I hear this loud and clear. While I do write prose, my main creative outlet is composing and arranging music, and much of what you say holds true for that as well. There are many similarities too. For you the unaffected aspect is/was nonfiction, and for me it is/was arranging other people's music. Yes, I get writer's block. Sometimes it's profound (after my dad died; the first 6 months of Covid) and sometimes, like right now, it doesn't feel so bad and I know I'll get through it. And sometimes...sometimes I do something completely different like write a short story. (I've been lucky so far. I've only written 5, and four of those have been or are about to be published.) That keeps my mind active enough to get me thinking about music again.
I hear this loud and clear. While I do write prose, my main creative outlet is composing and arranging music, and much of what you say holds true for that as well. There are many similarities too. For you the unaffected aspect is/was nonfiction, and for me it is/was arranging other people's music. Yes, I get writer's block. Sometimes it's profound (after my dad died; the first 6 months of Covid) and sometimes, like right now, it doesn't feel so bad and I know I'll get through it. And sometimes...sometimes I do something completely different like write a short story. (I've been lucky so far. I've only written 5, and four of those have been or are about to be published.) That keeps my mind active enough to get me thinking about music again.
Music for me—I have turned myself into a knowledgeable and generous audience. Sometimes, it gets me writing.
If I were quiet and passive, I wouldn’t have survived.
A nice piece Susan. Important too, in many ways.
We are, after all, human beings, not the production machines that many (most?) in the corporate and political world would like us to be.
This is key for me: "I may not be writing the right stuff for today’s busy editors, but I’m writing the right stuff for me."
When we are not copywriting (writing stuff to others' specifications), shouldn't we all, ultimately be writing for ourselves?
And if we are not doing so, can our writing genuinely be described as "good"?
Hey Susan, you are indeed still your fiery self! Nice to see, glad to read. If
you’d like to reach me
Caauthorny@aol.com