In the latest edition of the RWR, Patricia Kay says,
“Don’t let writing take over your life. Someone who only thinks about writing, who talks about nothing else, who gives up all other hobbies and interests, who has no other friends but writers, and (most important!) who neglects her health, her family, her non-writing friends, and her spiritual life, is boring.”
The above description has been me all through 2005. I’ve found myself sitting here writing from when I get up until I go to bed, with only short breaks here and there. I’m not complaining, because I enjoy writing. And I know I’m not the only one.
The way you define yourself as a writer is that you write every time you have a free minute. If you didn’t behave that way you would never do anything.
John Irving
Whenever I have endured or accomplished some difficult task — such as watching television, going out socially or sleeping — I always look forward to rewarding myself with the small pleasure of getting back to my typewriter and writing something. - Isaac Asimov
Writing is a lonely life, but the only life worth living. - Gustave Flauber
When I don’t write, I feel my world shrink. I lose my fire, my color. - Anais Nin
Writing is the only thing that … when I’m doing it, I don’t feel that I should be doing something else instead. - Gloria Steinem
I do admit, that sometimes I feel weird for spending so much time at my desk. I mean life is going on out there, and I’m living most of my life in fictional worlds. I wonder if that’s normal, or healthy. I guess I’m hoping that it’s normal and healthy for writers, even though it isn’t for non-writers. :shifty:
While I think there’s absolutely nothing as rewarding as writing, I think when you spend every waking moment doing it you run the risk of ‘burning out’.
Sometimes you have no choice–like when you’re under deadline pressure–but taking time for recharging the batteries is a must as far as I’m concerned. (That includes TV, romantic dinners with your significant other, playing board games with the kids, and/or eating a tub of Ben & Jerry’s.)
by Annette McCleave September 27th, 2005 at 11:46 am:cafe: I think it’s so VERY difficult finding a balance between writing and real life. The reason I say that is because we’re told from the start that if we want to have a career we MUST be productive. (Ask any NY editor.) In order to be productive you have to spend a ton of hours in front of the computer/word processor/etc. I absolutely agree with Annette that doing so will lead to burn out. Been there, done that.
Trouble is if you want writing to be more than a hobby, then you have to put in the time. At least in the beginning of your career. :whip: That time translates into not having much of a life.:sad:
by Jordan September 27th, 2005 at 12:18 pmWriters are a strange breed. We honestly don’t think or live like “normal†people. We’re simply not wired that way.
My latest blog post, “Does Not Play Well With Others,†addresses much of what you’re talking about here. The quirks and problems creative people (writers, artists, musicians, etc.) encounter in our daily lives are somewhat unique. Chances are, your next door neighbor and your non-writer friends or family can’t really relate.
I guess that’s why we writers talk about it with each other online. Who else is honestly going to understand us?
by Daisy Dexter Dobbs September 27th, 2005 at 2:56 pmWell, I think each person has their own “thing”, and you’ve got to respect that. Yeah, maybe we would be more interesting if we did more non writing things, but well, let’s face it, how many non writers can live with us going into a trance because we just saw this totally hot guy who would be the perfect hero for our next book?
Then again, those folks sometimes keep me from goign totally insane.
by Danica September 27th, 2005 at 9:19 pmAfter a period when I didn’t love writing very much, and would have been able to give it up without much regret if I could have afforded to, I’m now seriously back into it and enjoying myself. I *love* my fictional worlds, and sometimes I *really* don’t want to leave them… but I do like the real world too, and my simple pleasures here in it. I think if I didn’t have a balance between the two, and have plenty of time to spend just being ‘a person’ rather than ‘a writer’, I’d be total rubbish as a writer. At my age, I really need that time to *refresh* my brain!:smile:
by Wendywoo September 28th, 2005 at 12:41 amnormal is so over rated anyway… I do find that I have time when my life is out of balance in one way or the other. But eventually it all evens out. Still weighing heavily on the writing though.
And most of my good friends are writers. I don’t see that as a problem…
by kacey September 28th, 2005 at 8:20 amI don’t know if it’s healthy, either, but writing has been my life for at least three years now. I do have a family, but outside my online community of friends, I really don’t do anything other than write. I often think I should get a life, but I love to write. I get to meet all kinds of interesting people that way–in my head.
by Cheyenne McCray September 28th, 2005 at 11:08 amI find I am a much better writer when I do get out and live. I wrote a wonderful book when I was backpacking through Oceania. I spent a year struggling to make another decent when I was living with my parents and working part time. As soon as I moved out of the house and got a job and moved to a more socially active setting, the muse came back. SHe’a party girl that one.
Anais Nin managed to do quite a lot of living in between her writing. I am very happy to write, I love it, it’s one of my favorite things to do, btu I do it so so SOOO much better when it isn’t the only thing I do.
by Diana September 28th, 2005 at 1:17 pm