5 and 15 for the writeblr ask game š
5. How do you get over a bad writing day?
Personally, I struggle to see any writing day as a bad one. Mainly because I struggle to write regularly, so any day when writing occurs is only good.Ā
For the majority of the last 18 months, a no-writing day bred another no-writing day because I allowed myĀ āfailureā to write to breed another similarly lacking day. That excessive dry spell changed my perspective on what a badĀ writing day is. So, do I manage to write every day, no. Though I do always put it on my to do list. And most days, when I offer attention to my schedule then I do write because I have time to write scheduled into my days.Ā
And I now give myself a lot more grace than I used to. Iām still immensely hard on myself about my writing, but not about having written or not written. I give myself leave to not write, especially now.
15. Whatās the best writing advice you have come across? Whatās the worst?
I think the best advice is encapsulated in 2 phrases.Ā
Write what you will enjoy, because there is a better chance that someone else will agree with you.Ā
Get the words on the page. You can fix anything in revision.
These two statements remind me that writing is hopeful, an art that can be perfected with work and that it comes from a place that is unique to each of us. Iāve tried to write things that people would love; in my experience, it rarely works. But I have found that when I write what I like, what I would want to read, there are others who will find enjoyment in it as well.Ā
As for the revision one. The hardest thing for me in so many cases is getting words on the page. I was an editor by trade for so long, that I realize you can truly fix ANYTHING in revision. But you cannot craft what does not exist, you cannot refine a blank page. You have to get something down. It can be deepened and embellished once it is on the page.
To me, that one feels elitist, suggesting that only people who have certain knowledge and experience can write certain topics. I would disagree. I would encourage anyone to write what excites them. And we live in a great time when we can all become Jacks of All Trades and learn enough to get ourselves into trouble about so many subjects.Ā