TheBanyanTree: On Writing

[Julie Anna Teague]

You've hit the nail on the head with this one, Monique.  I used to 
write all the time, and when I was doing that almost daily practice, I 
got better at putting what I feel or think into words. Now I don't take 
the time, and I often think I've completely dried up as a writer.  
Sometimes, especially in the middle of the night, I'll come up with a 
great story or poem, but when I try to put what is in my head into 
written words, it is apparent that I'm just really out of practice.  I 
know, though, that I just need to stretch and flex those muscles on a 
regular basis.  Finding time is the issue. There are too many things I 
want to do in this life. I wish I could retire from the day job and do 
them.

Julie

Quoting Monique Colver <monique.colver at gmail.com>:

> Last night a friend said to my husband about writing: "You have to wait for
> inspiration, you can't make it happen, it has to come organically." He was
> on speaker phone so I heard it all, and when my husband got off the phone I
> said, "Yeah, you can wait for inspiration to strike, if you're a hobbyist
> and don't care if you never write."
>
> Inspiration.
>
> Waiting for it to strike is a bit like waiting for a chocolate cake to
> arrive at your doorstep, complete with a fork so you don't have to embarrass
> yourself by digging in with your hands. It may happen, but it's not likely,
> and meanwhile you've spent a lot of time waiting.
>
> Everyone's a writer. At least everyone who is literate. And even some of
> those who aren't. Everyone has a story. Just ask anyone, and they'll be
> happy to tell you. I recently had a client who apparently finds it
> impossible to send me an email. I've asked her to send me emails with
> changes she needs made, and instead she has to call me. Calling me is okay,
> but I really prefer a written record, which is why I ask for emails. Once
> she actually did send me an email, and it was one short sentence, all in
> caps, and it was obvious that mental stress was involved. She has a story.
> She wants to write about her story. And last week she said to me, "There's a
> novel writing class starting soon. I want to take it."
>
> To which I said nothing. I mean, what could I say? "Dear, you can barely
> write an email. And besides that, your story is not a novel. It's
> nonfiction." I doubt she knows the difference. But everyone has a story, and
> everyone knows that if they just took the time to sit down and write it out
> (which shouldn't take much time at all), it would be a great story.
>
> The problem is, everyone's waiting for inspiration to strike, for that one
> stray bolt of lightning to come down from heaven and lodge itself firmly in
> their brains, where it will guide them to feverishly putting down the words.
>
> After all, everyone knows words.
>
> And everyone knows numbers, so everyone can also do what I do.
>
> It's true. Just ask people. They'll tell you they don't need a bookkeeper
> because they know numbers. One plus one equals two, and so on and so forth.
>
> Maybe I should have been an electrical engineer. Don't get many people
> saying, "Yeah, I could do that, if I wanted to," as if there were nothing to
> it.
>
> I don't mind. If they want to make a mess of their books, so be it, they're
> not the sort of clients I want anyway. And if they want to wait for
> inspiration to strike, they can wait for as long as it takes, no skin off my
> nose.
>
> Which is altogether a stupid saying, isn't it?
>
> I've been a hobbyist for years, most of my life anyway. I had a brief spell
> as a working writer, by which I mean I forced myself to write about subjects
> I didn't necessarily care about, but for which people paid me. Okay, I cared
> about the subjects a bit. I care about a lot of things, after all.
>
> But to be a writer and not be a hobbyist, I have to make myself sit down
> every day and write. I may not feel like it. Inspiration may elude me. Words
> may trickle through my brain haphazardly, waiting in vain for something to
> alight on, and I may feel that a rousing good game of Plants vs. Zombies
> would be more fun.
>
> Which it would, which is why no one pays me to play Plants vs. Zombies.
> (Which is really a shame, because I'm quite good at it.)
>
> Writing as a hobby is fun. I can write when I want, write what I want, and
> wait for inspiration to strike. But if I want to be something other than a
> hobbyist I have to make myself do it when I feel there's nothing there. And
> the thing is, the more I do it, the better I get. See how that works? It's
> sort of magical, if by magic you mean effort and time can equal a lovely
> finished product.
>
> Inspiration isn't worth the paper it's printed on. But I do find that I can
> generate inspiration. If I go through life trying new things, I generate
> inspiration. If I keep my options open and my mouth shut, I can summon up
> enough inspiration to get me started. Or not, and if not, I can still sit
> down and put something down on paper. I can revise, edit, outline, and, if
> nothing else, I can make myself write a list of what I want in the next
> project. The list takes on a life of its own, and I find myself wanting to
> expand on something on the list, and before you know it, I'm writing.
>
> It's different for everyone. I'm inclined toward laziness anyway, so I have
> to make sure I put myself to work. I don't always like the work, that's why
> it's called work and not play, but at the end of it I can say, "Look at
> that, I made that!"
>
> And that makes it all worthwhile, but that's probably just because I'm a
> writer.
>
>
>
>
>
> --
> Monique Colver
>