One of my Education professors in college really drove this home for me. That part of any healthy writing process is time and space away from the writing for things to click into place (although I know that you are extending this and noting the way that rest and pleasure within that space can bring us back to writing).
It’s the one thing that sometimes feels nice about trying to write with a full time job. Space is built in and writing is already more pleasurable than work. I find that when I have a forced break because of life and work, sometimes when I come back to the writing, things have fallen into place when I wasn’t thinking about it.
I wish I'd had a professor like that! Maybe I did, and I just didn't listen. I think school in general rewards anxiety, which is great for achieving the kind of short-term results that you can see over the course of a semester, and that's where we seem to internalize this message about procrastination. (I was definitely one of those all-nighter types. Many memories of the UGL computer lab at two a.m.)
I see what you mean about having the job to create space between writing binges, and maybe contrast and heighten the pleasure of creative work. At first when I started publishing, I really assumed most people wanted to be full-time writers. It has taken me until now to really understand how stimulating non-writing work can be, and how things that take you away from writing can be doing you a service. (This is apart from the whole question of not having to worry about making all your money from your creative output, which imposes its own stress on the process, and I'll probably write about someday too.)
So good, Amy. I have never thought about procrastination in this way. I’ve always considered it a bad thing, but I’m glad I procrastinated enough to read this post.
I love everything about this post. 💕 Thank you for writing it.
Thank you for reading, Sarah!!
One of my Education professors in college really drove this home for me. That part of any healthy writing process is time and space away from the writing for things to click into place (although I know that you are extending this and noting the way that rest and pleasure within that space can bring us back to writing).
It’s the one thing that sometimes feels nice about trying to write with a full time job. Space is built in and writing is already more pleasurable than work. I find that when I have a forced break because of life and work, sometimes when I come back to the writing, things have fallen into place when I wasn’t thinking about it.
I wish I'd had a professor like that! Maybe I did, and I just didn't listen. I think school in general rewards anxiety, which is great for achieving the kind of short-term results that you can see over the course of a semester, and that's where we seem to internalize this message about procrastination. (I was definitely one of those all-nighter types. Many memories of the UGL computer lab at two a.m.)
I see what you mean about having the job to create space between writing binges, and maybe contrast and heighten the pleasure of creative work. At first when I started publishing, I really assumed most people wanted to be full-time writers. It has taken me until now to really understand how stimulating non-writing work can be, and how things that take you away from writing can be doing you a service. (This is apart from the whole question of not having to worry about making all your money from your creative output, which imposes its own stress on the process, and I'll probably write about someday too.)
So good, Amy. I have never thought about procrastination in this way. I’ve always considered it a bad thing, but I’m glad I procrastinated enough to read this post.
Ha! I have to admit I was procrastinating when I wrote it ;)
sounds wonderful! if you happen on something delightful on your shelf, please come back and post about it :)
I just looked it up--what a balm, if the cover copy is any indication! I've put it on my TBR, thanks for the rec.