As the calendar year draws to a close, and as Write Anything also comes to a close, it prompted the exploration of when to shut down a creative life. In this case, a life of writing.
As creative people, the idea of shutting down our creative life is akin to hacking a limb off or stopping breathing. While it might appear to be the opposite thing to do, it may in fact be apposite.
A writer needs to evaluate their creative life, check the map for location and determine whether they are lost in the Pit of Despair or frolicking in the Pastures of Frivolity (for me it is one of those kids? ball pits with all the multi-coloured balls).
If you are not in the place you want to be, you may need to shut down your creative life. Ask yourself the following questions:
Writing is hard work; every writer will proclaim it loudly from the toilet cubicle (better resonance). While it is hard work, it is enjoyable because we are passionate about what we do. The passion drives us to continue, to persevere, to work through the tough periods. And when the words are flowing easily, there is great joy in what you are creating.
But without passion, it will suck you dry and spit out your withered carcass. It is time to shut down the creative life and find your passion again.
This is tricky. If you are not developing and improving as a writer, you have to ask someone to objectively and critically evaluate your work. You need to ask the hard question, ?Does my writing suck?? If it does, it may be time to enrol in a creative writing course to develop your foundational basics; find a critical writing partner who can help improve story structure and characterisation, or worst case scenario, shut it down and focus your creative energies elsewhere.
It can be too easy to seek out the latest trend, jump aboard the bandwagon and ride shotgun. All the while you are moving further away from your original intentions and purpose.
Are you writing travel articles when you wanted to be writing novels? Are you writing YA when your focus is on picture books? Have you left poetry behind to pursue script writing?
There is nothing wrong with diversifying and experimenting, trying out new styles, but if it takes you away from the core of who you are and what you do, it is time to shut it down.
Creative people can be obsessive and focused or ethereal and unreliable as they pursue a creative life. If your creativity is taking over your life and interfering with relationships, if it is taking away from family and friends, it may be time to shut it down.
Writing involves a sacrifice of time and effort, but not at the expense of you being a selfish pillock. Communicate what you want, negotiate the boundaries so that all involved have a clear understanding of what is required. It may require the drawing up of an agreement, stuck to the fridge as a constant reminder of each person?s responsibilities.
Creative people speak of the ?well of ideas,? a place to draw inspiration. The well can be filled by reading, watching movies, visiting art galleries or taking a walk. Stories need time to develop, consciously, unconsciously and subconsciously. Ideas generate ideas, but sometimes, the creative well is dry because the plug has been pulled out. The draining of ideas may have its source in a range of things: your own emotional state, external situations and circumstances, demands and pressures on your time, or relationships.
You need to refill the well by putting the plug back in and letting it refill in its own time from a trickle to a torrent. Feed yourself on good things like art and music. Fall in love with reading again. Leave the pen and paper on your desk and have no regrets in leaving them alone.
If you are dry, shut down your creative life.
But how long should your creative life be shut down?
Will it become a derelict building, boarded up, dilapidated, falling into ruin? For some it may involve leaving the writing life altogether. For some the permanency may be an individual choice; for others it may be exterior circumstances or situations that force a shut down.
If it is voluntary, set aside a specific time frame, from weeks, to months, to years if it is required, that you will step aside from writing. Set a date to restart and have a project ready to pick up or start afresh.
The creative life is one that is inherently a part of you and brings benefit, but you need to return to the thing you fell in love with. It?s a bit like a relationship: you have to work at it.
Refocus and redirect your passion, your core values so when you return to your creative life, it is with a renewed love and determination.
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Finally, thank you to Paul and Jodi for inviting me to be a part of the Write Anything team and to play in the sandpit with the big kids. It has been a pleasure to write alongside some very talented writers. Time to lock the cat, feed the door and say, ?Goodnight.?
Thank you.
Source: http://wa.emergent-publishing.com/2012/12/when-to-shut-down-a-creative-life/
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