It has come to my attention that my well of creativity tends to run dry too often.
This fact has caused me to delay my creative endeavors to find anything to do but writing, thus making the likelihood of finishing by a set date unlikely, as well as making me feel inferior compared to other writers.
And then I find myself spiraling into a depressive state with the mopey thoughts of 'I'm not getting anything done', 'my work isn't even worth finishing', 'it'll never get published anyways, so why bother', and all the other woe-is-me type things.
Which has prompted me to find and make solutions and write this letter to you, in hopes that you can be free from the chains of procrastination and angst.
So let's begin.
It is important for every writer to keep their creativity intact.
This is easier for some then it is for others. It takes work, discipline, time management, and cuts into what little time to yourself you have left in your busy day.
But if you take the magic of writing seriously, I am sure you will find a way to accommodate this.
The truth is, you cannot write without reading.
You must, must, must, read.
The river of words will run dry without rain.
When you read, you are feeding your mind and nourishing your creativity. You water the wilting flower and unlock the caged bird's cage.
It is so important to read. I urge you to find time for it.
You may think "I don't have time for reading" (I myself am guilty of that claim), to which I say you must make time, or "I'm getting along just fine without reading", to which I say, yes, maybe you can get along fine without reading. But are the words coming out how you want them to? When you reread your work, do you find that more often then not you are embarrassed by it? Furthermore, I ask you this: if you are managing without reading, what will your writing be like with reading?
Before I was a writer, I was a reader. I am sure this is the case for many.
But somewhere down the road, I've seemed to lose time. It's almost as though time moves faster when your grown then when you are young, leaving us all to fumble around as we try to make the most of what is left.
And then there are all the responsibilities we have that further eat away at our precious, precious time. Studies, work, relatives, friends, writing, grocery shopping, trying to find the perfect pen to replace your favorite one that you lost, not to mention the procrastination that goes into each of these things...
Reading just can't be the most important thing on this list, can it?
I am very guilty of losing my desire for already written books.
I would still claim to be a lover of them, despite the fact that I hadn't been reading.
But most recently, I've had the honor of reading some of my friends' books. And reading these got me back into the mindset of being a reader again. And soon, I began reading more.
I again mourned for and with characters, burned with anger at the antagonists, cried, laughed, became captured in the carefully woven words and sentences on the page. I found myself needing to stay awake all hours of the night to complete this chapter, only to find myself saying "One more page..."
Reading is a beautiful thing, just like writing is.
We write so that others can read. Writing comes from reading just as much as reading comes from writing. You cannot have one without the other, and so I, a writer, should not favor writing to the point that I shelf reading.
And since I have began reading frequently again I have been writing more. Ideas once more plague me in the middle of the night, my heart races when I think of the stories I am building, and all together my writing experiences have been better.
Not perfect, mind you. But better.
So I encourage you to put the title 'reader' at level with the title 'writer'.
You may deny these words and experiences I have written of. I wouldn't hold that against you, seeing as I myself have done that to a great deal of suggestions over time.
But if you find yourself staring down at a blank page and wonder why you are lacking imagination, consider the words above.
Mind, I know that there are many other bits of advice. Such as 'push through writers block', which I am very well acquainted with. And while that has its place, I'm not writing to you of getting words on paper. I am writing to you of writing words worth being read, and of keeping your creative mind in good health.
This having been said, I do hope that you will put my suggestion into practice.
In a coming letter, I will give a list of books that I find to help with the creative process.
Until then, fair well my, friends. And may you slay the beast that is Procrastination.
Yours,
Edna Pellen
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