What do you do to refill the well? If you don't, why not?
Writing is just like any other relationship. If you give and give and give eventually you are going to dry up and have nothing left. Good books will not be written when you are all dried up. Words won't flow without a full creative well.
Whatever we are pulling from inside us that is flowing to the page when we write has to be refilled in order to keep our writer's mind juicy and plump with all those words oozing from us and onto our pages.
Our writing relationship is usually something very private. No one is going to refill that well for us. One of the things we have to do to keep from drying up is give ourselves permission to play. With deadlines and the pressures that surround a lot of writers, it's easy to feel guilty over any time we take just for ourselves. It's important to remember when guilt rears its ugly head, if we don't take that time we will eventually dry up. That part of us that makes our writing different from everyone else out there will turn to crusty dry desert filled with prickly cacti and rocks.
Writers have to take time to PLAY. Have fun, do things that bring you to life and excite you.
Play can be many things. Take time to watch a movie, read a book, listen to some music or maybe go on a walk and clear your mind. Maybe play for you is really playing something. There is nothing wrong with a little Angry Birds or Solitaire. All work and no play do not make for a creative, inspired and productive writer. All play and no work, however, do not make for a writer at all. Take the time you need to refill, but don't drown in your well and forget to get back to the writing.
There is a fine line, but play time can refill us, refuel us and get our minds back in a place where our writing can come from a juicy place within again. What have you done to play today?
4 comments:
I took a few hours off and watched a football game with my family. Not much in the way of refilling the creative side of the well, but I did it anyway. What did you do?
I finished reading Had We Never Loved -- the 2nd book in Patricia Veryan's Jewelled Men series. Last week I stumbled across openllibrary.org where you can check out ebooks from past authors like Veryan, Patricia Oliver and Sylvia Thorpe. The state of Kansas is participating in their In-Library lending program.
I was bad.. I spent my Sunday catching up on about 5 hours of Glee. I did have my notebook handy though and had a few good ideas pop into my head as well as some great dialogue. Maybe the day wasn't a total waste then? lol.
If you were refreshed and are ready to write after a day of relaxing, then it was good!
That sounds cool Joan. I may have to check that out.
I just took a break from writing to watch Antiques Roadshow. Love that program. It fuels the treasure hunter in my soul much like walking the beach and looking for seashells.
Now, I'm going back to hunting for the right words, the right scenes, the right moment for my heroine and hero and share a first kiss.
Post a Comment