Sunday, October 23, 2011

Reasons to Write: #1 Balance

The reasons we write - or the reasons we don't - are very personal, don't you think?

It's no particular secret that I haven't written for some time, and that I haven't written regularly for longer than I care to remember. I've made some measure of peace with that - it's never felt like a permanent situation, more like a pause. I'm hibernating. Out of season.

It'll come back. Or, rather, I'll come back to writing.

I'm not going to blog about the reasons I'm 'pausing'. At least, not today! It's enough for me to know what they are, to have learned to respect them, and to say, "it's okay. It's not permanent." (And not serious, either, so don't worry, if you're so inclined! :-) )

I'd rather talk about all the reasons TO write. I've been thinking about them a lot, lately.

Personally, I think writing helps to balance my life, to balance ME. The dayjob's a pretty heavy load on one end of a seesaw - it would be very easy to let it be all-consuming, to live for that, to think of that all the time. It would be very easy to be goal-orientated, project-focussed, NHS-management-speak-obssessed, musing all the time on codings and admissions avoidance, scrutiny and impact-assessment.

I'd rather spend at least some time wondering how to get my hero and heroine in bed, and what they'd do there that would be unique between them, how to blow up a cathedral (long story) and what would happen if THIS historical character had chances to meet THIS historical character.... Immersing myself on that imaginary world stops me immersing myself - unhealthily - in this real one.

And probably only a writer could consider full immersion in the real world as 'unhealthy'.

So. My number one reason to write: Balance.

What are yours?

(Warning: I'll probably shameless pinch your ideas and blog about them....)

Come back Thursday for Christina's next post!

6 comments:

  1. I completely agree. I've not been writing creatively for a few weeks now, and I feel out of balance. I get too stressed about little things. I find myself without something to think about. I have to remind myself relax my muscles.

    Writing fiction is as much of an escape as reading it—maybe even more so, because the characters are necessarily so much more real to their author.

    Lovely insight, Anna.

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  2. Yes, exactly! To everything you said! :-)

    Anna

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  3. Yes, absolutely! Writing and reading are both an escape from reality, and I couldn't be without either now!

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  4. I agree with everyone that it is about escaping reality and balance. It is also to make you feel better about the voices in your head. Because if you didn't write they would just be voices... and then you would be MAD!

    Bx

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  5. Lovely post Anna!

    It is balance and I think since I've allowed my self to write fiction again I have been a happier, more complete person. Writing also helps me grow...forces me to look at things differently...

    But I think allowing yourself not to write is important...I haven't written creatively in a few weeks either because the flip side of writing has been necessary - marketing, planning...and am looking forward to the creative release of Nano - I am planning on giving myself the month to write for pure pleasure - not the next contracted book but one in my heart at the moment then I can go back to the contracted one fresh...or at least I hope so!
    lx

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  6. Thanks Christina!

    LOL! Yes, there is that, Biddy! Although for a long time the voices just weren't talking to me.... will confess they're back now!

    Yes, exactly, Liz - I know I'm a more complete person when I write. I think your plan sounds great - good luck with Nano!

    Anna

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