The myths of creativity

Ever since I can remember, I idolised writers.

I think it began, for me, in L.M. Montgomery’s Emily books. The images of Emily writing frantically at 3am, of being obsessed with her writing, have always stuck with me. It seemed so magical. I wanted that more than anything, this alchemy of words and thought.

Of course, what they don’t tell you in the romantic mythology of writing is that it can be damn hard work at times. Especially when you’re exhausted, and other life issues are getting in the way. For me those issues are mainly of the health variety. Some days my brain is fuzzed and it’s all I can do to string two words together. On the worst days, I can’t even read.

For the record, I suffer from lupus and fibromyalgia. While these illnesses have changed my life dramatically, they’ve also given me the opportunity and courage to pursue writing as a full-time career. Of course, my full-time is nothing like anyone else’s – I can usually work between 1-2 hours a day on actual writing. By careful conservation of energy levels and very particular care with how I run the rest of my life, I can then spend some time blogging and reading. Refilling the word banks, so to speak.

I digress from my original point. The romance doesn’t include the hours spent proof-reading, the hours spent formatting manuscripts (I will write in standard manuscript format from draft one from now on), the time spent researching markets. Like any occupation, there’s the slog.

But there is also the magic.

That moment when the characters come alive. When you read back over a draft and literally cannot remember writing a scene. When things just fall into place effortlessly.

That’s when the words within become real for me. When they’ve attained a lite of their own.

I can deal with any amount of slogging for that.

Mirrored from Stephanie Gunn.

The myths of creativity

Ever since I can remember, I idolised writers.

I think it began, for me, in L.M. Montgomery’s Emily books. The images of Emily writing frantically at 3am, of being obsessed with her writing, have always stuck with me. It seemed so magical. I wanted that more than anything, this alchemy of words and thought.

Of course, what they don’t tell you in the romantic mythology of writing is that it can be damn hard work at times. Especially when you’re exhausted, and other life issues are getting in the way. For me those issues are mainly of the health variety. Some days my brain is fuzzed and it’s all I can do to string two words together. On the worst days, I can’t even read.

For the record, I suffer from lupus and fibromyalgia. While these illnesses have changed my life dramatically, they’ve also given me the opportunity and courage to pursue writing as a full-time career. Of course, my full-time is nothing like anyone else’s – I can usually work between 1-2 hours a day on actual writing. By careful conservation of energy levels and very particular care with how I run the rest of my life, I can then spend some time blogging and reading. Refilling the word banks, so to speak.

I digress from my original point. The romance doesn’t include the hours spent proof-reading, the hours spent formatting manuscripts (I will write in standard manuscript format from draft one from now on), the time spent researching markets. Like any occupation, there’s the slog.

But there is also the magic.

That moment when the characters come alive. When you read back over a draft and literally cannot remember writing a scene. When things just fall into place effortlessly.

That’s when the words within become real for me. When they’ve attained a lite of their own.

I can deal with any amount of slogging for that.

Mirrored from Stephanie Gunn.