S.D. Gibson
At least part of the fun in writing is discovery or surprise. Even when I’ve done a great deal of detailed pre-writing and planning, the language within individual sentences, when the writing is going well, can be startling. Noticing that is important. When it’s not going well, I try to be patient with myself and the process, remember revision, and the next draft and the one after that. The chance to become a better writer never goes away, which seems optimistic to me. Reading what I’m writing as I write is usually at least interesting because I’m taking a fairly abstract plan and making it more specific, adding sensory language, imagining what my characters are feeling, etc.
It helps me to also realize the first few moments are the difficult part. Once I have text in front of me and I’m reading some of it and making changes and then adding material, writing starts to feel good. Adding variety to the experience by revising my writing process or reconsidering what is influencing me is also helpful. It’s also the case that everybody in every profession has some bad, unproductive days. A bad day is not a bad week. It’s certainly not a bad career or a reason to stop.
It helps me to also realize the first few moments are the difficult part. Once I have text in front of me and I’m reading some of it and making changes and then adding material, writing starts to feel good. Adding variety to the experience by revising my writing process or reconsidering what is influencing me is also helpful. It’s also the case that everybody in every profession has some bad, unproductive days. A bad day is not a bad week. It’s certainly not a bad career or a reason to stop.
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