Discipline
Military Mindset vs Creativity. Everybody wins.
The act of writing takes discipline.
No matter what your writing, a novel, essay, screenplay or social post, you must still summon the energy to tap your fingers on a keyboard/pad and actually write. Produce words. Quality (an aspiration often sacrificed) be damned.
The re-draft comes next.
First things first.
Get it done.
Writing a novel is hard work. I would hope finishing a first draft offers some degree of gratification. Pour yourself a drink. Take a moment to celebrate. The overall experience is labor intensive and an emotional rollercoaster.
There’s an undeniable element of rigor involved in the process: succumbing to the vision that compelled one to write the damn thing in the first place. Remaining cognizant enough throughout the day to capture fleeting moments of inspiration. Daydreaming (…the ultimate luxury, God forbid.) Creative brainstorming. Noodling and prep work. Outlining story. Reverse engineering plot. Pencil sketches. Tension graphs. Tracking character arcs. Channeling the inner emotional lives of an entire cast. Inevitable crap chapters that get tossed out or rewritten. Crafting a satisfying conclusion. Line edit. Spell check. Rinse. Wash. Repeat. This is by no means indicative of every writer’s process, but you get the point, on and on it goes.
To eventually come out the other side of all this with a durable draft should be lauded as an accomplishment unto itself. Cue: little green men skittering about the inside of my skull, sliding around the rivulets of my hippocampus, powering up a hurricane band of anxiety flooding my cerebral cortex, aka: SELF DOUBT.
Was my idea even any good?
This a separate topic all together. At least the exercise above explains why I’m so hungry all the time - my brain is burning calories by the minute! This is a good thing, it means the synapses are firing. A healthy bi-product of creativity. I’m not big on staring at my phone, or streaming show after show into my brain. Life is way too short to be a complacent dud. Exercise the ole’ noggin’. Maintain neuroplasticity.
Did I just reveal my love language?
Talk dirty to me!
Hard work.
Discipline.
Reality check: we’re not breakin’ rocks for a living like these fellas above; however, the professional writer does work hard.
I’ve met my share of professional writers with stories to tell.
They inevitably get the job done. Book after book, one after the other. Compelled by an irresistible impulse that bubbles up from deep inside. They battle resistance and choke down fear. Each a suave negotiator who brokers a deal with him or herself, between what gets done today and what will be sacrificed for tomorrow.
Their careers resemble high-wire performance acts that walk the tight-rope between one’s livelihood and artistic freedom. When it’s sunny outside, they’re inside writing. When their friends are out having drinks, they’re home alone plinking away. They go to work, then come home to write. Deadlines real or self-imposed are there to be met.
Business people craft a deal, they receive a bonus. A professional writer writes, and allows the rewards to come or not. We all want to get paid, but in the end, love of the game rules the day.
“The professional loves her work. She is invested in it wholeheartedly. But she does not forget the work is not her. Her artistic self contains many works. Already the next is percolating inside of her. The next one will be better, and the one after that better still.”
- Steven Pressfield, The War of Art
Dedication exists in other industries and professions.
I’m a veteran and honored to have supported the environmental mission. The men and women of the armed forces know from hard work. Understand what sacrifice is. For some it is a calling. In turn, I give them my respect.
The life isn’t always easy. They’re human beings. The routine can be a grind. Day after day, week after week. To get up every morning, put on the uniform and do the job shows work ethic along with a healthy dose of grit and determination.
This inspires me.
When I wasn’t on duty on my days off I wrote, and these habits carry on through today. I make the time. Work on improving my craft. Have a laugh with other writers. Talk to agents and editors. Maintain routine.
Exercise discipline.
Creatives think differently, view the world in their own way and do what they have to do in order to share their stories with the world. Odds are to little or no reward. No guaranteed book deal. No fortune and glory. Yet, they do it anyway. They write. Put themselves out there. Much like the service men and women who enlist to be part of something greater than themselves, conversely the artist has something to say, make a contribution to society with their body of work.
It is through story they can be heard.
In their writing they display vulnerability and open themselves up to judgement and these days the public is lightening quick to condemn. The court of public opinion has become weaponized. A volatile shooting gallery of hot button topics amplified by the socials only to be forgotten by next day’s news cycle.
Not exactly the easiest going time in history to dip a toe into publishing, but relatively speaking, when has it ever been easy? There’s never going to be a perfect moment to throw one’s hat in the ring and be part of the conversation.
Summon the courage.
Put pen to paper.
Start a routine.
Be brave.
The industry writers toil in and the mechanism unto which they express themselves may be very different from those in the military, but it is no less important. An artist’s perspective provides balance and insight into who we are as individuals and as a community of people that comprise a nation. We are blessed to live in a truly great country. One that allows us to express ourselves and be who we want to be, or even reinvent ourselves a thousand times over if we so desire. It is a place where our voices are heard.
Less we forget, this doesn’t exist everywhere.
Earn it.
Freedom of speech lies at the very bedrock of our constitution, yet it is now being challenged by those in power. Fact or fiction, regardless what your story is, writers take it to heart, this time it’s personal.
Let’s get to work.
“There’s never going to be a perfect moment to throw one’s hat in the ring and be part of the conversation.”
Love that! So true. Great reminder for us all- establish a routine, be disciplined, show up!
It definitely takes determination and routine effort to keep creating! Love of the game does fuel persistence…with no guarantee for accolades, but the creators carry-on