Adam Croft

Our topic today is another question with a whole host of different answers. Why do we write? It’s a tricky one. We all have our own reasons for writing and writing means something different to all of us. For some people, it’s a nice way to relax, purely for fun. For others, it’s a career or second job.

One common answer to the question though, is that we write because we love it. The act of writing gets at something in us that makes us want to do it – and then keep on doing it. Watching a new world form on the page as you progress with your novel, or creating a whole new life the more you write about your characters, is a pretty powerful thing.

At its basest level, however, writing is a purely practical enterprise. It’s a means of recording things. We all do it, whether it’s with endless to do lists, reminders to ourselves or writing minutes in meetings. We’ve done it since 3000BC. In some way, everything ever written says ‘we were here.’

And that’s another common answer given by people who love to write – they want to leave something tangible behind. It’s also one of the reasons some people get into independent publishing; even if they’re not fussed about selling hundreds of thousands of books, they still like they idea of having something solid that they can hold in their hands, knowing that they created it.

I think one of the main reasons that the question of why we write is so hard to answer, though, is that ultimately, no one really knows. We can list a whole heap of reasons, both practical and emotional, but for writers, at the end of the day, it’s just something we do.

What do you reckon? Do you have specific reasons for writing or do you just accept the fact that you do it and get on with it?

When it comes to writer’s block, it seems to me that there are two distinct groups of people: those who are adamant it exists, and those who are adamant that it doesn’t. I would argue that they are both, in a way, right. Some people will always find the process of writing harder than others and some people will always be able write without any trouble at all.

One thing I think we all need to be careful about though, is using the idea of writer’s block as an excuse for our lack of progress with a project. We’re always going to have bad writing days or even entire long weeks when we fail to get anywhere or, if we do make progress, are completely unhappy with what we’ve done. But I think it’s too easy to simply say “it’s writer’s block” and leave it at that, because to say that is to fail to address the root causes of what’s troubling your writing.

Likewise, I think it’s equally risky for writers in the “writer’s block doesn’t exist” camp to imply that the process of writing is something that just happens, as it can sometimes come across. Writers should support each other, and so if you are lucky enough that you are never ‘blocked’ and are always able to write, why not offer some support or guidance to those who find the process a bit more of a challenge? It’s something that we all need to learn to overcome.

I’d say that writer’s block, whatever it is, is something of a front for other problems. Those other problems could be anything from dissatisfaction with what you’ve written so far to a particularly awkward plot point that you’re unsure how to resolve, a problem that’s unrelated to your writing that’s making it hard for you to focus – or even just a general malaise with no particular root cause. All of these things can make us feel as though we’re blocked, but they can be overcome.

So, the next time you feel as though you’ve got writer’s block – or a writer you know says that they have it – take a step back and think carefully about what could be causing the problem. Chances are, it’s something you’ll be able to fix and you’ll be back in business in no time.

What are your thoughts on writer’s block and what methods do you use for getting over challenges in your writing?

As I seem to be entirely devoid of anything interesting to say, why not bombard you with a blog meme? I saw this over at Jonathan Fields’s blog and it got me thinking. I must say, I’m nowhere near being any sort of authority on writing—not that anyone can be an authority on an intrinsically internal art form—but this is an area of my writing in which I am interested and which I’d like to explore myself: my creative modus operandi.

• Clothes: I should be wearing some, yes. I’ve not yet found that I have a particular writing ‘outfit’ but I don’t like to be too casual. Shorts and t-shirts are for playing computer games in.
• Sound: Absolute deathly silence; nothing else will do. I’m going to experiment with classical music to see if that makes any difference but for now no creature must stir whilst my hands are on a keyboard.
• Light: I enjoy being outside in the sun and feel more productive when I do so but the minimalisation of external stimuli effected by sitting in the dark, save for an anglepoise lamp, is preferable. I’ve not seen any evidence that light makes any real difference to me, though. Probably because it’s too dark to see. Ho ho ho.
• Time of Day: I become super-creative around 9pm and my brain starts doing wonderful things. I’m going to try writing first thing in the morning to see if that has any effect but my brain generally takes a while to wake up. If I could write overnight and sleep through the day, I would.
• Location: Again, this doesn’t seem to matter but needs to be quite regimented. It helps if I’m sat in my office or at the desk in my bedroom with my laptop. I’d dearly love to be able to write anywhere and am jealous of those who can.
• Directionality: I don’t have much choice here as my desks are both in bedrooms, perpendicular to windows. I’ll go with Jonathan, though, as I’d much prefer to sit facing out into a room but with a large, looming bookcase or substantial piece of furniture in front of me.
• Routine/spontaneous: Ideas come spontaneously; writing happens through routine.
• Long periods or short bursts: I seem to fizzle out quite quickly when writing so I have to say short bursts. I’m working on it, though.
• Carry something to capture ideas on the fly?: Yes, my iPhone. I’m always scribbling down notes and ideas.
• Squeaky clean or squalor: Squeaky clean.
• Clean or dirty: I need to be clean. I have the added benefit that showering is what brings on most of my ideas and creativity.
• Solo or surrounded: Absolutely solo.
• What fuels you?: Coffee, sandwiches and pork pies.
• Leaded or unleaded?: Fully caffeinated, unless in the evening.
• Breaks: Preferably so, as I tend to write best in short bursts (see above) and am easily distracted. This isn’t a good thing, though, as I get distracted on breaks and never get back to writing.
• Mindset practices that fuel creation: Listening to some music or reading a book.
• Movement practices that fuel creation: Showering and walking.

So, go on. What’s your creative modus operandi?