I'm majoring in English with a concentration in Professional Writing at the University of Memphis. Unfortunately, between school and work, I don't have much time to spend on writing, other than what I do on my Memphis Grizzlies' blog, 3 Shades of Blue. However, that is not to say that I don't still get ideas for future projects that simply will not leave me until I've at least jotted them down. So, I always make sure to keep a pocket notebook on me at all times. I've come to find that it is my best friend for times like that.
You see, I have learned over time that writers experience "creative flow" in a variety of ways. For many of the great writers out there, their flow is like a constant stream of ideas, words, and characters. Practically whenever they sit down to a keyboard or notepad, they churn out chapter after chapter of solid work.
Then, there are writers like myself. Rather than a consistent stream, my creativity is more like a flash flood. There have been times when I will sit down to simply sketch out a thought and find myself awash in ideas that can often carry me through days or even weeks of constant writing. And then I'll go days/weeks/mhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifonths before it hits me like that again. There is no rhyme or reason to it, but I've become accustomed to it. The key is to continue putting things down, even when it doesn't seem like it is a "creative" day.
In an interview on The Daily Beast, Jody Picoult had the following quote that I think perfectly encapsulates what writers should use as their mantra:
I don’t believe in writer’s block. Think about it—when you were blocked in college and had to write a paper, didn’t it always manage to fix itself the night before the paper was due? Writer’s block is having too much time on your hands. If you have a limited amount of time to write, you just sit down and do it. You might not write well every day, but you can always edit a bad page. You can’t edit a blank page.
Let me repeat that: You CANNOT edit a blank page. Truer words were never spoken, in my opinion. And that is why you must write -- daily, if possible -- if you want to be a writer. Just like anything else, practice/repetition makes you better.
