CHAPTER FIVE AND THE PAINFUL TRUTH ABOUT WRITING
by Sheridan Winn
‘What’s it like being a writer?’
‘Are you disciplined and start at the
same time each day?’
‘Do you listen to music when you write?’
‘How many words do you write in a day?’
‘Where do you get your ideas from?’
It’s
wonderful and awful; no; absolutely not (words have their own rhythm and music
interrupts the flow); anything between 50 and 5000; and, I have no idea,
they’re just there when I need them, I reply.
How
does one explain that writing is as excruciating as it is exhilarating?
Sometimes, you explain, the words creep along the page, sometimes they tumble
out and, sometimes, if you’re really lucky and get ‘in the zone’, they will
fly.
‘So what’s your typical day?’ they ask.
This
is how it often is.
10.00am. Coffee, strong and black, or a large pot of gunpowder and mint tea
with some honey; either will guarantee I will need to go to the loo umpteen times
in the next hour or so.
 |
| Necessary preparation |
 |
| Ready to roll |
10.10am. Upstairs to my office on the second floor, I create a new Word document for Chapter Five of ‘Magic at Drysdale’s School’.
 |
| The blank page |
This
chapter is from my seventh Sprite Sister title. I know my
characters by now. I know what peril I intend to place them in. The stories are
fun to write; this should be easy. Off we go.
11.00am. Two trips to the loo, no words on the page. Go downstairs for a piece
of Green & Black’s Milk Almond Chocolate and another mug of herb tea.
 |
| Well, it's necessary |
11.10am. Climb the 26 stairs back up to the second floor and sit down at my desk. Get up and open the window to adjust the airflow, then go to the loo, again.
 |
| But why did I drink all that coffee? |
 |
| Distraction No 23 |
11.25am. Teeth now free of bits. Check my email and smart phone (this is done regularly through the day). Adjust the window again.
 |
| The worst distraction |
12.00pm. Answer the ringing telephone in case my aging parents have collapsed,
only to find it’s a friend wanting a chat. If you have a lot of friends and a
big family, you can be guaranteed frequent interruptions when you are trying to
concentrate.
12.30pm. Stare out of the window. Stare at the keyboard.
2.00pm. 165 words now on the page. I will never get this written … Where are my characters going? I’ve had umpteen interruptions and my mind feels all over the place.
12.30pm. Stare out of the window. Stare at the keyboard.
 |
| Speak to me |
2.00pm. 165 words now on the page. I will never get this written … Where are my characters going? I’ve had umpteen interruptions and my mind feels all over the place.
2.30pm. Time to go for a walk. Lie flat out on the grass and
do some cloud watching, then sit under a tree and wait for inspiration. Now do
I know what happens next in the story, I wonder, as I return home?
 |
| I should be able to clear my mind here ... |
4.00pm. Refreshed, though still undecided, I stare at the computer screen.
Remind myself that I am writing this book because I want to: nobody is making
me. I am enjoying it, really I am. Check my diary again.
Do the crossword.
Do the crossword.
 |
| I should be writing, not doing this ... |
5.00pm. Lie on the bed.
 |
| My back hurts |
5.30pm. Back at my desk again.
 |
| Not to be beaten |
5.35pm. Stare at the note I placed on the wall in front of me, some weeks ago. ‘Magic at Drysdale’s School – deadline end July 2012’, it says in large black type. Oh heck. Why didn’t I see that earlier? Four weeks and around 47,500 words to go.
 |
| Arghh.... hurry up, hurry up |
In that case … Go back down to the kitchen, get a
glass of cold rosé and come back up to my seat at the computer.
6.00pm. As
the day winds down and my neighbours return from their work, my mind settles
and I know what my characters will do next. That’s the key – writing is easy
when you have your plot clear. Within a few minutes, I’m away and into the
zone. Time stands still, the noises outside the house recede and my concentration is
absolute as my words zing onto the page. I'm on my way at last!
Sheridan Winn is the author of the Sprite Sister stories. The sixth title, The Boy With Hawk-like Eyes, is available as an e-book. The first title, The Circle of Power, will be published as an e-book later this month and the other titles will follow.
Sheridan Winn is the author of the Sprite Sister stories. The sixth title, The Boy With Hawk-like Eyes, is available as an e-book. The first title, The Circle of Power, will be published as an e-book later this month and the other titles will follow.
Comments
I very rarely write anything for a first draft on the computer.
I take my writing pad with me everywhere and all too often this is when I scribble down the germs of ideas, or solutions to plot problems that I have been trying to resolve just leap into my head. Sometimes I'm sitting in a cafe, sometimes on a bus or in the car, sometimes in a department store whle my wife is shopping and I'm just sitting watching people go by. When I get home I can then start off straight away with an idea and go from there.
And for me, music helps a lot - it seems to soothe me.
Oh wait: writing is easy when you have you plot clear? If only...
Seriously, you're absolutely right: a clear plot and a plan of the way ahead are the best cure for creative inertia. Mind you, sometimes displacement activity is useful, because it jogs your brain in ways it won't get jogged if you're just staring at a screen.
Of course, my favourite displacement activity is commenting on blogs and...
Oh.
Every first draft is like that: pulling teeth while cutting coal.
Rewrites, I find, tend to be faster and more fun.
Then the rest of the stuff. I don't answer the phone. I don't have friends/family to distract. I do dog walking at 6am and after midday and then the rest of the day is spent in the other hideous activities you describe. I wish every day was as I describe. Unfortunately there are too many of the days where I CAN'T write because of the admin or business or emails or all that and if I even begin dealing with blogs and twitter there's no way I can WRITE that day. So as you'll guess, today I'm NOT writing. But the upside is, on the days I write I can get A LOT of words written. I am obviously in a very small minority but I need peace, quiet and no distractions and find that focussed concentration is what brings characters to life - that and having good structures written out in advance! Well, folks, that's the Puritan work ethic for you!
I am greatly relieved that I'm not the only one who has displacement activities! Best, Sheri