Received the following from a writer I'm working with:"Through our time together, I've come to realize that writing is all about stamina!! I had NO idea how much THINKING and CONNECTING goes into a story. I've done technical writing/reports/research for years but none compares with the effort necessary to craft a story. Novel writing is also much more intriguing and fulfilling."
The writer is crafting a complicated murder mystery with many suspects, thus all the "thinking" and "connecting" he has to do.
I am pleased he finds novel writing intriguing and fulfilling because as soon as he moves from plotting and planning, his true writer's journey begins.
Every protagonist embarks on a journey that sends her both externally and internally into, as yet, undiscovered places. A writer does, too.
The uncertainty of creating something out of nothing often sends a writer spiraling into depression, confusion, blocks, and frustration. The more sensitive the writer, the deeper the abyss.
"If you can do something else," an early writing instructor advised the class. "Do it."
If you can't silence the whispering, still the pen to paper, proceed with a willing heart. Trust the process. Magic happens....
2 Comments on Stamina for Writers, last added: 4/9/2010
Display Comments
Add a Comment
Love this post! Your writer friend is absolutely right. Non-writers just don't understand how mentally exhausting it can be sitting at my desk all day! And you're right about trusting the process. Magic, somehow, always does happen. :)
Damn good post.
I always appreciate it when the struggles of writing life are put forth. It reminds me that I'm not alone, that I'm in a sea of fellow artists in distress.
For me, the thinking isn't bad. Connecting my thoughts, however, is a killer. I can understand and I can analyze. But ask me to synthesize and I get lost, overwhelmed, and exhausted (in that order).
The skill of making connections comes with having a good understanding of humanity. If you can understand the mechanics of a human relationship, you're already one step ahead.
-- Dominique