(This is an excerpt from something I have been working on)
WORKING DESPITE INSPIRATION.
By having a system of writing, and favouring it over a goal, you will avoid a lot of pitfalls in producing written work. One of them being the natural sensation of not ‘feeling inspired’ as an excuse not to write.
A short-term solution, but one we are all prone to.
No, the shield of inspiration for me was waiting for the perfect time and conditions to write. I didn’t do endings, because of a lack of inspiration and soon it became a one size fits all solution in so far as I wasn’t writing. So I speak from experience how an affectation, comforting as it is, becomes paralysis.
A lot of it is the fear of poor writing, but the struggle is where the best of you as a writer emerges.
A system using a minimal daily page or word count will insure you to this. From my experience, looking back over my work, it does not reflect the days which were poor and frustrating in terms of the writing on the page. It is the same with the good days, when I wanted to write more, but still walked away at the end of the daily writing session.
If you’re familiar with the term compound interest, it applies here. As does Pareto’s Principle, where 20% of your efforts will produce 80% of your results. It is a matter of having something in place to allow it to happen.
Look at it in terms of numbers. A thousand words a day, means you have over 30 days, thirty thousand words of content. That is a book, and for a minimal amount of attention, means you can produce finished work. Editing and drafting come later into the process, as we will see in a further module.
Sit down and write, and there are means you can do to protect your process –
Locations where you cannot access distractions. Real estate seminars, talks and lectures, where you can sit and write longhand. It also is a source of research material and anecdote.
Look at what you do during the day/evening.. We are creatures of habit, so look at which habits hold you back and then replace them with something positive. Less mobile gaming, more writing.
Set a timer. A cycle of the dishwasher or washing machine, and by the time it’s finished, you will go about your day, with your writing done.
More creation, less consumption.
Inspiration comes and goes, but the work remains.
MB Blissett 