Writing...For the Pain, For the Pleasure

 

 

I know plenty of people who struggle with writing. As writers, we've all been there, whining, "The words won't come," "I don't know what happens next," "I hate this story," to even "I can't make myself do it."

Some of these notions stump me. If you're the one in charge, creating your own story, in a setting of your choosing, with characters you've brought to life, then how can you be miserable? Despite what anyone tells you, writing is work. Hours of sitting at the computer, alone, 'talking to yourself''. Who does that? Only those crazy enough to stick with imaginary people and make stuff happen to them for 300 pages.

On the flip side, I know there are plenty of authors who LOVE everything about their story. It's their darling.

I was feelin' the love with my writing this past week. Although I only had time for two writing sessions and my word count isn't brag worthy, I wrote several scenes with passion. Those are the sessions I live for, when it's all smooth and flowing. But if it isn't, then it's our job as master and commander to fix it and make it so. If we're having trouble writing the story, then who wants to read that?

Of course, we struggle through certain points in our work, and we're thankful for editing, but writing shouldn't be a torture task. If it is, you need a good chat with your writing pals to find the source of the problem and eradicate it. Find your writing pleasure!

Word Count on the WIP: 25, 728

That Evil Comparison Game

I suspect many writers do this: compare ourselves, our style, our pace to other writers', and of course, we always compare ourselves to someone who writes 'better and faster'. Yes, yes, yes, I'm guilty of this. I have a friend who writes 4 to 5 books a year, and every time I see one of her updates that reads along the lines of, "Whew, just wrote 9k words today," I feel frustrated with myself, mad that I'm not at that level of production, or cranking out similar results.

But why?

Wasn't it Dr. Seuss who advised: "Be yourself, everyone else is already taken" ? And such wise words, since none of us are called to be 'like' anyone else. Doesn't this also ring true for how we work our talents? Just because some writers can and do finish multiple novels in a year doesn't mean that I'm any less talented. Heck, it has nothing to do with me!

We can only do what we can do. For some of us, that means accomplishing a NaNo draft, then taking 6-ish months to clean and polish it. For others, it means writing a page a day, a book a year. I have another friend who just finished his second novel...that took him 5 years.

So this week's quote is especially satisfying. I didn't managed 7k or 9k new words this week, but I did get ideas to paper. Yay me! and whatever you've accomplished this week, 100 words to 10k words, I'm cheering you on!

Word Count on the WIP: 23,014