Friday, December 16, 2005

Detention

Things all we delinquent writers should pen one hundred times, if only that didn't keep us from actual writing:

Only writing is writing.

Reading about writing is not writing.

Rereading something you've already written is not writing.

Rewriting is writing, but the obsessive polish and re-polish and re-re-polish of the same eight pages for the last year and half is not.

Outlining is writing.

Taking a walk to think about writing is not writing if it ends in a latte and two pairs of new shoes.

Blogging about writing is not writing.

Blogging about bad haircuts is certainly not writ--

Ahem. Gotta go.

You too!

3 comments:

Fun Joel said...

Blogging isn't writing?

Steve Peterson said...

I thought this post:

http://scriptsales.com/boards/showthread.php?t=15985

--was a nice reminder that it's not always necessary to beat yourself up about the writing or keeping to schedule.

Kira Snyder said...

FJ, yes and no, for me. I blog as a warm-up to or break from actual work. It's also useful to crystallize certain ideas I'm working through.

This latter point is not true when I'm complaining about haircuts or how socially inept I am at Xmas parties, however. :)

It's definitely writing the way you and other bloggers do it, by focusing on the craft. Fresh Hell is a little loose in that respect.

Thanks for the link, Steve -- an interesting post with good points.

As always, different approaches work for different people. I absolutely believe the value of letting your muse/Shadow/creativity just percolate, but also know I'm too prone to cleaning the house instead of tackling my Act Two problems. At the end of the day, a writer is someone who writes.