"I don't want to have to be forced, like a recalcitrant child, to do the very thing I want to do. But I don't have a clue what to do to make it seem more enticing, less involuntary. So, what's the answer?"
When I read this quote, my heart sank with sympathy and empathy for this person. Growing up, writing was more than a hobby for me. It was a passion. I thoroughly enjoyed writing short fiction stories and I would get so wrapped up in it. Around senior year of high school, though, I noticed that I was writing less, and when I did write, I forced myself.
"Over time, I add more cautions about forcing and bingeing: Both decrease the likelihood of writing again the next day or week. Both, in the long run, lead to less output and less satisfaction in writing."
It is no surprise then that by the time I started my freshman year of college, I had stopped writing all together. It was more than the struggle to find time to fit it in my new busy schedule and adjusted life - I just had no desire for it.
When I read these five pages, I couldn't help but wonder if this is what happened to me. Did I do this to myself?
Reading the beginnings of this chapter has not only allowed for some serious reflection on my own life and writing, but it also has opened my mind to a glass-half-full perspective: Maybe there is hope. Maybe after this class, I will be able to write for pleasure again.
I'm feeling open minded, yet anxious - maybe because it has been three and a half years since I've written for pleasure. As noted in the text, the "ideal state of motivation" calls for confidence and calmness. I suppose this - or myself - will be a work in progress.
Hi Ashley. Your blog post was a joy to read. I love your quote-response-quote-response style. It really makes me feel like I was there when you read it.
ReplyDeleteI also really appreciate how you said 'this chapter has... opened my mind to a glass-half-full perspective.' That's something I also got from Boice. Even though he described my writing blocks to a T, I still feel like there's some hope. Like he said, just being aware and being able to talk about these things is the first step in figuring them out. Hopefully later he gives some examples of how we can get over them, but at 5 pages a day, we may have to be patient ;)
"Just being aware and being able to talk about these things is the first step to figuring them out." I chuckled a bit because I felt like this is something that would be said at an AA meeting - "the first step is admitting you have a problem."
DeleteThanks Max!