I’ve had fiction on my brain all day.
Once upon a time, I used to write a lot of fiction. Fantasy/Sci-Fi as a kid, literary fiction in college, etc. I even wrote a play once.
But somewhere along the way, I became a technical writer, and when you’re writing for a living in a genre that is the antithesis of fiction, sometimes things get lost. And, I’m not just talking about losing your motivation to write, which definitely happens. I’m also talking about rusty skills. Really really rusty skills.
Yesterday, a friend of mine shared a draft of some fiction he wrote, and I had a total blast reading it and writing feedback. I got extremely nostalgic for my fiction classes in college, and the whole close-knit workshopping group energy. It also made me realize that I still really really care about the craft of writing. I might not have the same analytical skills, or the same instincts, but I had a blast putting thought into someone else’s fiction and offering up what I thought would make it work better.
Today, I tore through my apartment until I found a very old USB stick that contained all my documents and essays and yes, all my fiction, from college. I just spent about an hour and a half uploading them all into Google Docs. I’ve got about 30 documents from my fiction class. Some of them are rough drafts, unfinished ideas, half-formed bits of scene, etc. But, there’s also a few totally finished pieces. And one of them, I still think is pretty good.
I’m very motivated to get back into fiction now. I’m thinking Mondays or Wednesdays might be good days to regularly designate as Fiction Days.
On Fiction Day, videogames, tv, and beer will all be off-limits. Writing and reading fiction won’t be. Also, talking about fiction, blogging about fiction, or reading about the craft of fiction will also be totally fine.
Anyway, thanks for listening to my rambling and personal thoughts. But it’s my blawg and I can do with it what I want. :)
3 Comments
Hey Em,
Good for you! Although I would not totally discount beer in the creative process. I mean Hemingway was a genius, well most the time, and was a firm believer in Tom Waits’s theory that, “A bottle in front of me is better then a frontal lobotomy” and the man wrote some great stuff.
You have a point. I suppose the reason I say “no beer!” is because alcohol lowers my discipline/willpower/etc.
Maybe once I’m very very deep in the habit of writing and I don’t have to keep training myself to write every day, I’ll be able to remove it from my list of things to avoid on fiction days.
It really made me smile to think that I had some effect on your motivation to write again. From your feedback, I had several minor breakthroughs, and I think what you wrote accelerated my writing by a couple of months.
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