That time again.
I glance up at the top right-hand corner of my screen. There, waiting patiently to be pressed, is the button marked Publish…
I say patiently, but that button is very purple. Puce, even, the shade a teacher’s face might turn as you wheel out excuses – each one less credible than the last – as to why you didn’t do your homework.
I won’t bore you with feeble alibis. Instead, below is something I read the other day that offers a little consolation. It helps, after all, to realise that nobody finds it easy. And to produce anything worthwhile, it seems, always takes the writer on ‘an emotional rollercoaster’.
Stage 1: Excitement
“You must not come lightly to the blank page.” ― Stephen King
Stage 2: Uncertainty
“You can always edit a bad page. You can’t edit a blank page.” ― Jodi Picoult
Stage 3: Persistence
“You don’t start out writing good stuff. You start out writing crap and thinking it’s good stuff, and then gradually you get better at it. That’s why I say one of the most valuable traits is persistence.” ― Octavia E. Butler
Stage 4: Distraction (AKA: Procrastination)
“If I waited till I felt like writing, I’d never write at all.” ―Anne Tyler
Stage 5: Doubt
“The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt.” ― Sylvia Plath
Stage 6: Shame
“The first draft of anything is shit.” ―Ernest Hemingway
Stage 7: Fear
“If I wanted perfection, I wouldn’t write a word.” ―Margaret Atwood
Stage 8: Courage
“Creativity takes courage. ” ― Henri Matisse
Stage 9: Relief (AKA: Euphoria)
“Writing the last page of the first draft is the most enjoyable moment in writing. It’s one of the most enjoyable moments in life, period.” ― Nicholas Sparks
Stage 10: Pride
“There is no real ending. It’s just the place where you stop the story.” ―Frank Herbert
Great group of quotes. And circle around again…(K)
Yes, indeed, each new piece is – in TS Eliot’s words – ‘a raid on the inarticulate’.
Really good quotes! I like the Sylvia Plath and the Frank Herbert best. So hard to overcome self doubt, and so hard to know where to end a story…
Very true, Christine, and perhaps if it was easy it wouldn’t be worth doing.
Reblogged this on Opher's World and commented:
I loved this – so get writing!
Great quotes Dave.
Cheers, Opher, and thanks for the reblog!
That stage 2 is a great quote and so true. I might stick that on the front of my laptop!
Good, Steve, isn’t it? A variant of, ‘Don’t get it right, get it written!’
Have you thought of producing this as a poster and marketing it? I can’t help thinking Dragon’s Den might take an interest…
Alas, not mine, Cath! I should ‘fess up and direct you to the webpage I nicked it from, worth a read in its own write … er, right! Here’s the link:
https://www.wix.com/blog/content-writing/2018/10/the-10-emotional-stages-of-writing/?fbclid=IwAR1sxc8rNIzJ77j79qnlsT1QewiiZLU4UF9mArtlgbrUv9biKTy5rHEokHs
Thanks for the link, looks interesting. Glad you ‘nicked’ it, otherwise I would have missed seeing them all together.
Really like this. Gives me courage!
Glad you liked it. We need all the encouragement we can get!
Yes, it’s amazing how self doubt always creeps in. Am finding it difficult to find an agent and so many publishers publish fewer books each year.
Good luck with that. I’ve heard it’s as hard to get an agent, a good one anyway, as it is to get published. What about self-publishing on Amazon or wherever?
Thinking about it more seriously now.
I particularly like number ten, Dave. I can’t help myself when I open a document I’ve supposedly finished. I always find something to rewrite! –Curt
Haha, confession time, eh? Well, Curt, mine is that I can’t resist making changes to posts I’ve already published!
Grin… Turning back the clock. Or is that closing the barn door after the horse has escaped.
Yeah, that’s me sitting in the straw banging coconuts together!
I’m not so sure I relate to all the stages, but many of the quotes resonate. Especially Procrastination.
Too often find myself pro crastination!