Writers Need Time to Think!

*SPECIAL PREMIUM MEMBER POST*

One of the most difficult obstructions that writers face is the expectation that we always be doing something. We must stay in motion. Stopping to think is disfavored.

The vast majority of us have jobs, if not careers. Loves, if not families. Goals, if not pie-in-the-sky dreams. Yet, we feel guilty if we consider resting. What about that report that’s due tomorrow? Will we have enough time to help our child with their school assignment? How will I become the writer I wish to be if I never have to time write? To quote Cathy. “Aack!”

                Much of our trouble comes from the way people see us. You see, writers are entertainers. But almost no one thinks of us that way. We don’t even think of us that way.  

                Pick a musician you really like. I don’t care if it’s the Weeknd or Yanni. Let’s pick someone that almost everyone is familiar with and someone most people like: the great Dolly Parton. We would all agree that Ms. Parton is an entertainer. She sings, wears amazing outfits, and obviously wants us to have a good time. No one would ever expect Dolly to show up at an office and stay there from 9 to 5. Pun intended.

                Parton has made some of the greatest songs in music. Personal favorites include “Coat of Many Colors,” the aforementioned “9 to 5,” and “Jolene,” which I tried, unsuccessfully, to base a short story on as an undergrad.

                Dolly wrote those brilliant songs herself. She sat down and put those words on a page and revised them. That’s writing. Still, I don’t imagine that she goes to a desk and stays there for eight hours. If anything, I imagine that she spends most of her time not writing. Much of her creativity likely came from not being made to punch a clock or cook someone’s dinner seven days a week.