To Write or Not To Write
Tuesday, February 03, 2015
I feel like I've been very quiet...
For the past week or two, the words have just not been coming easily. I sit down to write something, and end up staring at an empty screen hoping that something good will come to me. On days like this where I cannot seem to find any words to say, I am left with a dilemma-
Do I force myself to write, or do I let it be?
It seems there are arguments for both sides, and they both make quite a lot of sense, to me.
On the one hand, you have people who say that you should write whether you feel like it or not. They say that when the words aren't coming, you should chase after them with threats of murder until they finally have no choice but to obey. (My words, not theirs.) As E. B. White supposedly said,
"A writer who waits for the ideal conditions under which to work will die without putting word to paper."
And then there are people who say that good writing shouldn't be forced. If you have to scramble to find something to say, then it's better to just be quiet than to add sub-par words to the noise. There is a quote attributed to Charles Bukowski that says,
"If [writing] doesn't come bursting out of you in spite of everything, don't do it. [...] If you have to sit there and rewrite it again and again, don't do it."
So today I sat there in front of my non-existent blog post and wondered... do I really have anything to say?
And then I realized... of course I do!
The problem is not that I have nothing to say. The problem is that I hadn't yet figured out how to say it. And how will I ever find the right words to say what I want if I don't allow myself the opportunity to find any words at all?
So no matter how badly this turns out, I am going to write it anyways. No matter how much I will end up changing in the end, I am going to write it anyways. You can edit all of the "not-right" words that you need to, but the only way you can edit an empty page is by filling it up.
So to all of you bloggers, novelists, and poets out there who cannot find the right words-
Keep trying.
You'll find them one day...
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What do you do when creativity isn't flowing? Let us know in the comment section below, over at my Facebook page, or email your thoughts to me at anastasiarosewrites[@]gmail[.]com
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101 Things: Counting Down
I have origami paper!!!!!
1 comments
Rarely do I write unless Spirit prompts me. When words don't come easily for me it usually means the Lord isn't in it. When that happens, I re-evaluate. Scripture is my greatest motivator - having one speak to me and then writing my perspective and how it ministers to me.
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