While weeding the flower bed this evening (and listening to the kids play their crazy game with stuffed animals and imaginary zip lines), I mentally worked on my story line for my...well, I admit it is intended to be a novel, but I feel cheesy saying that I am writing a novel. Ok, whatever, so I am cheesy. Writing has always been an outlet for me, whether I am writing stories, songs, poems, or just random bits of prose. Like this blog. It is a nice creative outlet that is mine, all mine!!!! Good or bad, right or wrong, interesting or boring, it is MINE!
I digress. The storyline for my novel (yikes, that sounds so much loftier than I intend it to sound). It is developing nicely, partially inspired by some true life experiences, but completely and totally fictional all the same. Does that even make sense?
One funny thing I have noticed about myself is that I am more inspired to write when I am totally and completely ignoring any writing that is required of me, such as the writing for my dissertation or any number of papers that I must complete for my classes. Which, as you may have figured out, I am currently doing (ignoring the required). It seems like the urge to get the words on paper, to bring them carefully and lovingly from the fledgling ideas to full maturity, only occurs when it is something I want to write about and is not required. Writing papers and this dissertation are slow, painful, and methodical experiences. Checking references, footnotes, bibliographies and the like are creativity-killers, at least for me.
When I have the freedom to put the words on paper, either literally or on the computer screen, the process is enjoyable and liberating. I have heard it said that artists, be they writers, painters, musicians, all have this experience wherein the words/song/image seem to take the person over , consuming his thoughts and interfering in every waking moment until it is freed in the necessary medium. It is almost as if the ideas have a life of their own, and they are not content until they are expressed fully and completely on paper, on canvas, or in notes and melodies. The artist then has peace. Maybe that just sounds crazy to a lot of you out there...Well, crazy or not, that has been my experience, especially with writing.
So, writing this post about, er, writing, made me think about...writing. Profound? Out of curiosity, I searched for writing quotes (because everybody loves a good quote). Here, in no particular order, are some excellent ones (just in case you ever wanted to read a blog post about...writing...with written quotes about...writing...hmmm, this is getting cheesier by the minute).
I try to leave out the parts that people skip. ~Elmore Leonard
Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart. ~William Wordsworth
Write down the thoughts of the moment. Those that come unsought for are commonly the most valuable. ~Francis Bacon
Be obscure clearly. ~E.B. White
The only cure for writer's block is insomnia. ~Merit Antares
The best time for planning a book is while you're doing the dishes. ~Agatha Christie
If I don't write to empty my mind, I go mad. ~Lord Byron
Thanks to Quote Garden for the great quotes. The internet rocks!
I can completely understand what you are saying. I've always loved reading and I think of story ideas all the time. I usually write down a synopsis of them to develop later on - like when my kids are grown and gone. : ) I took Creative Writing in High School and also in College. In College I found that I actually did a lot better writing children's story books than anything else. Who knows - maybe that will be my future! Thank you for sharing this!
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