Once More With Feeling by Jane Clamp
How do you feel?
It’s a common enough question, isn’t it? Not always easy
to answer, admittedly – unless you’re in church, in which case the standard
reply is, “Fine, thank you. You?”
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| photo courtesy of wspucia.wordpress.com |
What about a slight extension: How do you feel about
writing?
That one could open up a whole other discussion – and does,
frequently, within our Facebook group and elsewhere.
But the question I really want to ask today is: How do you
feel during the process of writing? Or, taken further: what kind of mood do you
have to be in to write?
Jane Austen famously said, “I am not at all in a humour
for writing; I must write on till I am.” Admirable, I’m sure, and no doubt she
met all of her deadlines with that stoic approach, but what of us, lesser mortals?
Are you an emotionally-driven writer? The sort who, in a
crisis, pours out your heart on the page? Vast amounts of superb, heart-rending
and -mending copy gets produced in such moments, offering relief and healing to
writer and reader alike.
Are you the ‘still waters’ writer? The one who, in the
hustle and bustle of everyday life, has barely a conscious thought (never mind
a creative one) but, with peaceful mind and surroundings can let the words
flow?
Are you an impassioned writer? A Jekyll and Hyde? Usually
calm and with silent pen, once roused on a topic you build up a head of steam
and the words positively explode onto the page.
There are more categories I could mention (and the photo does it for me) but you get
the point, I hope. Writing from the heart is an essential requisite for any of
us – it’s the best way to ensure we remain authentic and engage our readers in
a meaningful way. But is it enough to only be able to write when we feel like
it? What happens when we’re not in the mood? How is our calling and sense of
purpose as writers affected by being at the whim of our feelings?
I’d love to hear your comments and reactions – if you
feel like letting me know…
Jane Clamp is the author of Too Soon, a mother's journey through miscarriage (SPCK) and appears regularly on Premier Radio and UCB. www.janeclamp.com
I love this Jane - thank you. Looking at the drawings and reading your blog has made me really want to write, in any and every way, every day. Once I’ve moved into my new flat and am settled, that is what I am going to do!
ReplyDeleteDo it, do it, do it! What better chance to develop new habits than moving into new surroundings. Go, go, go!
DeleteLove the little writing guys!
ReplyDeleteMakes me wish I could draw.....
DeleteI find I can write at any time. It might be harder going at times but I still write. There are techniques which can be used to motivate you to write whatever the circumstances and I use these regularly.
ReplyDeleteI'm with you, Wendy. Not everyone finds it as easy as you, though :)
DeleteI find different types of writing fill different spaces. If I am recovering from a spell of illness, for example, it often helps to start small, perhaps with a Haiku. Any piece can always be polished later, but initially it is the 'getting started' and the 'getting it down' that matters. If I have ten minutes before going out, a diary entry is perfect (we were encouraged to write five diary lines a day for a while when I was a youngster in school). If I want to write the first draft of a poem, I usually find I need lots of space and preferably time!
ReplyDeleteYes, I agree! Some of the comments on Facebook confirm how hard it is to write when tired, for example, but I find that if I haven't the head-space for writing something new, I can spend the time editing instead.
DeleteI write best when I'm unhappy. Currently struggling a bit as I've finished a difficult teaching job and am too happy to write. I make myself though and just trust I can polish it up when things get rough ;) Great post. Thanks Jane x
ReplyDeleteOh, Deborah! How can I pray you'll write more when I know you can only do it when you're unhappy?!
DeleteThanks for your honesty. "Too happy to write" must count as the best reason for procrastination ever!
Just caught up with this post. Love it! I'm with Deborah...the writing flows with emotion! Learning to just set aside a morning and take an idea and tinker though. Thanks for this food for thought!
ReplyDeleteYou do write so effectively from your broken heart, Georgie. Thank you for always being prepared to be vulnerable in your honesty. I pray for happy writing, too, though one day!
DeleteI have to be in a confident mood, and a confident mood normally occurs when someone's actually asked me to write something for them for a deadline. If not in a confident mood, I have to rely on my inspirational coasters. Deborah Jenkins bought me one which says, 'Write as though success were inevitable' and that helps, as long as I put the coffee cup to the left of it so the inspiration is visible. That leaves a coffee cup ring on the desk but at least I'm inspired.
ReplyDeleteThat's so funny...!
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