I’d like to introduce our special guest today, the lovely Jaye Wells, who wrote one of my favorite books from the past year, THE RED-HEADED STEPCHILD. I love Jaye’s perspective on the world, and she is here to share a little of that with you today. Please show your appreciation by commenting below. -Candy Havens
Discipline is a Dirty Word
By Jaye Wells
Everyone knows that being a writer requires preternatural levels of discipline. Why, to hear some writers talk about it, you’d think we were all martyrs to our keyboards– St. Wordy of the Perpetual Finger Cramp.
Personally, I hate the word. Discipline. Say it out loud right now. Go ahead, no one’s around. DISCIPLINE. I dare you to say that word with a smile. It’s almost impossible. Why? Because guilt and duty weight down those ten little letters.
For me, it conjures images of ruler-wielding nuns and drill sergeants screaming for me to drop and give ‘em 20,000 words.
The truth is, to apply discipline to writing connotes that there’s something inherently lazy and flawed about being creative. Artists are flaky after all, right? Our muse must be flogged into submission until we’re afraid not to write.
Here’s a fact: Anyone who tells you discipline alone will make you a better writer is full of it. Hell, even the original sadist–the Marquis de Sade–managed to tear himself away from his quill for some (admittedly scandalous) fun every now and then.
So if we can all agree discipline is a crappy word to impose on our creativity, what’s the alternative? What other word can we apply to writing that will result in word count? One that gets our butt in a chair regularly? One that overcomes the doubt monster and the rejection flu so that we forge ahead?
ENTHUSIASM
Now that’s a word I can get behind. Enthusiasm. Enthuuuusiasm. Unlike it’s authoritarian cousin, enthusiasm dances off the tongue. If discipline crosses its arms and says no, enthusiasm throws its hands in the air and yells YES!
People always say write what you know. That’s great and all, but I prefer to write about things I want to know. I want to write about things that amuse me or intrigue me or inspire me. I want to write about things that scare, thrill and confound me. In short, I want to write about ideas, characters and plots I’m excited about.
But, Jaye, you’re thinking, aren’t we supposed to write for our audience? Well, yeah, but your first audience is you. And if you aren’t excited about what you’re writing how in the heck can you expect anyone else to be?
Here’s another fact: Enthusiasm will get your butt in the chair just as easily as discipline. But I guarantee you’ll have a lot more fun while you’re there.
That isn’t to say being excited about your stories will mean you’ll never have another bad writing day. It doesn’t mean writing won’t ever be hard. I guarantee it will be. But at least you’ll be working hard because you want to be–not because discipline shamed you into it. Not because guilt told you to write or else.
As writers, we understand the power of words. So why in the world do we constantly impose negative ones on this creative thing we’re supposed to love? Enough, I say. Starting today, focus on how to be more enthusiastic about your writing. Your muse will thank you.
And so will your readers.
For more information about Jaye Wells and her upcoming books check her out at www.jayewells.com
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Discipline is a damn dirty word. I agree. Enthusiasm is much better.
Here’s a better one… UNINTERRUPTED TIME.
Wait… that’s a phrase. Still, it works. That’s my problem right now. Past two weeks, I’ve either had sick kids or massive tension headache or outside forces conspiring against me. Need to WORK. Want peoples to lemme alone so I can do it.
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Shiloh, I hear ya. With the kids out of school. holiday errands, etc. pressing down it’s hard to find time. I’ve found that even if I can get half an hour chunks of totally focused time in I can make headway. The key is the focused part. I have to turn off the internet and shut the office door.
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Awesome! I love this. Yes indeedy. I think I often substitute “inspiration” in the way you use “enthusiasm” but either word will do for me. Folks keep saying you can’t wait until you feel inspired to get writing done, but somehow it’s gotten me nearly 20 books.
I get the job done because I like the job. I think that’s because if the ideas and enthusiasm aren’t there, then all the discipline in the world isn’t going to put words on the page. Writing is so much more than mechanics.
Sam
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I really enjoy this too! I like the job, which makes the time I spend at it so much better. Though I do try to make myself sit down for a certain amount of time each day. That’s what’s great about the writing process, we all have what works for us.
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Enthusiasm alone isn’t enough. Yes, you still actually have to sit down and do the work. But instead of calling that discipline, I like to call it commitment. I’m committed to my stories because I’m excited about them. Thus I’m willing to commit time and effort to make sure they get finished. I also have a commitment to my editor that I’ll meet my deadlines. But my big point is I’m tired of hearing writers act like writing is similar to heading into a coal mine. Writing should be fun a lot of the time. Otherwise, why bother? There certainly are easier ways to make a living.
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Jaye Wells: Thank you for your post.
How about “perseverance”? Or “dedication”? I like “commitment” too, but you beat me to the punch.
I don’t know if this would work for everyone, but I feel my relationship with my work as a writer is like a relationship with someone I’m in love with. There must that sort of passion, the willingness to endure anything and everything, the determination to do whatever it takes to make this relationship work. And there is the conviction that I’m in it for the long haul, so no obstacles—no matter how imposing and threatening—can get in my way. I’m going to succeed in this quest, or die trying!
Keep up the good work!
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I think about it the same way Mary Anne does.
For me, discipline isn’t a dirty word, though. I love the feeling of accomplishment, of stick-to-it-iveness, of laughing in the face of being uninspired, that discipline cojures up for me. But, my mentors are Lynn Viehl and Lilith Saintcrow, who both come from the write-every-day school.
I think you’re right in the way discipline can be negative (and IS for most people), but it doesn’t HAVE to be. Externally applied discipline, discipline for its own sake, like the drill sergeant or nun, is negative. But SELF-discipline? Not negative. Empowering. You can go to far with it, of course, but then it’s not the discipline that’s the problem, it’s your own attitude.
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An absolutely wonderful post. Thanks so much Jaye.
I think discipline is something I need to apply more to my health and fitness issues than my writing ones. I don’t want to stifle my creativity.
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Enthusiasm is a lot more fun than “I haveta”. I’m with Shiloh in the need for uninterrupted time, but I’ll have a lot more of it in the New Year, hurrah. Can I be enthusiastic about that?
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I understand the reasoning behind going for “enthusiasm” over “discipline,” but think “enthusiasm” suffers from its own connotative past. Mainly, I believe enthusiasm, like inspiration, seems to have a life of its own – comes when it feels like it. Discipline, on the other hand, especially “self-discipline” as Jess said, is something we can control. More realistic, I think, to apply discipline focusing on the definition of the word (getting our butts in the chair when we don’t feel like it) and not the unhappy connotations.
Hey – we’re writers – we can bend word to our needs!
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Hey – we’re writers – we can bend word to our needs!
Or even make up new words. I needed triangularish the other day.
I’m still trying to find the word opposite of exceed.
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Quote: Mainly, I believe enthusiasm, like inspiration, seems to have a life of its own – comes when it feels like it. — Michael Kelberer
That is true to a point, but as writers, it seems to me an important skill to know how to remember what lit our fires of enthusiasm in the first place, to go back to those moments, ideas, etc., and to be able to bring them back to life. I frequently lose my enthusiasm for certain projects, but when I want to go back and pull it up, I dig into my story, myself, remember what made me decide THIS story I had to write, and the enthusiasm comes.
Yes, there is a meat and potatoes way of writing. Sit down and write, whether the words are flowing or not. For my personal writing process, this is time wasted. Those words I eke out hit the round file the next time the words are flowing. But that doesn’t mean I don’t write when they aren’t coming. It means I take the time out to find my flow and source of inspiration.
Following on those footsteps is enthusiasm.