Writing can be a complex or simple thing. It’s not so much how you look at it, but how you work with it. There are writers with skill I admire who maintain that writing is a difficult act, despite their many years in a chair producing
. Others seem to rattle it off with no effort — some, with the zeal of youth because they are prepared.
It’s not about inspiration; it’s all about letting something complex bubble in their heads, to finally crack open and spill out when ready. There’s work in that act so many don’t see: long walks at night, crunching scenes while shopping for groceries, or talking out loud while driving on back roads and highways…pitting characters against each other and seeing a myriad endings to so many conflicts.
They are the people who can find solace even in a crowded room full of chittering people, the droning of it all becoming its own white noise perfect for thinking. They are the people who sometimes slip from one-on-one conversations, when something said by a friend fills that gap in their head that’s waited days to be filled. Their eyes closed, they might not be napping — just focusing more than usual on which way to take a scene.
They might appear lazy, lying prone on a couch and staring at the ceiling, but be sure of this: a writer is always working!
This is so true! People always talk about waiting for inspiration. Really, inspiration is just the result of lots of time spent turning ideas over in your head and stumbling upon one that works. Great post 🙂
This is true for others as well.
As an artist, I sit around spacing out (or it seems like I am) while I contemplate my next drawing… what angle, what do I want to show? I guess you could say I’m sketching in my head.
The same for sewing. I so seldom work from a traditional pattern these days, and go through and make the garment over and over in my head, contemplating not only the steps and order, but also where potential mistakes could pop up.
Thanks, Laura — glad you liked this. Hope all’s well getting settled into the swing of college!
Cynthia: Definitely! Watching you create patterns from old drawings and drawing for years…it’s definitely a similar process. Sometimes it’s just clearing space in the mind to sit down and do it for hours — making sure you’re up for a day of focus.