Writing Is a Disease
“I think all writing is a disease. You can’t stop it.” - William Carlos Williams
Williams is right. If you’re truly a writer you figure out how to get it done.
William Carlos Williams was a physician by day and he wrote at night.
Why Short Stories and Books?
I started writing short stories and books because even though I’ve always worked in film, writing is another way of telling the stories I want to tell and is much cheaper than making a film. I can work by myself, until it’s time for editing and book design. The money I need to come up with to publish a book and promote it is much less than funding a film shoot.
In my mind it doesn’t matter what the medium is, it’s about the story and the most effective way to tell it.
The work involved in writing a story or book is just as hard as writing/making a film but in a different way. It may not be as physical as standing on a set for 12 hours and moving equipment and people around, but it has its own demands.
I approach writing in the same way I approach filmmaking. I sit down and treat it like a job, every day for a certain amount of time depending on what else needs to get accomplished that day/week.
Since I am a filmmaker, people ask me when I’m going to turn some of my short stories into films. The answer is, “probably never”. When I write something as a short story I tend not to see it as a film. Since I’ve already told that story once why do I want to tell it again in a different medium? The story is done as far as I’m concerned.
Waiting For Inspiration?
I don’t believe in waiting for inspiration. You have to sit down every day and work at it. Good writing comes just as much from perspiration as inspiration. (I’m sure I stole that line from someone else.)
There are days when life interferes and you have trouble making time to write. You have to find a way to get something accomplished. It doesn’t have to be much but you have to make the effort.
To write something every day is a good goal. Sometimes it’s just in my journal or a blog post. Although most of the time I get some work done on a longer project.
If I don’t write every day on something I feel like the day is a loss. I tell myself I must not be serious enough to do this. Which is wrong. We can be so much tougher on ourselves than we need be.
I have read that Stephen King writes six pages a day. I beat myself up over having only written one page. Then I remind myself that writing is Stephen King’s main job. I balance writing with filmmaking, film editing, sound design, and teaching. I also like to have some semblance of a personal life.
No Excuses
This is not making excuses, I’m being a realist.
Not all of us have established careers, trust funds, or supportive spouses so we can concentrate on a single thing. And King worked his ass off getting to where he is. He wrote at night for years after working all day before finally selling his first book. Apparently he still works his ass off.
Some months, if I have the opportunity to take in more outside work than other months, I do, as I have to put money away for the months I don’t have any work at all. Whether I do outside work or not, I still have monthly bills to pay.
Yes, writing is a disease. If I don’t work at it every day I feel guilty, like I’m letting myself down. These stories I'm writing are important, my characters are counting on me to tell their stories. And now that I’ve started down this path I can’t stop.
I will keep suffering from this disease for the rest of my life. Although Williams was a physician, I doubt he ever came up with a cure for writing, and I’m okay with that.
William Carlos Williams is the author of multiple books of poetry, essays, and the novels, In The American Grain, The Great American Novel, White Mule, In The Money, among others. Williams was also a mentor to fellow New Jersey poet Allen Ginsburg.
You need to check him out. You can learn more about him here, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Carlos_Williams
Thanks for reading.
And if you wish to wander around my website and maybe purchase one of my books or stream one of my films, I’d really appreciate it.
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