With today's blog post, you were probably afraid (or excited) to scroll down, in case I had photos. Ha!
I love to sing. I sing everywhere I go. In the car, in the shower, in the supermarket, at work. It's not because someone is listening, or because I have a recording contract and there are cameras following me around. I sing because I enjoy it.
I need to look at writing the same way.
This blog post from Writers Beware describes writing as "deliberate play", something you practice and enjoy doing. I can get so caught up in crawling toward the oasis of publication that writing loses its joy for me. I need to stop sometimes, forget about the WIP and just write for the fun of it, write to get better at it, write for me.
A commenter mentioned a book by Ursula LeGuin called "Steering the Craft" that has writing exercises. I think I'll pick it up.
What do you do to keep writing fun, and to get better at it?
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It sounds snobby but I write what I want, when I want. I'm always working on more than one thing and when the mood strikes, that's what I work on.
ReplyDeleteI save my query writing for when my husband wants me to watch a really bad movie with him. Then writing queries is like an escape.
Sometimes it's just a matter of forcing myself to START writing on any given day. Once I start, I can't stop. I set a 30 minute timer to get myself to start (learned this from @jessicatudor on Twitter) and end up re-setting it 2 more times, at least. Also, like you, I try to write without dwelling on publication. I know a lot of very young writers - 19, 20, 21 - with agents, and all they can think is "I must be published by ___ age!" Why? So you can stop writing? Of course not! If you're destined to be published, it will happen. But if you know you would write anyway, then just write. :)
ReplyDeleteGreat post!
For me it's about not censoring myself. I just let my thoughts fly at all times in weird ways, if I see that horrible woman who cut me in line and was rude about it I imagine a woefully sad end for her, if I see someone nice not getting the good things they deserve I imagine them in a world of sparkles and candy.
ReplyDeleteIt helps me a lot because everywhere I look there are real things to collect and even if they don't seem that interesting or worth saving I always end up needing them and slipping them in and everything. I live in a sort of cloistered way, not out and about in quite the way I see the people around me as living, so I always find myself fantasizing about exactly how they live and think.
Even if my thoughts feel improper and weird I write it down and file for later. Dreams also help, even a picture or a phrase from a dream. It's all usable.
Thought hoarding? Yeah, I'll go with that. I'm a thought-hoarder!
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ReplyDeleteI draw pictures of my characters and schizophrenically interview them... and I make sure I'm reading some good books.
ReplyDeleteI also like to try and stretch my creative mind in other ways... like making up a song, or just going on a hike.
But the absolute number one thing that keeps me going is my writer's group. There's nothing better than sitting around with a bunch of people passionately interested in the same thing you are!