by Rachel Stockton

Created on: January 09, 2010

Writers, in general are sensitive folk.  One day we may have an abundance of confidence in our abilities, the next day we can plummet, giving in to the myriad of self criticisms we throw our way by throwing the covers, literally or figuratively, over our heads.   

This is why the need (or desire, or compulsion) to write must be nurtured on a regular basis.  Although we are all different, there are certain principles we can put into practice that can make the difference between sitting down to the page, and deciding that we really should clean out the lint filter instead:

 Develop your inner writing child.  Artistic people, whether painters, writers or musicians, have an ability to see beyond the obvious, to view things a bit differently than the more staid and logical among us.

In order to stay motivated, we must continuously foster the playful side of ourselves, as it is not merely a motivator, it is a way of helping us tap into the mother lode:  the side of ourselves that produces formidable copy.

Writing guru Julie Cameron suggests taking an “artist’s date” every week; a two hour block of time where you allow yourself to have fun doing something that requires the right side of your brain.  This can be as simple as browsing through an art supply store, or checking out the art exhibit at the modern museum up the road.

 Keep the faith.  George Orwell once said this about writers:  “. . . at the very bottom of their motives there lies a mystery.”  The “mystery” he’s referring to is our faith in the fact that for us, writing is the right thing to do, and a true necessity.

Faith, by its very definition, implies a little bit of doubt.  And, we writers are good at doubting; we doubt our gifts, our ability to “pull off” a particular project, and our “right” to call ourselves writers.  We need no assistance when it comes to creating angst deep within ourselves. 

But although faith concedes that we doubt, it also implies that we are ever hopeful; that we intuitively know that the drive to express ourselves on the page is there for a reason.  It’s rather doubtful that an overwhelming compulsion to write would overcome us if we didn’t have something to contribute in that regard. 

For some, keeping the faith may mean joining a local writers’ group; for others, it may mean listening to motivational tapes.  Whatever it is that causes the doubt within to be reduced to negligible proportions, we need to engage in as often as possible.

Read.  There’s an old saying that goes something like this:  “Although not all readers write, all writers must read.”  How true.  For the writer, reading helps us develop in our craft almost as much as actually writing does by “priming the pump.”  Write.  This one seems obvious, but it’s important to iterate, nonetheless.  Carving out time to write on a daily basis should be the goal, if at all possible.  There is simply no substitute for spending time in front of a blank page.

As a species, we did not evolve by accident; various series of events took place that required us to “improve” our existence by building coming up with ways to build a better mousetrap.  So it goes with writing; we cannot evolve and progress if we do not regularly engage in the process. 

               

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