Writing tip #25 to remember:
Writing really is hard work. Don’t let anybody tell you otherwise.
It can be emotionally draining. It can be mentally exhausting. It can be frustrating, confusing, bewildering, all-consuming, overpowering . . . Need I go on?
What–sitting at a desk typing away can be all that?
Those of you who write know the truth. Yet those who don’t can’t understand it.
Today I had a particularly exhausting day of writing. This morning I wrote a raw scene in a first draft. Then in the afternoon I rewrote the climax for the novel that’s due at the end of the month.
At the end of the day, I felt like I had nothing left. My mind was mush. I needed time to veg out, but sometimes I’m not the best at being able to let myself do that.
The strange thing with writing is that it’s not just mentally draining, but emotionally draining. And I felt (and still feel) spent.
So remember–don’t let anybody tell you otherwise. Writing is hard work. Whether what you’ve written is brilliant or amateurish or somewhere in between, it still can be extremely difficult and depleting. Just like any job and profession and love.
Travis, thanks for continuing to show up at that keyboard. Here’s a gift for your efforts:
http://johnaugust.com/archives/2009/gilbert
An excellent speech that easily translates to a discussion of the relationship between the Creator and artists, his creative creations.
Hey S.A.M. Another author forwarded that to me a while ago. Great stuff. I wish I could be that articulate about the creative process. Thanks for sharing it.