The Circle of Writing

I have this circle when it comes to writing. It kind of goes like this:

Everyone writes differently, of course, and even when I'm not writing, I'm doing something writerly (shh, it's a word). If I'm not writing, I'm editing and revising, or working with my publisher (or in the case of my last book, self-publishing), or getting feedback from betas and making more revisions. Sometimes I'm editing books for other people, which actually helps my writing immensely.

But over the past ten years of writing, I've noticed something about how I write. When I get through a novel, my mental energy for coming up with plots and pounding them out on the keyboard seems to have reached its limit. I struggle to type even a hundred words.

Know what else I've learned? I can't force it. I've had to learn there's a difference between "persevering even when I don't feel like it" and "my brain really just needs a refresher." There's a definite difference there--it's something you learn to distinguish.

After I finish writing a novel, my muse goes on vacation so I can recharge. Even though I'm still working on edits and everything, it can be frustrating not to be writing. I miss writing. I want something to come out when I put my hands on the keyboard and open a document file. I'm supposed to be a writer, right? But it's been three weeks, and no new story. Three months, and no new story. Oh, look, now it's five months and that second book I was supposed to have already written? Yeah, it's not written yet.

Inevitably, though, if I keep working on cleaning up other projects, let my brain rest on the writing front, watch some movies, read some books...a new story comes in and clobbers me over the head, and then I'm back to pounding away on the keyboard. I know I can type a huge amount at once if I need to. I also know that some days, getting out just a little bit can be like pulling teeth.

On my best day, when I was on a deadline, I wrote 10,000 words. Some days, I'm doing good to get out two hundred.

Writing isn't easy--anyone who has written even half a book can tell you this. Sometimes it is frustrating, and annoying, and you just want to throw your book against the wall or shout at your characters for being so uncooperative.

And some days, the writing flows and the thrill of excitement hits you. The characters are doing their thing and you're just going along with it, and everything seems so easy.

No matter whether I'm in a difficult stage or an "everything is working wonderfully" stage, I really do love being a writer. I love it that I can tell a story that was never told before. Sure, there might be things similar to it, but nothing that is exactly like mine. I love the words and the characters and the uniqueness that belongs to each one. I love learning new things--from my writing and from others' writing.

If you're in a writing slump right now, remember that it won't last forever and that sometimes you just need a refresher. If you're on a writing high right now, I hope you are having a blast. Beyond anything else, even when you are tired, and exhausted, and frustrated, I hope that you can look at what you do and remember why you love it.

I also read two encouraging blog posts about writing and stories today, so I'm going to link those here.

Susan Kaye Quinn posted about the lies we tell ourselves as writers: Four Nasty Lies We Tell Ourselves About Writing

Peggy Eddleman wrote about the need for stories: The Need For Stories


Where are you with writing right now?

R is for Relentless, Resolute Writers

Dear Relentless, Resolute Writers,

You are amazing.

You juggle so many things in between your writing.  Maybe you have a day job and you moonlight as a writer by night.  Maybe you have a night job and work in a little bit of writing during the day.  Maybe you're so bogged down with homework that you have no idea how you're going to type out anything except your finals.  Maybe you're running your children back and forth to their extracurricular activities.  Maybe you have a huge, bustling family.  Maybe you live by yourself.

You all have one thing in common: you're writing a book.  Fiction, non-fiction, adult, YA, MG, children's, memoir, novel-length, novella, short-story, series.  You could be on your twentieth novel.  You could be on your first.  You could write a whole book in a month.  You could take three years to do it.

But no matter what you're juggling or where you are on your writing path, you're sticking with it.  Sometimes you're so tired and discouraged that it's all you can do to drag one foot in front of the other.  Sometimes you're on Cloud 9 because you just got the proofs back from your editor and you know you are so close to holding your book in your hands.  Sometimes you want to throw your manuscript against the wall because you just do not know why anyone would ever want to read it.  Sometimes you are elated and giddy when someone read and loved your story.

Writing is not easy.  It's a constant process of growing, changing, learning, developing.  Writing, editing, revising, more editing, rewriting, did I mention editing?, sending to beta readers/critique partners, writing summaries, researching publishers/agents, writing queries, sending queries, getting rejections, and waiting.

There is a lot of waiting in writing.

Still, here you are, plodding down your path, or perhaps running down it.  You are sticking with it no matter how hard it is because you have a story to tell.  Even though sometimes you might feel like quitting, you're not going to because you love writing, because you have a story, because you want to say something with your words, or because of many other personal reasons.

To all of you relentless, resolute writers: my hat is off to all of you, no matter what stage you're in.  I hope that you can hold onto the joy of writing in the frustrating moments, and that you can see the worth in your words in those times when doubt whispers to you.

This is your story and only you can tell it.  I wish an amazing, beautiful journey for you.

All the best,
A Fellow Writer