McAnally's (The Community Pub) > Author Craft
Motivation for a Fellow Writer
meg_evonne:
--- Quote from: blgarver on September 26, 2008, 01:11:18 PM ---After work yesterday I got home and he was all wound up and ready to go to Borders for a few hours of writing. I had been up since 4 that morning, working on my own novel before I had to be at work at 8. I was beat. Felt like I'd been mauled by Jesus or something. But I agreed to go with him, even though I just wanted to sink into my bed and pass out. I didn't want him to decide to stay home because I wasn't going.
--- End quote ---
I'm not sure it is possible to 'help' a writer through this. Your friend might see you writing away with normal 'writer's insanity' and possibly wish that he could do that as well? The truth is--if he really wanted to write, he would have gone himself, forced by his own writing demon. I'd pass on hugs and well wishes. If he was really fired up then he would have been writing when you came home.
blgarver:
--- Quote from: meg_evonne on September 26, 2008, 03:12:52 PM ---I'm not sure it is possible to 'help' a writer through this. Your friend might see you writing away with normal 'writer's insanity' and possibly wish that he could do that as well? The truth is--if he really wanted to write, he would have gone himself, forced by his own writing demon. I'd pass on hugs and well wishes. If he was really fired up then he would have been writing when you came home.
--- End quote ---
I am inclined to agree with this. But I remember a time when I let all kinds of things get in the way of my writing. It has only been in the past few years that I've gotten anywhere near a serious attitude toward writing as a career. I've always wanted to write, but growing up in Podunkville, Missouri I had no encouragement. Zero. Everyone thought it was neat that I liked to write and viewed it as a cute hobby. Nobody respected it as something I might actually do as a living one day. Nobody believed in me, nor did they give a crap what I was writing.
Even now I get crap for saying "No, I can't hang out tonight because I need to write." Luckily my friends aren't high maintenance and I don't have to argue with them TOO much. Plus they all have an interest in writing, so at least they respect what I'm trying to do.
So, while I want to say "dude, seriously, do you want to write or don't you?" I can't help but think of the time when I had no input or support and wasn't writing anything. Well, I still wrote some, but not to the extent I do now. I want to give him that encouragement and support that I longed for 15 years ago.
meg_evonne:
--- Quote from: blgarver on September 26, 2008, 06:16:06 PM ---I've always wanted to write, but growing up in Podunkville, Missouri I had no encouragement. Zero. Everyone thought it was neat that I liked to write and viewed it as a cute hobby. Nobody respected it as something I might actually do as a living one day. Nobody believed in me, nor did they give a crap what I was writing.
--- End quote ---
I think it's a midwest trait---until you become well know. (((((((BLG))))))))
Kris_W:
Actually, I live in the US Midwest and I don’t have any problem with people treating my writing as a job. I believe that is because I treat it as one.
* I’ve scheduled things around my writing time enough that my friends know not to call me or schedule things with me at set times. If they do interrupt me I explain that ‘I’m at work just now, I’ll get back to you in a couple hours.’
* I have set goals of scenes, word count and research to do and I track my progress. When people ask me how I’m doing I can reply coherently with concrete statistics.
* I track the industry. Occasionally business talk enters into casual conversations. When something important is going on in book industry news I keep up on the details.
* I ask for opinions from friends on their reading and book purchasing habits. I listen to them in a non-judgmental way. I respect them as favorite customers in much the same way my friend in banking treats discussions on economics or my friend with a clothing store discusses fashion and fabric issues.
I don’t know if any of this will help you gain deserved respect, but hey, it works for me.
meg_evonne:
In my case, I was referring to rearing. Writing was considered an odd way to keep busy. Reading all hours day and night were also considered strange by my family. Didn't hold me up, but writing was sort of pushing their comfort level. My father was the first to get a college education and it wasn't until in college that I was 'taught' how to study effectively. We were on our own a lot for everything else dealing with writing or in depth studying. In fact the comfort level was pushed by being in a stage production :-). Luckily there were two large family neighbors with parents employed in the university system. Still, you don't go to your best friend's house and pull out a pad and pencil and start writing until 2 in the morning... My best friend wanted to live in my family and I wanted to live in hers.... life, who knows huh?
Were you referring to now BLG or to your childhood years?
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