Writing about writing for writings sake2

Writing about writing for the sake of writing… once again: Feeding the writing monster.

Unsolicited opinions and random thoughts on writing; mine and everyone else's.



As I progress in life, I find that I am in love with the written word. Being an avid reader since I picked up my first real book at the age of ten, I'm infatuated with every aspect of it. I've also written my own work, off and on, since junior high; mostly for my own fun and enjoyment. It's only recently that I began taking this whole thing more seriously, and started to open myself up to outside critiques. Like a teenage boy after having his first taste of a lovers' touch though; I'm enthusiastic, but in dire need of practice. To that end, I'm going to write as much as I can, when I can. And what better subject to start with than writing itself.

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Okay, as a man I find this extremely hard to admit, but I once saw a musical called Little Shop of Horrors. Embarrassing, I know, but I can lay the blame entirely at the feet of my ex-wife, who was very into musicals, theater and the like. So that’s my excuse anyway. In the movie, a nerdy flower shop worker finds a strange looking, tiny plant that turns out to be an alien that eats people and grows so big it takes over. So, why am I telling you this and what does it have to do with writing? Well, let me tell you.

As I’ve started writing, I’ve found that writing itself is a lot like that plant. For me, it started out as a tiny sprout; the desire to write something. Just like the plant in the movie, it needs to be fed every day to grow big and take over. If I don’t, it will wither and die. There are a thousand things in my life that can make a logical argument in my head for being more immediately important than my writing. While all those things are important, and I’m not going to forget about them; writing is something I love to do, and it will always be high on my list of priorities.

So, the question becomes how do I feed this writing monster? Well, the first place to start of course is just to write. Make time to do it. For me, I had to end up treating writing like any other job or skill I was trying to develop. I had to dedicate an hour a day for nothing but writing. This worked for me because I’m a little obsessive. I like to make lists of what needs to get done and schedule out time for everything, so I don’t end up forgetting anything. It may not work for you, but find a system that does, lest your writing monster wither and die.

I know, I know, I can already hear the outraged cries from the writing community; “creativity can not be scheduled or forced, it has to flow”. They are absolutely right. I’m not saying force yourself to be creative if you don’t feel it during this time. If you do, it won’t work anyway. I can’t tell you the number of times I have stared at a terribly written, single paragraph that was all I had to show for an entire hour of excruciating work. This is where I love WDC the most. When I’m feeling less then creative, I read and review other people’s work.

First of all, reading is what inspired me to write in the first place. So I find that when I read someone else’s stories, ideas of my own start forming in the back of my head, and I can feel my own little monster perking up its head. Also, I am terrible about grammar and word usage in my own work; but things that I can’t see as I’m writing, pop out in other’s work as I read. If I take the time to write a quick review that includes editing suggestions – in a constructive way – for the author, I find that those same things stay with me for when I am doing my writing, and I'm less likely to make those mistakes. It feeds the monster in a different way; only making me better as an author.

The second piece of advice I have for you is one I’m sure you heard over and over again. When inspiration strikes, dear god, write it down! If you’re like me, and based on what I’ve read from other authors quite a few of you are, when the lightning of an idea strikes you as you’re laying in bed trying to go to sleep, if you don’t write it down its gone. Even a few words scribbled on a cocktail napkin can later bring you back to that place in your mind.

A good example from my own writing was a book I’m working on now. I actually started it as a short story a while before I seriously considered writing again. I was bored at work and just started writing. It was a half formed idea that appealed to me and I only got five paragraphs and a few notes on plot out before I had to go back to work. I almost just deleted it all, but on a whim I saved it onto my memory stick. I didn’t even title it. Life, as it always does, got in the way again; work and family crisis’s crept up and I completely forgot about it.

Nine months later, I was finally writing again. The story that I was working on at the time was bogging down so I decided to take a break and work on something else, but I was having trouble coming up with ideas. I noticed a little unnamed file on my memory stick and opened it up. By the time I got the last paragraph the story was exploding in my head. Plots, characters and story ideas were unfolding inside of my mind. I couldn’t write it down fast enough, it was amazing. Would I have thought of the idea again eventually? Maybe, but I’m not sure.

It might help to get a small notebook, to jot down ideas as they come. You can also invest in a memory stick. They have become so inexpensive lately, and they have enough space on them to hold your entire writing portfolio, plus any ideas you can come up with and carry it with you in your pocket.

So, make time to feed you monster. Does it have to be an hour a day? No, if all you have is ten minutes a day, do it. A little snack is better than starving it to death. On the flip side, if you find yourself “in the groove”, don’t stop, just let it flow. As long as you’re not totally ignoring the rest of your life and your responsibilities, you’re a writer, so write. And don’t misunderstand what I'm trying to say. If you need a break, don’t be afraid to take a day off. This is supposed to be enjoyable, make sure it doesn’t turn into something you have to do. If it becomes a chore, you just won’t do it anymore.

Just try to feed your monster as much as you can, so it can grow up big and strong; and then eat you… Wait, no; strike that last part.

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I write these things for practice in writing, but also I write about things I am finding out along the way as a newbie. Many of you learned all of this long ago; but my hope is that another newbie might find this useful, so they don’t have to figure it out themselves. If you found it interesting, you might want to check out:

Writing about writing for writing's sake  [ASR] #1480371 Opinions and random thoughts on writing: Storyline & Characters by angeljack

Thanks for reading, please let me what you thought about it. I’m still definitely a newbie and am always trying to improve.