10 excuses I’ve used to avoid writing:
After nearly 6 years, I’ve finally managed to complete the screenplay I thought I’d never finish. The lack of updates over the last two months is a direct result of me concentrating my efforts on my script, but at long last it is finished!
With that said, ONTO THE NEXT ONE!
As I reflect on the reasons why it has taken me this long to complete my screenplay the thought donned on me. I have used the very excuses that I’ve been accusing others of making.
Here is the list of my worst habitual avoidance tactics:
1) “I don’t have any time right now”
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. Writers MAKE the time for their craft. If you find you can’t do that, then perhaps you should reconsider your profession. Just make the time and write.
2) “I don’t have any nice paper or pens write with, maybe I’ll drive to the store to buy some.”
I’ve literally spent many afternoons commuting into the city to buy some ‘premium’ paper, and ‘premium’ pens, only to waste large sums of money and time. Write on toilet paper if you have to. Just write.
3) “I don’t have a laptop to type with. Handwriting is so slow.”
This is such a piss-poor excuse, but I’ve used it a few times. Although the addition of my laptop has been an exceptional tool for my trade, I didn’t need one in order to write. If I had spent all the hours writing, instead of pining over having to ‘type’ on the old computer at home, I’d have finished several novels. Don’t be a nancy. Many great and famous writers dealt without having a top knotch computer in their possession. Just write.
4) “It’s too loud and distracting in my house. I can’t get any writing done being there.”
Then leave. Go for a walk. Call a friend or relative for a ride if you don’t have a car. Use the bus. Just get out of the house, and stop complaining. Just write.
5) “The power went out so I couldn’t type anything”
Poe, Aristotle, Abraham Lincoln, and Shakespeare wrote masterpeices with nothing but a feather. Don’t be an idiot. Writing by candlelight is one of the most gratifying experiences ever. Just write anyway.
6) “I can’t write. There’s too much going on, and I have enough stress to deal with in my life.”
Anne Frank managed to write in her diary during the freaking holocaust, and still managed to get an entire book’s worth of material before being murdered. Stop being a primadonna. Just write.
7) “I can’t afford to write. I have to work a full time job, and support my family.”
So did J.K. Rowling before inevidably quitting, and trusting in her craft. She didn’t have a pot to piss in before Bloomsberry finally picked up her first novel about a boy wizard. Find the time. Trust in your dreams, and write.
8) “Everything I write is crap anyway. So there’s no point.”
Some of the best writers deal with self doubt. Writing is rewriting. Find a way to push yourself, and keep going. If you don’t like what you’re writing, write until you do. Just write.
9) “I tried and failed. Nobody wants my book/screenplay. So why bother?”
Author Rex Pickett received over 70+ rejection letters for his work before his novel Sideways published. In 2004, Alexander Payne would win the oscar for best-adapted screenplay of Pickett’s Sideways. Pickett’s success would not have come had he given up on his craft. This is an important lesson for all writers. Learn from your rejections. Just keep writing.
10) “I don’t have anything unique to say.”
Everyone has at least one good story in them. Speak from the heart, and write what you enjoy.
I leave you now with one of my favorite quotes from one of my favorite authors.
“I would like to be remembered as someone who did the best she could with the talent she had.” – J.K. Rowling
Writing by Candlelight
If you haven’t written by candlelight at least once in your lifetime then shame on you!
Do any of you remember that stupid KFC commercial? You know, the one where a family is enjoying a candlelit dinner during a power outage? With storm raging outside, the father brings a bucket of KFC home to his family. They all sit there laughing and enjoying each other’s company. Suddenly, the power comes back on. Fun over. What is the father’s solution? Turn the lights back off of course!
One of my favourite ways to get my creative juices flowing is writing in quiet candlelight. I turn off every electronic device I own. I pull out a pad of paper, a loyal pen and find all the candles we have in the house. Time doesn’t seem to exist anymore. I am alone with my story, and that’s all that matters.
Young Man Reading By Candlelight - Oil on Canvas - Matheius Stom
There is something inherently magical about writing in candlelight. It’s a return to absolute simplicity. The candle reaches only you, and your paper. The world outside is now shrouded in darkness. You and your craft are finally alone.
Lovers shut off the lights, and hide away from the world to be with each other. If you don’t want to know every intimate detail of your story, then why are you writing?
Prepare an evening for yourself and wait for nightfall. Turn off your cellphone, your computer, and your television sets. Don’t listen to your iPods, don’t leave the phone on the hook, and turn off absolutely every freaking electronic device.
Congratulations. You are now completely alone with your story.
Terrified? Don’t worry. In the silence and stillness of your work, a candle can light up your creativity. It is a visual reminder that we as artists always keep a candle burning for our craft. A writer never stops thinking about writing.
Be alone with your story. Calm your inner distractions, and focus on the writing task at hand.
Let creativity be your vigil.
Light a candle.
