Tuesday, March 4, 2008

Do you NEED to write?

I'm preparing a manuscript for an agent right now, and also working on a nonfiction book which is about a third finished (40,000 words). I've also had quite a bit of Misque business to attend to. I'm excited about the retreat, and glad to do it, but when I go several days without writing, I tend to get depressed.

This made me wonder. Do you NEED to write? I mean, do you ever feel the seed your creativity withers and dries up inside for lack of sunshine if you don't let it out to blossom once in a while?

9 comments:

Dana King said...

I find it hard to get back into the flow of writing if I skip more than a day, though I can't say I miss it if I don't write for a day. It's more like an OCD thing; if I don't do it, I'll just have that much more to do tomorrow. Which is kind of sick, since, being unpublished, I have no deadlines.

Damn, maybe i DO need to write.

L. A. Green said...

Oh yes. Writing is like an addiction. I have to have my fix. And my muse always seems to go into warp drive at the worst possible times. I try to keep paper and pen handy for any such situation. :)

Thanks for dropping by my blog(s) to say hello Misque Writer.

Misque Writer said...

Dana,

I think there's definitely a "flow" thing with writing. After I became a mom, one of the most difficult things to get used to was having my flow constantly interrupted by a very cute distraction.

Misque Writer said...

Laurie,

Lol, yeah, I know what you mean about the Bad Timing of the Muse. Mabye she does it on purpose. Who says the gods of writing have no sense of humor?

Kimber Li said...

Yes! Like a fish needs water. If I stop writing, it's a Red Flag I've sunk into depression.

Judy Merrill Larsen said...

It's funny you asked this today--I've just finished a major rewrite and sent it off to my agent. So I'm a bit at loose ends. Which means I'm baking up a storm and cleaning out closets. I was planning to wait to start on book #3 until I hear back from my agent. But just this morning this great first line and opening image came to me. So, I have a hunch I'll sneak in some writing this afternoon.

When I'm in the midst of a project, going more than a day or two without writing makes me feel very grumpy and a bit rusty.

Misque Writer said...

Judy, I think that's great. I was just reading over here http://elmarshall.livejournal.com/9499.html
about a writer who bought herself a cute purse when she finished her wip. I thought that was a cute idea. In many ways, though, I think being able to go on to the next book (guilt-free) is the best reward of all!

Janice Seagraves said...

I seem to have to write almost daily or I feel like something is wrong.

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