Go into any bookstore, and you will find a section on Writing and Publishing. Hundreds (of thousands?) of books have been written on how to get an agent, submit a query, overcome writer’s block, negotiate a book contract, punctuate correctly, find time to write a novel in thirty days, and so on.
Writers want to know these details, and we want to know them up front. We want to know that if we just follow directions and do everything right, we won’t be wasting our time with all this writing nonsense. We would rather stuff into the dark corners of our subconscious what we already know quite well: that writing IS mostly a waste of time, that there is no guarantee of success (whether you mark success as getting published or simply finishing the damn book), and finally, that there are only three steps to writing. What happens on the days when you don’t feel like doing any of these three steps? Obviously, you avoid them by any means possible.
Because if you are a writer, it will come back: the compulsion to write. I promise. It’s probably just hiding. Or, it got the hell out of there because you were making such a big deal about it. If you back off, forget it awhile, and focus on the life part of the writing life, it will come back.
Naturally, as a master of writing avoidance, I have done quite a lot of reading about writing. My favorites books on writing are the ones I can read again and again for encouragement. The ones that emphasize the possibility of writing on those days when writing seems impossible. Writing, like any other worthwhile occupation, is hard work, and some days (weeks, months), it really sucks. On those days, avoid writing. Read these instead:
This is the big one. The quintessential guide to creativity. Formatted into a twelve-week “creative recovery” course, this book is directed toward not just writers but all artists–painters, sculptors, filmmakers, and everyone who feels the need for more, who feels empty and mechanical and dull. According to Cameron, everyone is creative, some of us have just forgotten that fact. Through these essays and exercises in creativity, she will help you remember.
The Right to Write by Julia Cameron
Cameron has en extensive list of published works on creativity. I’ve read most of them, and for the most part, they are just further elucidations on the ideas she introduced in The Artist’s Way. If you can’t get enough of Julia Cameron (and there was a time in my life when I couldn’t), you’ll enjoy reading all of her works on creativity. But if you read only one more, try The Right to Write, a collection of essays focused toward writers. Cameron was living in Taos, New Mexico at the time she wrote the book, and she begins many of the essays with a simple description of the mountains, the weather, her horses, and from there expands into the most profound statements on the writing life I’ve ever read. It’s a beautiful example of writing in the moment and seeing what comes out on the page.
Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg
Natalie Goldberg uses writing as a Zen practice. Even if you know nothing (or care nothing) about Zen, this book will give you a valuable new perspective on writing. Goldberg includes her own experiences with both writing and with Zen practice and meditation.
According to his website, Ralph Keyes has written fourteen books. The Courage to Write is the only one I’ve read, but it was enough to seal my admiration for him as a writer. If I really admit it to myself, every time I avoid writing, it is because of fear. Sitting down to create something that has never existed before is terrifying. It is a comfort to know that I’m not the only coward out there with a pen.
If You Want to Write by Brenda Ueland
First published in 1938, If You Want to Write is the practical, no-nonsense guide to writing that should have been subtitled, Just Sit Down and Do It Already. Brenda Ueland is like your full-of-life, spitfire grandma who’s been through it all and now wants to knock it all into your thick skull. She emphasizes writing with unwavering honesty, and always being true to yourself.
