Why Writing Should Never Be A Chore
We’re a couple of weeks into January and I’m betting that all of those resolutions about writing more this year are starting to feel more like grudging obligations than well-meant intentions. I never fail to be astounded how many tweets I see from people who claim they “should be writing”. Should? Should is one of those words that means things you must do, not things you want to do. Should turns something into a chore, not a joy. Why would you turn something you profess to enjoy into something you dread doing?
It’s all very well me saying this, of course. I have an outline for my current project that needs finishing, and chapters to start writing. I should be working on them. However, I’ve altered my terminology so that I have an outline I would like to finish before I can work on the chapters in earnest. True, saying I would like to do something is no guarantee that I’ll actually do it, but I’m more likely to aspire to do something I’d like to do than I am to finally pull my finger out and finish something I should do.
So how can you make sure that you either keep those writing resolutions, or at least get yourself to stop doing the Procrastination Polka and start doing the Writing Rumba?
1) Be realistic.
If you’ve set yourself a resolution that you’ll write 2000 words a day, no matter what, but you find you’ve only actually got time for 800, then naturally you’ll baulk at the prospect of writing more than you can fit in, and sooner or later, you won’t be writing anything at all. Make sure your resolutions suit your resources, and if achieving your goal means altering your resolution then do so. Resolutions aren’t set in stone, after all.
2) Be consistent.
Things happen in life and sometimes writing has to take a back seat. That’s fine, don’t beat yourself up about it. But if you find you’re skipping writing sessions for fairly mundane reasons (e.g. ‘I’ll do some writing when I’ve done this next bit on Skyrim‘, or ‘I’ll do some writing after I’ve checked my emails’) then recognise you’re simply procrastinating. Chances are, you won’t do any writing at all that day, and then you’ll start berating yourself about missing sessions. Skip too many and it just won’t seem worth writing at all. Small amounts of writing on a consistent basis are easier to do and you can always do whatever it is you want to do after you’ve gotten some words down.
3) Shake things up.
You might be putting off writing because, deep down, you’re not keen on your current project. That’s fine. It could be that you’ve just hit The Wall and you need to keep going in order to break through, and fall back in love with your project. Or it could be that you’ve realised it’s not really working, but you’d rather keep flogging a dead horse that put it aside. No, the time you spend writing those words you’re now going to put away was not wasted. Just think of it as a warm up for the big piece you really want to write. Put the current project aside and try something new. You can always come back to it later.
4) Examine your motivations.
If you consistently find ways to avoid writing then perhaps you need to ask yourself if you really want to be a writer. You can’t really call yourself a writer if you don’t actually write, and if you’re not doing it then maybe your heart just isn’t in it. Maybe it was a passing phase, or your realisation than JK Rowling sized pay cheques aren’t the norm for every writer finally put you off. If you’re doing it for fame, or money, then forcing yourself is never going to work. If you’re doing it because you love writing, then you probably don’t need to read this post.
5) Read something else.
Sometimes we stop writing because the well of ideas runs dry. There are countless prompts and writing exercises available online (and on this blog!) but sometimes just reading the work of another writer is enough to kickstart your imagination and get you itching to write again.
How about you? Did you make any writing resolutions at New Year – and have you kept them?
Number five is my problem. It feels like I’m tapped out, even though I can feel the ideas bubbling away under there.
One of my resolutions this year is to read more, and in order to do this I’ve stopped forcing myself to read every book on my list all the way through. Instead I’m giving each book four chapters to hook me, and if it fails, I move on. That way I read more of what I enjoy, and reading stops being a chore.
I’m tearing through the collected short stories of Ernest Hemmingway at the moment, and definitely beginning to feel the itch for writing ticking away again.
I LOVE short stories for that reason – if one story doesn’t grab you, just move onto the next one in the collection! I’m reading a collection of Wilkie Collins novellas and stories and it’s wonderful.
I don’t make writing resolutions and simply put this is because I’ve never been able to make a realistic one. “I’m going to write every day” is too much while “I’m going to write more consistently” is too vague. My problem, if I were to boil it down, falls squarely into Number 2: Life. And it isn’t just that I want to watch the next episode of “Castle”, it’s the combination of all of the Day Job stuff, sick and dying family members, chasing the kids around, etc.
The one resolution I have made for this year is to seek more balance between the “have to do’s” and the “want to do’s”. This means I will need to let some things go – the world won’t end if the laundry waits another day, right? This is going to be hard for me to do, but I’m certainly giving it a try.
I should probably work on Number 5 as well – I don’t read enough.
See if you can’t find time to jot down a few words while you’re doing something mundane. I sometimes do that when I’m waiting for students to arrive at class.
“Should” also implies that although you feel obligated you are actively choosing to do something else instead. I would like to write more. I enjoy writing more, but yes there is that sensation of being tapped out. Sometimes what you feel you should do is not actually what you can do, and we are our own worst critics.
Maybe take a break for a while and start writing when you get that irresistible urge to do so? Sometimes the mind will tell us when you want to write.
You know, there are those who hate writing, but love storytelling. There is a difference.
Very good point, in which case storytellers need to find outlets for their storytelling that suit them! The world always needs stories.
“The world always needs stories” – so very, very true.
My problem has always been with #2. With a lot of irons in the fire, some of them go cold.
Prior to the end of the year I was really feeling “tapped out”. It felt almost as if writing anything – even nonsense – was too much effort.
A new day has dawned – or a new year. I know well that I’m happiest when I’m in the middle of a flood of creativity. And I also know that I do best…doing. “En genundio” as the Spanish say.
I’m writing again – though I need to get back to blogging. And I’m back to reading poetry, which is something that always causes ideas to flow for me.
For me, resolutions are not set in stone – clearly, for I generally break them. So, no resolutions, other than to remember how much I enjoy me when I’m writing.
some good solid advice here Ic.. thanks for this great post.
I am still very new to writing, and I think my biggest set back is I feel I have to completely finish before I can move on to anything else. I did my first Nano this year, and it’s sitting there waiting for me to implement the edits my husband made, and I don’t feel I should move to anything new until I finish those edits and yet I keep procrastinating on the edits. As a result, nothing gets done
(I don’t have any presumptions to publish, but I have supportive friends who were interested in it while I was writing it)
Normally I would say that you should finish one thing before you start the next but when it comes to edits, it’s good to put something to one side and work on something new before you go back and make edits. You’ll be coming back to it fresh!