Jennifer Derrick
I'd like to say that some mystical force comes down and whacks me on the head, but the truth is far more boring. I need to eat, keep the lights on and buy gas for the car! Paying the bills is my inspiration.
Coming from a freelance and corporate background, I learned very quickly that you can't wait around for the Muse to come to you. You have to produce because that's the only way to get clients and make money. Writing is a job.
I don't treat fiction any differently. I sit down at the computer every day and work. Sometimes what comes out is absolute garbage, but almost everything can be fixed later. The job is to write so that you have something to fix! Yes, it's probably sacrilegious to say that writing fiction is a job and not a mystical art form, but if you want to make a living you have to treat it like a job with deadlines, goals, and income spreadsheets. You can't wait for inspiration or hope that the story comes to you fully formed. If I were to wait around for inspiration, I'd probably starve.
Plus, I've learned that the more you show up at the keyboard, the easier it gets. You get in a groove and your brain gets trained to produce on command. It may still be garbage, but once writing becomes a habit you rarely find yourself at the keyboard with nothing to do.
Coming from a freelance and corporate background, I learned very quickly that you can't wait around for the Muse to come to you. You have to produce because that's the only way to get clients and make money. Writing is a job.
I don't treat fiction any differently. I sit down at the computer every day and work. Sometimes what comes out is absolute garbage, but almost everything can be fixed later. The job is to write so that you have something to fix! Yes, it's probably sacrilegious to say that writing fiction is a job and not a mystical art form, but if you want to make a living you have to treat it like a job with deadlines, goals, and income spreadsheets. You can't wait for inspiration or hope that the story comes to you fully formed. If I were to wait around for inspiration, I'd probably starve.
Plus, I've learned that the more you show up at the keyboard, the easier it gets. You get in a groove and your brain gets trained to produce on command. It may still be garbage, but once writing becomes a habit you rarely find yourself at the keyboard with nothing to do.
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