Writing, inspiration, discipline, and the mind playing tricks on itself.

[myaru]

My plans to write an entry on daily writing have turned into a long ramble about discipline instead, and what people consider its opposite: inspiration. I've lost count of how many friends have told me to give myself a break and write when I'm inspired instead of enforcing a daily word count; it should be fun, you say, writing shouldn't feel like

Comments

[myaru]

My problem with this is the assumption (I guess?) that not writing is going to solve the problem. That was true in February, and I took my break - I did nothing but watch La Corda D'oro, and then I played the game, and then I read a shit-ton of fan fiction. After two weeks I tried fic to meet some deadlines, sucked at it, and stopped again. It went on like that for a long time, until mid-April, when I decided I really wanted to write again and started planning the novel project

[myaru]

Re: beading

[myaru]

The problem here is probably that I feel compelled to defend my goal to write every day when, in fact, I should just do it (or try), and not worry about justifying it, because it works for me - and in essence, everyone has been telling me to do what works for me already. It's just that the path of least resistance isn't what it looks like

[hooves]

when you hear about the ones that make enough to live on

Also, they might be a stay-at-home spouse. Their spouse is likely working a job that enables them to stay at home to pursue their goal. This is really what I would want for myself. If I decided to go into writing books, I'd go this route-- or try to. And why not? If I could be a stay-at-home wife, mother, and author? That'd be perfect.

Though I really never had any serious intentions of writing a novel or anything...

[hooves]

Rob(in) Thurman

Creepy. I wonder if I'm related. ;P Do you have a link to that post?

Like I said below, I think a lot of authors would kill for the ability to have time to write like myaru has, so I don't think she (myaru) is pushing herself too hard to write 1,500 words a day. She has the time, and nothing else pressing (like a day job). If I was a professional author, I know I'd rather have all day to write than have to work and then find the time to write. Why? Because of a million reasons. First being money, obviously. If you can afford to stay at home and write, more power to you. Seriously.

ie: This could be the opportunity of a lifetime for myaru-- and not all authors get that kind of chance.

I will agree that working a day job led to a lot more productivity from me. I was a lot better about writing during my free time. Now all my time is free time, and I 1.) play World of Warcraft, 2.) forget what day it is, and 3.) watch TV/roll around lamely.

[minerva_one]

You're overthinking.

Grab a piece of paper.

Grab your favorite writing implement.

Turn off the internal censor.

Write.

Don't try to control it, don't try to work it out, don't try to tell characters what to do. Just write.

Give me five minutes of uncensored, unadultered, pure brain ramblings. That's all I want. Give yourself the permission that for 5 minutes you won't overthink anything and you'll just write about what wants to come out without controlling it.

Your muse is running away because you're trying to control it, and you're getting tired because you are expending your energy fighting against yourself.

You just wrote 5K words on how you can't write, so I call BS. ;) Please, give me 5 minutes and write free and naked (figuratively) and wild and JUST LET GO and let that pen rip across the page.

[myaru]

Well, I did also write several pages of original fiction and pick at a fan project I probably won't finish.

... it's only two thousand. :P

I didn't write this because I felt blocked. I do what you suggested most days, though not by design - usually because I'm stuck in the kitchen, or in a waiting room, and all I have is my little pad of paper. Freewriting-type exercises never worked for me before, but I can give it another try, I guess. It could've just been the school environment.

You know what the muse is leaving me for? Fan fiction. It's running like crazy. That's why I'm trying to leave it alone, but the habit is so ingrained that I feel like I'm letting something lapse if I'm not working on a project. I also miss it, and it's hard to sit and just feel that way when technically it's as easy as pulling up a notepad file. Only it's not.

[imanewme]

Okay, I have to say it. You can write free and naked literally if you want. Who would know unless you told on yourself? :)

[myaru]

My husband would probably be for that game plan, but uh, I think I'll stick to pajamas. XD

[issen4]

For example, the moment I think about starting a new story or chapter, I'm suddenly very tired, though I felt perfectly fine five minutes ago.

Hey, I've felt exactly the same way. My conclusion? I'm not cut out for a life of writing. -_-;;; I mean, if my body hated it so much, then that's a clue, right?

But what's interesting is that soon after I decided that, the writing bug came back. So even though I write much less than before, I enjoy myself more and the stuff I write has more coherency.

So maybe it could be that you're giving yourself a lot of pressure? It's tough when you want to write but find yourself grappling with unrelated issues instead. It's really frustrating. Um, relax?

You mention motivation for writing, bribing yourself, etc. Seems like those bribes aren't compelling enough. For me and my busy schedule, just having the time and quiet to write is the reward, so maybe you could think about motivating yourself along those lines?

[myaru]

I don't have to bribe myself to write, but to start at a certain time. We're talking about writing a certain amount every day - that's not going to happen if it keeps getting put off, so the bribery is to make myself stop procrastinating. I write a lot by myself, without any intervention, but it's not consistent.

I mean, if my body hated it so much, then that's a clue, right?

I thought so too, but as someone else up there says - I started calling BS when I got those sudden bouts of tiredness during periods were I was wide awake a minute ago and drinking coffee, and lost them when I decided to play a game. Caffeine doesn't make me tired, so uh, wtf body? It's mental. And being tired is a nice excuse for not doing things, but when it happens all the time, after a full night's sleep, something is going on.

[100_series]

We aren't talking about fandom. This isn't just a hobby for me.It infuriates me when hobbyists give advice to someone like me, who is trying to become a professional to slow down and relax about my job. I don't have the luxury, because I am struggling and striving to be a professional in my field

[myaru]

I find that a lot of the time, when I write these entries, I'm not talking about the fact that I also really like writing, and feel compelled to do it regardless of word counts, professional goals, or outside opinions. That's not the point of the post, usually, and the "I loooooove what I do!" ramble isn't my type of thing. Maybe I should. Writing at a certain time every day doesn't cancel out the part where I like writing. There are days it's a pain in the ass, but so what? If I didn't like it, I wouldn't do it - art and music prove that I don't push myself to do something I don't care about and enjoy, even during four hour practice sessions. (My grades prove that to, cough.)

The house is cleaner and I've got a nice tan, but I don't feel any more inclined to go back to my work. This is what happened to me, too. I took a break because I really needed one, but going back was much harder afterward. It's why consistency is so important to me. I mean... it's a long story. But I've taken breaks - long ones. And I've let myself

[100_series]

Haha. Maybe if we did gush about how much we LOVE our trades more, we wouldn't be as depressed.

[hooves]

Myaru, I think you should make a post about why you like writing. What about writing makes you happy? That might help you a little bit. ♥ Plus, I'd love to read it. Maybe it would inspire your friends' list.