When I was in a creative writing MFA program, every time a visiting author came to campus to speak to us one student inevitably asked during the Q&A, “So, what’s your process?”
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As a group of aspiring prose stylists and poets, we were all hoping for the same thing: A formula that, if we adhered to it faithfully, would transform each of us into someone like the person standing at the podium, a successful, productive writer.
Of course, every author responded to the question differently. There was no one method to tapping into the artistic spark within until it somehow yielded a book.
Every artist I’ve asked has confessed to struggling with discipline, whether they’re just dipping their toes into a creative project for the first time or have known they were meant to do this their entire lives. No matter how passionate an artist is, she faces countless obstacles to sitting down and getting to work, from the interference of daily responsibilities (such as, for instance, the need to earn a living), to the scathing voice of her inner critic, to a failure to get into “the zone”.
Such hurdles can feel insurmountable, but every artist you admire has overcome them, and so can you. Here’s how:
Do it even when you’re not in the mood
“A writer who waits for ideal conditions under which to work will die without putting a word on paper,” E.B. White once told the Paris Review. If you wait for silence or a sense of order – or to be granted access to that elusive place, the zone, where you lose all track of time and are truly immersed in your craft – you will be waiting for quite a while.
Key to getting work done is recognising that the ideal conditions are unlikely to come, writes Linda Kulman in Salon, and resolving instead to simply put your arse in the chair. (Or in front of the easel, at the barre, and so on.)
I’ve found that I’ve been able to write my way into the zone from a place decidedly outside it, which often involves cajoling myself into getting to work despite an initial lack of enthusiasm. As White continued in the interview, “Delay is natural to the writer. He is like a surfer – he bides his time, waits for the perfect wave on which to ride in.”
If you show up, you’ll eventually catch that wave, though it may take some false starts. This is where regularly setting aside blocks of time to work comes in. Unless you make your living off of your art (which: Lucky you!), creative work is infinitely postpone-able. There will always be something that seems more pressing; there have been many occasions when cleaning the house suddenly seemed way more important to me than writing.
Combat this by blocking off dedicated time in your calendar to work. For that hour or two you’ve scheduled, put your arse in the chair and don’t allow interruptions. (This may require use of an app such as Freedom to keep yourself off the internet.) At first, you might get nothing more accomplished during this time than staring into space, or producing something that you immediately throw away. The next time, or the time after that, though, you may find you have something to say. You’ll never find out if you don’t show up in the first place.
Engage in activities that are ‘art-adjacent’
In 1991, Julia Cameron published The Artist’s Way, a kind of self-help for creative types that many artists adhere to with religious devotion. (I was never able to get past Cameron’s “morning pages”, one of the main tenets of her system, which implores artists to start the day by free writing in longhand for several pages. That said, I know people who swear by it.)
But another fundamental of her approach is the “artist’s date“, in which the artist takes himself on a weekly outing with no expectation other than to feel stimulated, inspired, moved. It’s important to remember that there are ways to hone your craft outside of directly engaging in it; attending a museum, performance or reading – or even doing something as simple as taking a long walk or going to a bookstore – can feed your work in ways that aren’t immediately apparent.
Cameron calls these “festive, solo expeditions”. That these dates be both fun and solitary is significant. You’re trying to access your imagination, which requires a willingness on your part to play, and that can be easier to do on your own, free of self-consciousness or the need to analyse the experience with another person. Giving yourself the time and space to both observe the scene around you, and your own responses to it, can spark ideas and an eagerness to delve into them.
Silence (or appease) the voices of self-doubt
My writing students have often told me that they are lazy. I used to think of myself as lazy. I’d plan to work on a short story at a certain time, and then spend that time scrolling through social media, watching TV, indulging in one numbing, sedentary activity after another, ending up agitated and frustrated with myself.
I don’t think it was laziness, though. I wanted to write. It was something closer to fear. I feared pouring herculean effort into a project and seeing it come to nothing. I feared being exposed as someone who had no idea what she was talking about, who understood little about life, who was delusional and grandiose to believe anyone would be interested in what she had to say.
[referenced url=”https://www.lifehacker.com.au/2017/10/your-idea-will-never-be-ready/” thumb=”https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/t_ku-large/pon3a2hqqjj9dz1ah9t7.jpg” title=”Your Idea Will Never Be Ready” excerpt=”A large source of my creative procrastination comes from this notion that my idea ‘just isn’t ready yet’, like it’s fruit ripening on a tree. But you know what? That’s bullshit.”]
You won’t permanently banish the voices that warn you to fear these things, but you can work with them so that they don’t obliterate your will to create. Shelly Oria, author of the short story collection New York 1, Tel Aviv 0, told Poets & Writers that the way to deal with the critic in your head, the one who hisses at you about how much you suck, is to be kind to it: “We all live with an inner asshole and he isn’t going anywhere. Which means, we kind of have to learn how to become best friends.”
When I start hearing that voice, I’ll have a sort of conversation with it – by which I mean a conversation with myself. “Why are you yelling at me?” I’ll ask. The voice eventually admits that it’s just worried that this isn’t going to work out, that I’m going to end up disappointed. Which is the risk all artists take and have to decide they’re willing to live with. Once that’s settled (or at least addressed), I find that the voice quiets down and I’m able to work.
Join or form an artists’ group
Occasionally I’ll see someone who has a large project to tackle ask friends on social media to hold them accountable. Enlisting a nag is an understandable impulse, but even more effective (and enjoyable) is forming a group of artists that meets regularly.
I meet once a month with a group of writers in my neighbourhood; some of us are published, some aren’t, and we’re each writing in different genres and forms. Those factors matter far less than the consistency of meetings, which give us deadlines to produce something to share. Critiquing each other’s work, too, is edifying in that we’re compelled to read like writers, reflecting on what speaks to us about a piece and why. And getting feedback, while sometimes nerve-wracking, helps us learn not only what’s not working, but also what we’re doing right, and that clarity can quiet the inner critic.
[referenced url=”https://www.lifehacker.com.au/2017/10/almost-everyone-needs-a-public-portfolio/” thumb=”https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/t_ku-large/fibvawv658ls7aoe5cns.jpg” title=”You Should Have A Public Portfolio, Even If You’re Not A Freelancer” excerpt=”Even if you’re not a freelancer or a ‘creative’, you’ll probably benefit from a page that lays out your accomplishments and not just your work history. If you ever want to give a talk, get quoted in an article, work a side hustle, start your own business, or just get a job offer, then you need a public portfolio.”]
If you don’t know anyone else working in your craft who might want to meet, consider joining an existing group – or forming a new one – through sites such as Meetup. Or, if you can afford it, take a class. Some of my creative writing students, once the term ended, have continued meeting regularly with each other. Creative work is so often a solitary act, one that asks you to work very hard with zero assurance that anyone will care. Finding a circle of like-minded and supportive people tempers that struggle and makes it easier to keep going.
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