Finding the will to write...
I always write as if it just hit me like a brick wall. Like the urge is just under your skin and you have to get it out as soon as possible. I was just discussing with my one and only friend on here (haha) that I can't just say, "Oh I'll write something." Because it feels so forced. Like the homework you forgot you had and you have to turn it in in five minutes? I never feel like it's my best unless I'm bursting at the seems to get it off my chest. My question is... what makes you want to write? What do you do to pull it out of yourself? How can I write when I would like to write and not feel like I'm forcing something just to get a C-?
Painters paint. Musicians make music. Writers write. I’m a believer that good artists practice their craft. Even when they don’t feel like it. So I set time out of every day to write. Even if it’s nonsense and nothing ever sees the light of day.
That doesn’t mean I think I’m a good artist. It just means I trust in the practice makes you better philosophy.
That doesn’t mean I think I’m a good artist. It just means I trust in the practice makes you better philosophy.
I've generally been the same way, writing when I feel most inspired and anytime that I deliberately sit down to do so it seems forced, overwrought.
Much as I hate forcing myself to do it, I haven't liked relying on those spontaneous moments, because usually I have difficulty conceptualising that inspiration. Going along what Daisy says, I believe it's important to understand what generates inspiration, whether the subject matters which interest you, or simply the habits which stimulate and relax your mind (music, taking walks, conversations, meditation, observing your environment, etc.)
And from there, to devote moments for writing and/or developing your poetry; setting aside time and finding a space that works best for you, even if it sometimes means not writing anything at all (which happens.)
Much as I hate forcing myself to do it, I haven't liked relying on those spontaneous moments, because usually I have difficulty conceptualising that inspiration. Going along what Daisy says, I believe it's important to understand what generates inspiration, whether the subject matters which interest you, or simply the habits which stimulate and relax your mind (music, taking walks, conversations, meditation, observing your environment, etc.)
And from there, to devote moments for writing and/or developing your poetry; setting aside time and finding a space that works best for you, even if it sometimes means not writing anything at all (which happens.)
Anonymous
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Anonymous
There was a time when all I did was write. Everyday words flowed from somewhere within. Now...well now it feels like drawing blood from a stone. Sometimes I wonder if it’s because my muse is no longer while hoping it’s only a period of adjustment. Time will tell.
If you are writing because it's homework, I wouldn't even worry about it being your best, it's subjective anyway. I suggest focusing on the mechanics and not so much on the emotional result. It's more important to learn style and technique (like additive and subtractive rhymes) than to worry about the whole body of work and critiques. Funnel the emotional part into pre-writing, like where you just write everything down and try to focus on senses and observation. I don't know your level yet so please excuse if I'm overstepping. I also started to really enjoy editing my work once I started to see results. I highly recommend editing. Being comfortable with that helps motivate me to write.
I say it depends where you are. For me, I usually get a concept stuck in my head: rain, emotion, something a bit abstract, and I literally have a list of concepts I want to write about: my past, logic vs emotion, and a few others. Sometimes a single line of something hits me square between the eyes and I use that as a springboard, but even after that, its write it all wordy and however it wants to come out and refine, refine, refine. I literally came out of a 12 year writer's block because the stress in my life needed a pressure valve. Don't be afraid to get in there, get messy and wordy and then go back and chop and hack at it til it's where you want it to be.
Often I need to force myself to write. Most often the result isn't that great at all. The key is to read and reread your work searching for little grains of truth or beautiful imagery or a crisp sounding turn of phrase. From there, you can take the pieces and edit them, polish them, and sometimes divorce them.
I write in my journal usually first thing in the morning when i wake
in case i dreamed a stanza or complete spill.
Usually when i spill it's jabberwocky worthy -- LOL
But it's something and every now and then i will post here in the Deep, as well as, my journal.
in case i dreamed a stanza or complete spill.
Usually when i spill it's jabberwocky worthy -- LOL
But it's something and every now and then i will post here in the Deep, as well as, my journal.
Anonymous
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I don't want
to write
I need
to write
when i watch
commonsense
slowly dying
when I watch
Naïve
group hug
all better now
people
when I watch
independent
documentaries
where the evidence
of what is said
is easily found
so I sow
the seeds
within the words
that I write
and maybe
just maybe
the ones
who have yet to breath
will have a future
a chance
to live
to write
I need
to write
when i watch
commonsense
slowly dying
when I watch
Naïve
group hug
all better now
people
when I watch
independent
documentaries
where the evidence
of what is said
is easily found
so I sow
the seeds
within the words
that I write
and maybe
just maybe
the ones
who have yet to breath
will have a future
a chance
to live
inechoingsilence said:I say it depends where you are. For me, I usually get a concept stuck in my head: rain, emotion, something a bit abstract, and I literally have a list of concepts I want to write about: my past, logic vs emotion, and a few others. Sometimes a single line of something hits me square between the eyes and I use that as a springboard, but even after that, its write it all wordy and however it wants to come out and refine, refine, refine. I literally came out of a 12 year writer's block because the stress in my life needed a pressure valve. Don't be afraid to get in there, get messy and wordy and then go back and chop and hack at it til it's where you want it to be.
I’m actually this exact way. I just keep coming up... blank. Or unmotivated. I’ll find my spark again.
I’m actually this exact way. I just keep coming up... blank. Or unmotivated. I’ll find my spark again.
