When Nathan Bransford offers writing or publishing advice, we listen…and advise y’all (especially prose writers) to do the same. Here’s the latest reason why, via Nathan’s guest Lindsay Syhakom.
by Lindsay Syhakom
“Writing is a terrible experience, during which the hair often falls out and the teeth decay.” – Flannery O’Connor
Writing a novel is rarely fun. Like most writers, I usually rely on love for my characters, daily word count goals, and pure determination to make it through.
But in the middle of the pandemic, I couldn’t muster up the energy to get through anything. The usual ups and downs of the writing process left me feeling drained and irritable. I wasn’t even interested in whether my characters lived or died! Eventually I stopped writing altogether.
This month, I tried to reconnect with my passion for writing. My goal wasn’t just to write again. It was to remember why I wrote in the first place, and build a healthier relationship with myself in the process.
Make time for loafing
One of the most joyful parts about the writing process is surprise.
Have you ever looked back at something you’ve written and thought, Wow, did I write that? That’s amazing. Where did that come from?
Call it imagination or God or the muses or the collective unconscious, but when it comes, it feels like a gift….