Urinating in the Shower and Other Nasty Habits
January 16, 2008
The one thing that binds us as writers is that we all have habits. Some of them are good, some of them are not. I have two that I can think of off the top of my head. There are probably more, but I’ll think about it as I go. Nonetheless, I don’t think many of them are extremely uncommon.
The first that comes to mind is I have a permanent need to procrastinate. Everything can wait until tomorrow, or my next day off. The negative influence it has on my writing is obvious. If it’s not procrastination in the typical form, it’s in the form of multitasking. I think the people of my generation are the most affected. There are always four or five things going on at once, and somehow we manage to pay attention to all of it. Naturally, in varying degrees. I’m multitasking as I type this blog. But when writing is a part of the equation, it seems to get the short end of the stick. It’s a good thing I don’t write for a living. I’d never have a paycheck.
The second is my style of description. I have been stuck in the style of Alaric in Thor’s Hammer for so long, that it seems to have adhered to the creative end of my brain. It’s not a terrible thing, but it turns first drafts into fiftieth drafts very quickly. I have a difficult time finding what to divulge at that moment and what to divulge later. My head is always swimming in that respect.
Ah, here we go. My biggest habit that has been the bane of my existence for years. My inner editor is always on duty. And that’s not hyperbole. Whether I’m working on a draft or I’m reading a notice at work, I’m thinking of how it could be written better. It’s a big reason for me not finishing projects. I second-guess everything. And change it forty-two times. And then I suddenly think the idea is horrible and I scrap the object altogether. Word wars have been a big help in this area, but I need to have them more often.
When you think about it, though, none of these habits are that bad. Well, yeah, they hinder my writing, but that’s the obvious point. The same goes for any habits you may have. But knowing one’s own faults is the first step to overcoming them. Once you know what they are, only a solution is needed. I’ve already got a potential solution for the procrastination.
Within the next few weeks, whenever I can schedule it, I’ll be taking a week off from the online world. All I’m going to do over the course of that week is write. And work, naturally. No editing, no procrastination, just a pen and copious amounts of paper. Maybe a backup pen too just for good measure. Think of it as my own personal NaNoWriWeek, except I won’t be writing a whole novel. Or at least not a new one. Maybe I can use it to finally gain some ground on Thor’s Hammer? Eh, I’m not making any promises. My main goal is to simply get writing, no matter what.
Will I blog during that week? I might. Simply because it’s technically a form of writing. And I won’t actually be interacting with anyone for prolonged periods while online. If I do post, it’ll probably be about my progress.
With that in mind, here’s your discussion point. What are your flaws as a writer? And, most importantly, how do you plan to overcome them?
January 16, 2008 at 5:56 pm
My biggest flaw as a writer? I’m bad at starting. Starting a novel, starting a short story, almost anything but brainstorming (that’s relatively easy for me) is nearly impossible.
It’s good that you’re making yourself write! I have a week-long break between semesters that starts on Friday, and I’m planning to do a bit of writing.
January 21, 2008 at 9:26 am
I think my biggest hurdle as a writer is finding a balance between waiting for inspiration and forcing myself to write when my brain is just not in it. I’m of the school of thought that you can’t sit around and wait for inspiration to strike. But at the same time, occasionally I’ll waste several hours writing either next to nothing or complete crap simply because my brain has decided to go on strike. I do some type of work in the realm of fiction (most often via actually writing, but sometimes just brainstorming, etc.) every single day. I think perhaps I need to allow myself more days when I don’t force myself to write and allow my brain to pursue other ventures than my current project. I’m actually thinking about taking a weeklong sabbatical from writing some time in the coming months prior to April’s ScriptFrenzy just to recharge. I don’t know if I’ll be able to do it, though.