“Good” Excuses for Not Writing
If you’re not writing, you’re not writing — No excuse exonerates you.
We all know that the definition of a writer is someone who plops their butt in a chair, opens their laptop or notepad, and starts assembling words in a cohesive manner for (hopefully) others to read. Without generating words, we would be hard-pressed to claim the status of “writer.” But, of course, there is more to being a writer than simply writing.
The Many Faces of a Writer
If we study the guidelines in books, blogs and other articles meant to inspire and direct writers in their craft, we also know that writers are readers. Good writers read profusely. Writers are marketing professionals (I use the word “professional” loosely here). So, of course, we must set aside our laptop and notepad and seek out venues to promote and sell those words to our adoring public. If they don’t know they adore us yet, we must be vigilant in getting the word out about what we have to offer. Writers are researchers. We would be remiss to proclaim that we “know it all” about any subject we choose to write about. Therefore, we must spend an appropriate amount of time investigating the information we use to create our work. Writing from our own stream of consciousness only gets us so far. Writers are explorers. A writer who leads a cloistered life, isolated and alone in their little writing sanctuary, will not have the experience or world exposure to write as in-depth as one who has experienced other cultures, people and ideas. Writers must step away from their desks and get out there in the world. Writers must be sacrificial lambs. Writing takes time, lots of it, especially early in one’s writing career. Sacrifice is something of a learned behavior. As a would-be writer, being willing to trade the time spent doing other things for time spent doing “writing things” is crucial to the process. Writers are perfectionists. This is not as complimentary as it first sounds. Seeking perfection means stymied growth when you stay stagnant, dwelling on one paragraph, phrase or even a single word — all in an effort to “perfect” your thought. Writers, by their very nature, tend to be professional learners. They want to expand the knowledge of their craft by earning degrees, taking classes, attending seminars, and such. This is all well and good — up to a point. It can become too easy to confuse the “writer as a student” with the “writer as a writer.” Each of these aspects of writing is a valid component of the writing life. Each has its place and each place must be honored.
The Ultimate Definition of What it Means to be a Writer
At the end of the day, all of those other aspects of the writing life will not amount to a hill of beans if you aren’t actually writing. All writing doesn’t have to be done with the intent of exposing your writing to interested and adoring fans of your work. Some of it, sometimes all of it, may just be because the writing muse lives in your heart and soul and must be exercised, like any muscle, to develop to the fullest extent possible. Hide it from curious eyes, collect it in notebooks stored in your attic, or keep it in The Cloud if you must — but you must have some level of consistency. Writers are a lot of things — readers, marketers, researchers, explorers, sacrificial lambs, perfectionists, and learners. All of these are good and valid qualities in the writer’s personality. Writers are also — Writers. None of the “good” excuses for not writing will ever make you a writer unless and until you finally succumb to the compelling lure of your writing passion and finally, and regularly, assemble words in a cohesive manner.
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