How to write when you don't want to write.
A few tips.
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Step 1. Never force. Find your own technique.
I’m not one of those writers who sit down every day and write. It often takes years for me to finish a book. In fact, I wasn’t even feeling this Substack post but work is slow so I thought, Why not? I’ve tried the techniques of other writers such as Julia Cameron, etc but have learned that forcing words only brings frustration. Sure, a few wonderful lines can flow out with all the other crap but I’d rather sit in delight and see what happens. I want to feel compelled. My imagination is always on, always recording words and moments — whether I write them down or not.
Finding your own technique for writing is paramount. Perhaps you write every day in a journal or once a month. Perhaps you prefer voice memos to transcribe later. Perhaps you just like talking out loud! Whatever works and whatever brings you pleasure.
Step 2. The pressure of monetizing will kill your art. At the very least, it will strip away your pleasure.
When you begin to write, do it for yourself. Forget about monetizing, even if you approach that later — once your project is complete. That should be the last guest invited to the dinner party. Creating a work out of your imaginative powers is a force like none other — and does not want to have a FOR SALE sign on its window. Feel the pleasure, frustration and absolute devotion a project brings. It’s your dance with your Muse and through your writing, you will change the world. But not yet. It is your child to develop in secret — and yours alone.
Step 3. Those old notebooks and files that you’ll never use? They are part of becoming a writer.
I’ve heard from many writers who are discouraged over piles of half-filled notebooks and dusty drafts have not come together as a book. Those piles are the canvas, the initial sketches or just disciplinary practice. Valuable in their own right, even if they are not used in a future project. Imagine a carpenter saying, I really need to use every scrap of this wood. Otherwise, I’m not a carpenter.
Recently, I discovered a 56,000 word book I’d written in 2018 and hadn’t opened for years. Winter had potential but my interest petered out. It happens. There is nothing more frustrating than writing a book that is nearly done — then saying, Nah. Too futuristic. Doesn’t work. Not interested. Yet that is what I did. Put it aside and stopped writing for a few years until I published my short story The Last Painting, which had little to do with Winter.
But my brilliant subconscious mind was not done with this almost-finished draft of Winter. It’s like a long-drawn out reduction on the stove — and I realized, as I opened the file the other day, that Winter was the early prototype for my latest novel that is nearly finished. I was shocked — even though my narrator is now female, it had many bones from 2018, just waiting for the right framework to come along. Even the ending, which I had “forgotten”, was very similar to the one in my present novel.
So, you never know what your subconscious mind will draw out from those dusty files. They are not forgotten. Consider them Brood XIII and XIX, biding their time — or simply the workshop of a writer.
Step 4. Being published, recognized or having an agent does not make you a writer. If you write, you are a writer. Be proud of your gift. Be proud of yourself!
People joke about the fragile egos of writers but there is a reason: writers can be incredibly hard on themselves. I used to think I was such a loser that I didn’t have a book published in my 20s because so many people did. Yet I was writing in my journal, creating an e-zine (remember them?), stories and poetry, making music. But since I didn’t have an agent or massive royalty checks, I wasn’t a writer. I wasn’t an artist. I was just playing around.
Another way to chase off your Muse is to think you are not an artist because of the above reasons. Many, many great writers, composers, painters were not discovered until long after their deaths. Many died sick and penniless. Did that make their creations any less valuable? Did that mean they were not real artists? Did they not add to the beauty of this world, even if they were not recognized or known?
Be proud of your gift. Walk around the house saying, I am an artist. I am a brilliant writer! I create beauty in this world, even if I don’t make a dime. I am part of creation. I am channeling Divine beauty through my words. I am so proud of myself. I am so grateful that I have the brains, eyes, senses and abilities to express myself. I am grateful for this experience. I love being a writer (or whatever art you do.) I love words and I love creating my own unique way of saying things. My own unique expression that will live on forever.