Do you actually enjoy the act of writing itself?

donfers · 31-03-2010 04:19PM #1

Now don't get me wrong.

I love dreaming up stories in my head.

I love planning these stories in greater detail as I jot down notes on paper.

I love reading back on stuff that I've written if it has been written well.

I love going in and editing my words, improving the story, adding a word here, taking one away there.

I love developing the plot, the characters, envisaging what might happen to them and getting the story told.

But it feels like actually sitting down and tapping away at the keyboard is sometimes a chore. My brain, my eagerness to tell the story, my thought processes work so fast and are so hungry to progess/develop the story whereas the act of writing seems to slow everything down so much and is almost an impediment/obstacle to telling the story that must be overcome.

Between the mind and the pen/keyboard lies a world of frustration and the mind's world is often not rendered as faithfully as one might hope. Thus is the art of writing no more than the simple mechanical monotonous workings of a mind translator and more to the point, is there any way around this?

pickarooney · 31-03-2010 04:22PM

I get a bit of a kick out of the scribbling-down-on-bits-of-paper part but I agree that typing it up is a bit of a chore.

Not as bad as film-making though. Endless takes of the same scene, all the light/sound set-up and the fluffed lines, poor blocking, when all you want to do is film!

EileenG · 31-03-2010 05:33PM

Occasionally, I'll get fired up, and can't wait to get my idea down on paper (or Psion). More often, I know what I want to write, but don't enjoy the actual sitting down and writing it. The bit where you are about 300 words in is the worst. But I absolutely love having written it and feel great for the rest of the day.

dawvee · 31-03-2010 05:56PM

Wow, I couldn't have a more different take on this. I love the actual act of writing, as I'm never 'in the story' in more detail than when it comes to actually getting the ideas down on paper. I'm a very fast typist though (I've even taken over-the-shoulder dictation on occasion), so I'm basically tapping things out at the speed of thought.

As for a possibly better way, have you considered a dictaphone? Or better yet, a text-to-speech program like Dragon Naturally Speaking. I've read about carpal tunnel stricken journalists who swear by it, I imagine it would work fine for creative prose as well.

davyjose · 31-03-2010 06:19PM

I have to say, I love the process of writing. You can plan it out, make notes, but for me nothing beats the act of putting it down. Usually how I write is by planning a scene, or chapter out in (not too) rough detail, then I get to my laptop/PC and run with it. That is, I suppose, when the "magic" happens, so it's probably why I love it so much.

EileenG · 31-03-2010 07:21PM

I'm a fast typist too. I normally can do at least 1000 words in less than an hour and a lot more if I'm copy typing. But sometimes the words flow more easily than other times.

Antilles · 31-03-2010 07:28PM

Depends on the mood I'm in, but the thing is if I am in a mood where I wouldn't like writing, I tend not to write

pickarooney · 31-03-2010 07:49PM

EileenG wrote: »

I'm a fast typist too. I normally can do at least 1000 words in less than an hour and a lot more if I'm copy typing. But sometimes the words flow more easily than other times.

16wpm? :pac:

EileenG · 31-03-2010 09:59PM

That's when I'm writing and thinking about what I'm writing as I go. Copy typing is a lot faster. I can type at the same speed as people talk. At class today, I typed everything as my teacher said it.

DeVore · 31-03-2010 10:07PM

When its coming naturally and the words are flowing and the piece is almost writing itself, then yes I enjoy writing. When I'm forced to write about something I dont care about and its not working out, then no. I dont

DeV.

Killer_banana · 01-04-2010 07:45PM

When I start a project I enjoy writing a lot. Just typing and typing endlessly and getting all the ideas downs. However once the initial buzz wears off I don't like it half as much. I have the majority of key moments and major scenes planned out but no idea how I'm going to get there. Worse is when I do know how I'm getting there but I'm not interested in writing that journey. I guess my main problem is impatience. Probably why I have so much trouble actually finishing what I'm writing. *sigh* Still the initial enjoyment is worth it, otherwise I would have given up a looong time ago.

Dublin141 · 01-04-2010 08:13PM

I love it. I type about as fast as the inspiration flows so it never seems like work because I'm always eager to get the words down. I hate messing about with notes and things, that bores me. There is always a point that I want to skip over, such as the second to last chapter. That chapter is always full of tell rather than show. :rolleyes: I suppose it's because I'm dying to get to the end.

I write a couple thousand words a night, I find it very satisfying. I always have a better sleep afterwards too. Some people feel great after a run, I feel great after a good writing session.

jackthelad321 · 02-04-2010 02:22AM

I find writing anything tiring and sometimes infuriating, but i believe this is no sign of incompetece but of required consideration. And i think it's inevitable.

I think reading The Elements of Style by Strunk and White gives you, as it gave me, the idea that most people who write do it sporadically, and with plenty frustration. I would distrust writing that flies about; after reading the aformentioned work I reviewed how i look at writing. I now believe any type of writing should be considered clearly and patiently, which must be frustrating.

Most writers I enjoy write as though they might only write a page or less a day, and consider every word; writing this way will be tedious and slow at times. But it has a merit of its own. If you haven't come accross the book i strongly urge you to check it out, for the brilliance of White's prose if nothing else.

mylittlepony · 02-04-2010 12:35PM

I also like to draw/illustrate scenes of the chapters kind of like a storyboard for movies.

Do you actually enjoy the act of writing itself?

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