The optional question this month: When your writing life is a bit cloudy or filled with rain, what do you do to dig down and keep on writing?
For me, the only way to get OUT of a writing funk is to figure out a way to get back IN to my writing, and to write.
Generally, the clouds and the rain rain are about those endless distractions, enormous and tiny, that keep me from writing. However, it's not always the tangible, external goings-on that cause the funk.
Sometimes it's my inner judgments about the market, my age, my chances of ever having a book published, that stop me cold. It's my cynicism that needs to be dealt with.
And there is the WIP itself. Sometimes the WIP isn't working and I feel too stupid to be a writer.
Ultimately, however, it's sitting at my computer and writing that blows the storm clouds away. Writing can always be fixed. It may not feel good to sit down and work it out. It may feel hopeless, and make me sick to my stomach. It may feel like pins and needles are stabbing me, and I can't sit and work at it for long.
Eventually, as I sink into the words and I examine the scenes, I discover that yes, everything really can be fixed. Unlike the real, external storms of life that can often only be managed or coped with, we are the Gods of our word creations. We are in control of what ends up on the page and the stories we tell.
Writing is my escape, my refuge, from the thunderstorms of the external world ... those things that I want to be different, but have no power to change.
If I can but get away from the storms long enough, I am often healed, at least for a while, by the sweet balm of writing.
The awesome co-hosts for the April 4 posting of the IWSG are Olga Godim, Chemist Ken, Renee Scattergood, and Tamara Narayan!
Hosted by: Insecure Writer's Support Group
Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!
Posting: The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writer - aim for a dozen new people each time - and return comments. This group is all about connecting! Be sure to link to this page and display the badge in your post. And please be sure your avatar links back to your blog! If it links to Google+, be sure your blog is listed there. Otherwise, when you leave a comment, people can't find you to comment back.
Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!
Our Twitter handle is @TheIWSG and hashtag is #IWSG
Every month, we announce a question that members can answer in their IWSG post. These questions may prompt you to share advice, insight, a personal experience or story. Include your answer to the question in your IWSG post or let it inspire your post if you are struggling with something to say.
Remember, the question is optional!
LOL! Sometimes you feel too stupid to be a writer. I'm glad you said that, because that's how I felt just a day or two ago. I can laugh at it now, but isn't that how it goes? We have our moments.
ReplyDeleteIt's nice when the moments are few. ;)
DeleteI write about my life's experiences, if it's dull then my poems are dull. But when life is good......there's no stopping me.
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed the read very much.
Yvonne.
Cool. If only life were good all the time. However, hard times do grow us, and allow us to be more empathetic in life and in our writing.
DeleteI guess we'll always have our doubts about our work, but I think no matter how old we get, writing fills something deep in us. The words may not reach many readers but we are better for have written them. Like you say, they can be a sweet balm, especially if we don't take them too seriously and try to enjoy the journey...thanks for sharing your thoughts :-)
ReplyDeleteYes, I write because it has allowed me to ponder issues and grow as a person. It's helped me understand other people in a way I would not have, had I not been a writer.
DeleteI do enjoy the journey, most of the time. If I have been guilty of anything (and of course, I've been guilty of much), but I've been guilty of not taking myself seriously enough in any aspect of my life. My "I'm nobody special," attitude has held me back in countless ways. It is what it is, as they say.