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Monday, June 25, 2012

Do You Have What It Takes?

Writing is fun, but it's not easy. It takes long hours, dedication, and the willingness to revise something for the umpteenth time until you (or your agent/editor) are happy with it. 

"I'd like to write a book someday too, when I have the time to fritter away." I got that comment from a well-meaning friend of mine who knows I'm a writer: I think it was the "fritter away" part that actually made my teeth grind together. Writers know that there is no magic time fairy who waves her wand over us and gives us blocks of time that other mere mortals don't have (that would be SO cool though). The difference between people who write books and the people who just talk about writing books is simple. People who write books commit to the writing. 

We write when other people are watching reality shows. We write until the wee hours of the night when everyone else is asleep (long after the caffeine has worn off). We rise at ungodly hours to squeeze in several pages before work or before the kids wake up (long before the caffeine has kicked in.) Even when not writing, we are thinking about writing. Plot issues and characterization get worked out in the shower or while folding laundry. Whether we eek out a paragraph at a time, or multiple pages in a sitting, we keep writing...and writing...until we have a finished book.

We have families, jobs, volunteer commitments, and chores (did I mention laundry?), just like everyone else. Unlike everyone else, we commit to telling stories, one sentence at a time. I'm a writer. What about you?

Do you have what it takes? 

14 comments:

  1. Argh, that bothers the heck out of me, too! I heard that a lot as well, the "Oh, I'd love to write, if only I had the time like you do." You have to create the time, and it's not always fun or easy. In fact, it rarely is. And even when you become a full time writer, there's so much other STUFF that goes with it that you still have to make your own time to get the writing done.

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    1. Meagan--that's a great point! I was just talking to a best-selling, full-time writer and she told me that it's harder than ever to get the actual writing done, due to interviews, marketing, etc. It's a problem I can't wait to have. Thanks for stopping by!

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  2. When I started telling people I was writing a book, I was shocked at how many of them replied, "Oh, I always wanted to write a novel!" I used to ask why they didn't, especially if they started telling me about their ideas. They quickly backpedaled, even if it was clear from their concept that they'd spent a lot of time thinking about it.

    I think part of the problem isn't the time factor, but the intimidation factor of putting that many words in a row on paper. I think the longest things a lot of people have ever written are school assignments. The longest paper I was ever assigned was fifty pages, and I tortured myself over every last one of them. The thought of committing five or six times that much writing and making it coherent is what kept me from writing for years. Unfortunately, the only way to conquer that daunting thought is to sit down and start. Once I started, I couldn't stop.

    I don't have any more time than anyone else. I get the same twenty four hours every day. Writing just became important enough to schedule into my routine.

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    1. Yes, I think the intimidation factor is probably true for a lot of people. The part about scheduling the writing into your routine is key, because people who keep waiting for the time to do it will never finish a book. Thanks for weighing in! :)

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  3. When I first started writing, I admit the time comittment scared me. Funny thing was I didn't miss the things I gave up to make time to write. Writing gave me such a sense of fulfillment. In fact I get cranky now when I can't write!

    It's still a balancing act between a fulltime job (still have to pay the bills), family (hubby & kids are great about giving me time to write!) and just life in general (laundry is evil). I would trade the long hours for anything!

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    1. The balancing act never seems to end, and you are so right about laundry being evil! I tell everyone my laundry basket is possessed because it's never empty. Thanks for commenting!

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  4. When I first started writing, I admit the time comittment scared me. Funny thing was I didn't miss the things I gave up to make time to write. Writing gave me such a sense of fulfillment. In fact I get cranky now when I can't write!

    It's still a balancing act between a fulltime job (still have to pay the bills), family (hubby & kids are great about giving me time to write!) and just life in general (laundry is evil). I would trade the long hours for anything!

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  5. I completely agree! What a great post. It is the truth--my characters will badger me until I crank out what they're saying/doing in the story (I can't be the only one who this happens to right?) So I keep notebooks strategically placed all over the house just incase I need to jot something down in between cleaning, cooking, or taking out the pup. :)

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    1. The worst is when I have characters bother me for a different book than the one I'm writing. They need to wait their turn! I have notebooks everywhere too. In fact, I just started doing more hand-writing rather than typing and have had some interesting results, so I'll do a post on that next week. Thanks for commenting. :)

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    2. Ha! It's good to know I'm not the only writer this happens to! And I know what you mean about them pestering you when you're working on a different project! It's hard to keep so many idea lines from crossing...but I have to admit I love having characters I can't get enough of, it's so much better than when things go silent for a couple weeks! Great post!

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  6. Just chuckling at this...

    If I had a dollar for every time someone said to me: "Oh, just write a book" or "Where do you find the time for writing?" - I'd have enough bucks stockpiled to not worry about the laundry, the kids, the bills, the jobs... or paying for the buckets of caffeine that wears off...

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    1. I live for the day when I won't have to worry about laundry...my 8-yo mistakenly thinks folding clothes is my "favorite thing in the world" because I'm always doing it. :)

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  7. I also hear a lot of "One of these days, I'm going to write a book." Instead, I sit my butt down and say, "TODAY I am writing a book." Big difference.

    I think a lot of people have the same attitude toward writing that I have toward hiking the Grand Canyon. I aspire to do that one day, but by the time I get around to it, I'll probably need a hip replacement so it ain't gonna happen. Great post, Kristi!

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    1. LOL on the Grand Canyon. My sister hiked it and loves climbing the 14'ers here in Colorado. I don't even pretend I'm going to try it one day, because I know I would die. ;)

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