Writing Is Like A Relationship!
Since being published, many people have begun asking me how I was able to write and complete a book. Writing is definitely not an easy task and it’s definitely not easy to explain how to accomplish it. I've heard so many writers say they've started a book and just couldn't see it through until the end. Well, I'd like to think of writing as being in a relationship. Successful relationships are formed by love, will, and commitment. Without those three elements, writing a book will seem impossible.
First, you must love the craft or you will find that you have no will to commit to writing. It is the love for this new idea that you have that makes you sit in front of a computer screen. It is the excitement to begin the project that helps you write your very first sentence. When you have love for writing, the ideas burn like a fire deep inside of your mind, blazing from your fingertips at a rapid speed, leaving smoke trails as you type. This is the honey moon stage of writing. For many writers, this is the only stage they know, because they haven't got the will power to continue.
When the honey moon stage disappears, you find yourself sitting in front of your computer screen, getting tired of writing and wanting to give up. You've hit a boring part in your story and feel it is a drag just writing it. However, you still love to write, so at this point, you have to have the will to do it. Just like in any relationship, sometimes you just don't want to do go to the movies with your partner. You don't want to cuddle with them on the couch, but because you love them enough, you make yourself available to them. You must make yourself available to your craft, even when it kills you to do so.
Sometimes your will just isn't there, and you've found that you haven't written your story in a week and feel less and less connected to it. In relationships, we tend to grow distant after a while until we look up and don't even know who the person lying next to us is. There will be a point in writing where we feel so disconnected to our story that we just want to quit and start an even more exciting project. This is where commitment must come in. Commitment is what holds relationships together when they are on the verge of falling apart. It's what keeps a writer, writing until the finish line. It is the essence between the start and the finish of a project. We may have the love and the will to write, but without the commitment, we will never complete the projects we start.
As I write my third book, I've hit a point where the story isn't flowing through me as it once had been and I'm barely sitting in front of the computer screen. I've realized I lost my will to write. I still love the story, am still committed to seeing it through, but I'm lacking in one area. I've lost the will. When this happens, it's best to take a small break. Sometimes it's just that we've overworked our brains and need a distraction. Taking a break from your work and coming back to it gives you a fresh perspective and rejuvenates your mental juices so that you may finish what you've started. As with relationships, we sometimes need a few days apart from each other. After the small break, you may notice an increased interest in writing again.
So in all, writing is a lot like relationships and takes love, will, and commitment to see it through. Once you've mastered these three things, you'll start to see your writing habits improve, and before you know it, you'll have written five books in three years. It isn't easy to be a writer but it is achievable! So what are you waiting for? If you love it, have the will to do it, then commit as if your project is your new 'boo thang'! We authors aren't just in a relationship with God, but also with the work He gives us!
