Collected Comments: A Few Brief Thoughts About Writing and Living
September 26th 2009 22:38
Writing vs. Living
The following thoughts about writing and living life come from a comment I left at John Hewitt's Poewar: Writer's Resource Center a while back. The comment was written in response to a guest post John ran on his blog.
...Everything we write–whether fiction or non-fiction–flows from our real-world experiences…from the realities of life as we’ve both lived it and seen it lived…from the ways in which those realities have changed and affected us…from the people who have impacted our inner and outer environments…from the physical world around us and the profound effect it continually exerts on our thinking.
It’s important to remind ourselves of these things every once in a while–to willfully remove ourselves periodically from our obsession with writing and once again engage with the people, things, and forces that surround us, where we can draw new inspiration, enthusiasm, creativity, and perspective and thereby learn new lessons and add new vitality to our writing...
...(W)e must not simply write about life; we must live it.
It’s important to remind ourselves of these things every once in a while–to willfully remove ourselves periodically from our obsession with writing and once again engage with the people, things, and forces that surround us, where we can draw new inspiration, enthusiasm, creativity, and perspective and thereby learn new lessons and add new vitality to our writing...
...(W)e must not simply write about life; we must live it.
Your thoughts?
How much time have you spent writing about life, and how much time have you spent living--and drawing inspiration from life--lately?
Pensively yours,
Jeanne
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Comment by Lillie Ammann
Thought-provoking question! As you and I have discussed in other comments, it's far too easy to get so involved in writing (or editing) that we find we've been at the computer for hours. I got so used to not going anywhere except church for the six years I suffered with a seizure disorder that I've really been a stay-at-home for a long time. I'm trying to get out more now. In fact, in a couple of weeks, I'm traveling to a town about 150 miles away to do a 3-hour workshop on editing. You could argue that is still work-related, but it's a big step for me to actually get out in public and actually go that far from home.
Comment by Jeanne Dininni
Writer's Notes
Thanks for sharing your experience with us! Even if the workshop is work-related, it gets you out there in the world outside your office and among people, which is where so much of our insight and inspiration can often originate. It also broadens our perspective, which can breathe new life into our work.
I say, "Bravo!" I think it's wonderful that you're traveling that distance to teach this workshop--especially after cautiously remaining at home for so long! That's wonderful! Be sure to stop back when you return and let us know how things went and the insights you've gleaned from the experience!
Appreciate your input!
Jeanne