I’ve been accused of not being an optimist.
Actually, I prefer to think myself as realist…or even an optimist prone to melancholic states, take your pick. Either way, there are days that I feel thrilled to have so many amazing options of great books to read and great music to hear, and great ideas to write. There are other days that I honestly don’t have a clue how to balance all of the above, and I feel like I’m spinning on overload. Then, there are days when I don’t even feel like trying.
Here’s the trick to the writing process as I understand it: Good writers are good readers. Good writers (like good actors) are aware of life as it unfolds around them. They experience life. They see things, and observe people. They are profoundly sensitive to the ethos and the spirituality of each moment that they experience. There are days that I’m all of those things, and there are days when I can barely make it from the time I wake up until the time I go to bed in one piece and with minimal collateral damage.
I talked a few posts ago about being present, fully present and engaged, in what and who I’m experiencing from one moment to the next. I think that, for any writer, this is critical, because we write, at least to some extent, what we know. I don’t want to just live this way for what I can get out of it, though, because that’s unfair and de-humanizing to those that I experience life with. I want to really connect with them, because, whoever they are, they are important. As with anything else important, that sort of connection takes time. Writing takes time. Reading takes time. Every one of these things takes time to do well, and, like everyone else, I just don’t ever have enough time.
I’m not complaining, don’t get me wrong. Having all of these things to do and a few friends and family with which to do them is wonderful. There are many who are not nearly as fortunate. I guess what I’m musing aloud here is that, when something is left off of the to-do list for the day, it always seems to be the actual act of placing the words on the page. And projects just don’t get finished that way.
So, perhaps all that advice I’ve always read about making certain to block out time to write every day is a bit unrealistic. I think I should be concerned that it seems such a chore at the moment. Do you ever experience something similar? What do you do about it?
Photo Attribution: where are the joneses