On those days when you feel like writing, but you also feel like doing this
And then morning becomes afternoon which then becomes evening, and the more you sit around the more you realize that maybe your idea was less like this
And really more like this
I would like to say (and perhaps give a reminder) that if you don't feel like writing anything, it's completely okay. No one should ever make you feel that you're obligated to do something. Once you drain all the fun out of something, then it becomes work. And as Jack Nicholson wrote in the screen adaptation of Stephen King's The Shining, "All work and no play make Jack a dull boy." If the author of a fictional story isn't having fun, then every reader in the world is going to be able to tell. Reader's aren't stupid. But hey, don't take my word for it. George R.R. Martin took eight years to write a sequel to A Feast For Crows and pretty much earned this praise from Neil Gaiman.
And by extension...you're not anyone's bitch either.
This post is brought to you by The Insecure Writer's Support Group.
Carry on writers of the world!
--"your friendly neighborhood couch potato"
I don't write every day. Maybe that works for some, but it doesn't work for me. And you are right - if we aren't enjoying it, that will be apparent in the words and readers will know.
ReplyDeleteOf course you would support procrastination. I can't imagine spending 8 years on a book. Not even 8 months. But everyone works at their own pace.
ReplyDeleteHaha classic. I hadn't seen Neil Gaiman's quote before.
ReplyDeleteI haven't been able to write in months so this was a good thing for me to read today.
I don't know what it is, but I just absolutely love this post :)
ReplyDeleteI'm willing to wait for a great book. Considering how popular his are they must be worth the wait. :)
ReplyDeleteGeorge R.R. Martin has created such a demand for his work that his readers will for however long it takes for him to finish each next book. I can only hope for a faction of that demand one day. I just hope he finishes before he dies.
ReplyDeleteThere are definitely those days that I don't feel like writing. But I'll try harder not to feel guilty about it. Neil Gaiman's quote puts things back into perspective.
Hi, Michael...
ReplyDeleteSo true. We need to enjoy our writing, so readers will enjoy it too! I CERTAINLY DON'T write everyday. Please, I'm still working on and off on my first two novels. LOL. At least the second will be off to agents this week. It's certainly time....
A good story is DEFINITELY worth waiting for ....
Your illustrations are terrific! I don't write to be published, but for my own enjoyment and the blog, of course. And when I read and come across that perfect sentence, I savor it.
ReplyDeleteLove that inspiration. You always make me smile when I come here.
ReplyDeleteWe all must work in our own perfect time. Whatever that might be.
ReplyDeleteOne of the few advantages of not being paid for my words is that when they aren't coming I just turn to something else. Fortunately, this doesn't happen too often.
ReplyDeleteI almost wrote a ISWG post whining about my novel not being out yet. hehehe.
ReplyDeleteHeh. Excellent advice. I barely wrote anything in January and February, and I'm okay with that. But now…I gotta get moving. The new story is getting too backed up in my brain. :)
ReplyDeleteAs you know, I'm now having fun writing again because I'm ignoring publishing! Once it became just a matter of telling a story, if only to myself and maybe a few friends, I started to enjoy it again and I even look foward to scribbling away. And hey, if it takes a long time to get the story down on paper, then so be it.
ReplyDeleteI don't write every day and I hate it when someone else makes me feel guilty for that. Daily writing just isn't my thing. It drains me too much. Although last week, I was on fire every day. This week, not so much.
ReplyDeleteIf there is one bad thing about the show Game of Thrones, it sure made George R R Martin a slower writer.
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