What Makes You Think You Can Write?
by Debra Koontz Traverso
Copyright 2000-2008 Debra Koontz Traverso.
All rights reserved in all media.
The content of this article may be forwarded in full without special permission provided it is used for not-for-profit purposes and full attribution and copyright notice are given. For all other purposes, contact Debra Koontz Traverso at Debra@DebraTraverso.com
"What Makes You Think You Can Write?"
Sound familiar? Sometimes the most defeating voices—those that stifle our
creative juices—come from inside our own heads.
Unfortunately these negative voices generally are as much a part of the
creative process as the positive and productive voices are. You can't build a
gorgeous building without uncovering some mud and dirt when you break ground,
and you can't give birth to a gorgeous baby without intense labor pains.
Likewise, you can't expect writing to be without its challenges.
When those little voices start filling you with doubt, you need to have
the proper ammunition to fight back. That ammunition comes in the form of the
truth behind the writing life.
Let's take a look at the top ten doubts these gloomy voices can plant in
your mind. Then, let's arm you with the ammunition you need to combat them.
They make you believe:
1. . . .You are not creative enough to be a writer.
The truth: Desire and creativity generally come as a package deal. If you
truly desire to write, then the creativity rests within you. The real
question is whether you are "brave" enough to be a writer. To be creative is
to risk putting a part of yourself out there, for the world to see and
criticize. It only follows that the protective part of you is going to go
with it and keep saying, "Don't do it, don't do it."
I once read that God selected certain people to be writers, all the rest were
left to play the role of critic. So let other people carry out their roles
and you do yours, with the knowledge that the criticism and rejection will
come. That means you've fulfilled your role.
2. . . .You shouldn't write until you've learned how to do it better,
otherwise you'll just reinforce your bad writing habits.
The truth: If you wait until you can write better, then you'll never write
because everyone's opinion of what is considered good—or great—writing
differs. Writing is like learning to ride a bike. You can read about how to
do it, watch other people do it, and think yourself through it, but until you
get on the bike and try it, you'll never accomplish riding the bike. So write
whenever you feel compelled to write. Do it right now.
3. . . .You must have the entire project (book, letter, brochure, novel)
thought out before you write.
The truth: Writing before you've plotted out your piece is merely like
driving at night. You can only see as far as the length of your headlights,
but you CAN drive all night that way and still get where you want to go! And
hey, if you miss a traffic sign as you're driving along because your vision
is limited, and you take the wrong road, so what? Some of my best trips
occurred because I veered off the route I had planned in advance. If your
writing leads you in a direction you hadn't planned, go with it. It might be
your muse fighting off the negative voices for you.
4. . . .You have to write perfectly: perfect prose, grammar, plotting, style,
etc.
The truth: Thinking your writing must be perfect means that you are editing
and then writing. With that approach, you will never get anything written.
First you write, then you edit. Likewise, don't place so much importance on
the first draft. There's a reason it's called a draft. Let it be one.
Lower your expectations. Lower your standards. Allow yourself to write B+ or
C+ stuff. You don't always have to be brilliant, and you don't always have to
turn in peak performance writing. Often "good" work will satisfy your ends.
Plus it's your work, so you will have a chance to revise and polish your C+
work later. Give yourself a break: don't worry about being perfect; just get
something written. You can always edit it later.
5. . . .You will never be a "writer."
The truth: You don't need a degree, a rite of passage or a dramatic moment to
occur before you can call yourself a "writer." I used to think that my
writing wasn't real until it got published. What that means is that I gave
someone else the power to decide when I was a bonafide writer, when in
actuality I have always been a writer. After being published, I felt no more
like a "real" writer than I had before. Sure, I felt validated and
successful, but I didn't see myself as more of a writer than before I was
published.
6. . . .When the time is right, the schedule is clear, and you feel moved,
you will write.
The truth: You should write everyday. Write something. Write anything. To be
able to write, you have to build your muscle. The writing muscle. If you want
that muscle to do much for you, then you've got to give it a workout
regularly and build it up so that it's strong when you need it.
7. . . .You waste too much time thinking what to write about.
The truth: You have to think before you can write, otherwise, what are you
going to write about? The biggest percentage of my writing work—and the most
demanding part—doesn't occur when I'm in the act of hitting some keys on a
keyboard. It actually occurs when I'm driving, falling asleep, or taking a
walk. Because that's my thinking time. For me, thinking makes up about 75
percent of every writing task I do. If I haven't thought about my work before
sitting down to write, then I'm already behind, even though I just sat down.
Now, the time will come, however, when the negative voice will win if you
don't write something.
8. . . .Good writing only comes when you're inspired.
The truth: Good writing also comes when it hurts. It comes when it's a
struggle to get out. It comes after countless rewrites. It doesn't just come
when inspired. My inspiration often is directly tied to my deadlines. The
more time I have, the more excuses I generate. The closer I am to the
drop-dead hour, the more the juices flow. The negative voices seem to
disappear when the piece is due tomorrow.
9. . . .You're not creative enough to write.
The truth: Sometimes it takes a little priming—just like an old-fashioned
water pump requires—before the right brain begins working. When this happens
to writing students, I tell them to draw something. Drawing forces you to use
the right side of your brain and think in a nonlinear fashion.
Draw whatever comes to mind. Or draw what your characters look like. Or draw
a big circle with a little circle in the middle. In the little circle write
your character's name. Now draw spokes out to the big circle like a wagon
wheel. Label each spoke with a characteristic of your character or an action
you want him to take or an experience you want him to have. This exercises
your creative muscles without requiring you to think of words. The energy
will eventually carry over into your writing.
10. . . .Publishing will change you; you'll lose your grounding, your sense
of self.
The truth: Publishing can actually humble you. I believed, before I sold my
first book, that publication would be instantly and automatically gratifying,
an affirming and poignant experience, a Hallmark commercial where one runs
and leaps in slow motion across a meadow filled with daisies into the arms of
acclaim and self-esteem. The reality was that my son was home sick with
diarrhea the day my first book came out, the New York Times did not call, and
I had to take my cat to the vet. I was very grounded that day and fully
ensconced in my life. Four books later, I still am.
Debra Koontz Traverso, M.A., is a creative and commercial writer, public
speaker and consultant, having published several books and hundreds of
articles. She also serves as a guest instructor at Harvard University and as
adjunct faculty at her local community college. She can be reached at Debra@DebraTraverso.com.
Copyright 2002-2008 Debra Koontz Traverso.
All rights reserved in all media.
The content of this article may be forwarded in full without special permission provided it is used for not-for-profit purposes and full attribution and copyright notice are given. For all other purposes, contact Debra Koontz Traverso at Debra@DebraTraverso.com
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