Saturday, October 24, 2009

Writing Wherewithal!

Writing is definitely a craft. Like an athlete, a writer must practice in order for their talent to be honed. It has been over three months since I have written anything for publication and it is quite obvious that by allowing this craft to become stagnant, it has become laborious to revive. But here I sit in the dark with my computer, and I wonder if restoration is possible.

It isn't that I have nothing to communicate, it is that I can't seem to find that allusive “balance” I am constantly seeking. Everything I see, do or experience is fodder for a blog, but lately I can't seem to compose. The words are there, but the wherewithal to do the work is not.

I have always been an advocate that teacher's of writing must write themselves. It is important that we understand what our students are experiencing when they write. Perhaps her lies an epiphany—sometimes it is simply too difficult to write, or too arduous or perhaps inconsequential. I am really not sure which tag properly identifies my motives, but I feel compelled to come out of the fog.

The lack of motivation to write is like being separated from one you love—it is a feeling of abandonment and torpidity. Salvaging this union will no doubt take hard work and practice. I am unafraid of either, but both take an incredible amount of time and energy. It is time to step up to the plate, but why does it seem so difficult?

The problem is simple and I know it. I have become lazy. Sometimes, it is easier not to write at all than to expend the amount of energy it takes to compose well. Perhaps it doesn't matter if the writing is great or significant—perhaps sometimes it just matters that you DO IT! Quite a lesson for writers, no matter what their age.

4 comments:

Linds said...

just do it - I love readign what you have to say! And I know how you are feeling. My problem is that I self-edit too heavily, which stops the flow of words,and then I hit a brick wall, but my children read this and I have things to say which they would not want to read at times. I don't speak much about feelings either, for the same reason. This is not good. Maybe I need another blog!

Anonymous said...

I can't remember the author, but I read an essay she wrote talking about a period in her life when she simply couldn't write because her life was too much in the fore. The changes and growth took all her time and energy. Kind of like what young teens are going through. Perhaps it is not laziness but a need to incorporate new parts of yourself or your life that has claimed your energy direction? Like being in a growth spurt.

Anonymous said...

I hear you. I have given up trying to be "profound" in absolutely everything I write. I also have to work on my tendency to exhibit the opposite of brevity.

To get back into it, it might help to start small and don't worry much about editing and re-editing. Build from there.

So much writing. So little time available.

M. Cuttill-Price said...

Thanks for the encouragement. You guys are so eloquent. Annie--I believe you may have "hit the nail on the head". My life has been requiring most of my energy. I am in the midst of a growth spurt!!