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Why I never became a writer
Aug. 28th, 2002 11:47 amWriting is not easy. Beyond the action of transferring words from your brain to paper or a computer, beyond choosing which word best evokes the image you're trying to present, there's the will to write. Writing is a discipline. College students talk about writer's block all the time, as well as some writers. My professor said that writer's block was crap, for the most part. And I tend to agree with him. There are times when the right word just doesn't present itself, or the plot is shrouded in mystery, and your protagonist is at a loss. But you can't stop writing. You plug ahead on a new chapter, or work on a side project, or just start writing about you day until the energy begins to flow again. When most people say they have writer's block, they just don't feel like writing. Most of the time.
There are lots of times when I want to write about something: notes for a gaming session, a journal entry. But instead of beginning to write, I open up Solitaire. Or a chat window. Why is the urge to waste time on a really pointless game so more appealing that writing about something I like? Where is the passion and fire that consumes other writers? That's a rhetorical question, folks. Passion isn't something you can turn on or off. It's quicksilver, like inspiration. It comes and goes, explodes in your brain, leaves the seeds of idea behind, and is off to fertilize the next writer down the street. Leaving you with the messy task of cleaning up after it, organizing in neat rows of letters and spaces. Sometimes, there's even punctuation.
You have to make the story go. You have to do the hard work from there. The end result is almost always worth the effort.
Now if you'll excuse me, I have to set the stage for a cabal of mages in the Big Easy...
Lights... camera.... magic.
There are lots of times when I want to write about something: notes for a gaming session, a journal entry. But instead of beginning to write, I open up Solitaire. Or a chat window. Why is the urge to waste time on a really pointless game so more appealing that writing about something I like? Where is the passion and fire that consumes other writers? That's a rhetorical question, folks. Passion isn't something you can turn on or off. It's quicksilver, like inspiration. It comes and goes, explodes in your brain, leaves the seeds of idea behind, and is off to fertilize the next writer down the street. Leaving you with the messy task of cleaning up after it, organizing in neat rows of letters and spaces. Sometimes, there's even punctuation.
You have to make the story go. You have to do the hard work from there. The end result is almost always worth the effort.
Now if you'll excuse me, I have to set the stage for a cabal of mages in the Big Easy...
Lights... camera.... magic.
