FF is for Feeble Feelings
Are They Always a Good Excuse?
or when is an excuse a good reason?
Is feeling unwell, tired, or uninspired, ever a reason not to write? No, I’d say, even though life for me is so taxing that I am not feeling like doing anything at all. But that would be an illogical response because I would suffer more anguish for not writing something.
That’s where having a blog series to tap into helps. I will examine why feelings can stop us writing, allowing the Inner Critic to win!
Here come the excuses:
- I’m too tired …or just feeling downhearted? So writing might lift the mood – it usually gives a sense of accomplishment, however brief the piece that is written – and you might find you can get a large slice of work done.
- I’m worried about my health …so what can be done about that on a Saturday afternoon in January that won’t wait? Nothing. Write your fears away – look at them head on or turn away to a completely different topic. Be willing to procrastinate from worry – replace that activity with a more positive one.
- I’d rather be …doing what? The thing is until I’ve written something each day (OK, honesty says most days), even if it is only a blog post, I won’t feel like reading either and that, my friends, is my other major pastime.
Is This About Permission?
Perhaps writers do beat themselves up when they don’t get things written. Sometimes the lack of effort is justified – writing from a hospital bed half an hour after waking from major surgery never struck me as wise – or possible. But there’s always an alternative way to use time. Rest, recuperating …I hear you! But thinking time is valuable too.
However, I do believe I’m a goal-orientated soul. If that’s the case, coming to the keyboard to free-write for 20 minutes makes sense. When it’s done, I can then decide if there’s anything else I can achieve – 500 words for the novel? Or a proactive social media trawl? (As opposed to wasting time!)
Can Writers Ever Trust Their Feelings?
Yes, Yes, Yes!
How else will emotion ever reach the page? How else will the writer build up a bank of words to select? How else will our readers ever believe a real person is writing for them, identifying with every human emotion – all those opposites:
- happiness / sadness
- brave / fearful
- loved / hated
- well / sick
- fit / lethargic
- interested / bored
- aware / disenchanted
Next Time …
…you are feeling feeble, unable to sit down to write, make yourself do it. Be adventurous about what you choose to tackle:
- an ongoing project or a brand new piece?
- your usual genre or something quite alien to you?
- a piece of autobiography or a character sketch of a fictional identity?
- the Later Writer is never too feeble to show feelings through words
More writing practice at ABC Alliterative Title Challenge.
