, calmness of mind, and disciplined writing. Let's take a look:
Exercise: When the body is healthy, the mind will follow. When you exercise, you feel good about yourself. Exercise builds confidence. It relieves stress. Invokes discipline. And helps clear the mind to let the creative juices flow... No one's saying that you need to start prepping for Muscle Beach---even a daily walk or jog is better than being a couch potato.
Calmness of Mind: Many meditate. Some people pray. A lot do relaxation exercises. Yoga. I'm a fan of self-hypnosis (a subtlely different practice than TM---Transcendental Meditation). Whatever works for you... It could even be just taking few minutes in the morning to quietly reflect and prepare for your day (and your writing!).
Diet: When I was younger I could eat ANYTHING and remain fit and trim. But now I'm 37, and my McDonald's days are behind me. Diet is important for health and a clear mind---at least for me it is. I'm a pescatarian (a vegetarian that eats fish), except for one red meat meal every 2-3 weeks. That works for me. My brother's a vegan---that could NEVER work for me. Do what works for you. And remember: healthy is good.
Disciplined Writing: If I had a nickel for every non-writing "professional" I've heard tell me that that he would like to "take a month off and write a novel," I wouldn't need to write---I'd be a millionaire. (That's not exactly true---though I scratch out a living as a writer, I don't write for the $$. I write because I love it. All the money in the world couldn't make me stop). Back to the "professionals"---I used to do a lot of medical writing (boring work that paid the bills). Doctors would crawl out of the woodwork to tell me how they planned on writing a novel "just as soon as they had the time." To date, not one of them has. I used to answer them by saying, "I'm no doctor, but I've got a GREAT idea for brain surgery that I've been wanting to try out, just as soon as I can find the time..." Not that writing is brain surgery---it's not. But, like anything else, practice makes perfect. The more you write, the better you will write. The more you write, the easier it'll be to write. The more you write, the more you will write.
Re: the abobe: this is what works for me. But I'll reitereate the Golden Rule: Do whatever works best for you.
I write every day, eight hours a day. If I have writer's block, I still write. I write crap. Just so long as I'm writing something... It's EASY to stop writing. It's NOT SO EASY to start.
Every one of us has an internal censor that tells us we're no good, that our work sucks, it's awful, it's not publishable, and it's NOT WORTH DOING. Well, so what?
The most difficult thing for any writer to do is to push aside that internal demon voice, the devil censor, and just write. Who cares if it sucks? Who cares if it's awful? Every first draft is!
And do you want to know a secret? I know something that my internal censor doesn't. Lean in close and I'll whisper it in your ear... Okay, here it is: "Editing is easier than writing." Simple, huh? Think about it. Editing is easier than writing. Hell, it shouldn't be a secret. Shout it: EDITING IS EASIER THAN WRITING!!!
So, what does that mean to you as a writer? Well, it means that you can tell your internal censor (that subconscious voice that keeps the pen off your page) to go take a hike. Tell him that you KNOW that your writing sucks. You KNOW it's rough. You know it's flawed... but you're gonna write it anyway. And you know what? You'll clean it up later! Because editing is easier than writing. Get through the writing, and you'll be surprised how easy, fun and rewarding it is to shuffle those commas around later, to find better, more appropriate words to replace the rough ones, to tweak the pacing, to add to the characters' development, fix dialog and smooth it all out!
But first you've got to write the darned thing. Whatever it is, a story, a poem, article, essay, letter, novel... You've got to give yourself permission to fail. Give yourself permission to write crap---you know, the stuff that only your mother would love (but that you are pretty sure no editor will be hanging on their refrigerator). And then just WRITE IT!
And that's where the magic starts.
Many writers have noted that the best practice (what works for them) is to take your idea and write the entire story (or poem, or article--the only thing that won't work here is a novel---but then, you can write a good chunk of a chapter) in one sitting. Just push through it. If a part doesn't work, doesn't make sense... just push through it. Write shit and keep on writing. You'll fix it later. Because editing is easier than writing.
I suggest we all try this. Take an idea, start writing, and push through it no matter how bad your stupid little internal nag tells you it is. And then enjoy the process of fine-tuning and cleaning it up.
Oh, and one other thing. Once you give yourself permission to write and you manage to fight your way through a draft... be sure to congratulate yourself. Because, you know what? Here's the REAL secret: When you go back and reread it (wait at least a few hours, or at best till the next day) you'll discover something startling: It's not as bad as you censor claimed it was!
If I'm preaching to the choir, I'm glad---it's a great choir to be a part of!
--Scott Christian Carr
I'll follow this up wth some essays on Distraction, Insiration, Dealing with Criticism, Moving Forward in the Business, the Origin of Ideas, "Offensive" Writing, and more...
Let's get writing...!
