League of Inveterate Poets

I would say that the biggest problem I run into in my creative process is bad timing — when I “have the time” to be creative, nothing comes to mind, but when I’m driving in the car and have nowhere to write things down, ideas flood my mind. (This moot court brief I should be working on would be much closer to finished if I had a dictaphone in my car.)

My biggest problem is that of encouraging and harnessing passion. Sparking my creative processes usually requires the intrusion of something into my settled existence – an imminent deadline, a stimulating new acquaintance, a powerful event in my life, etc. However, the creative passion inspired by such things is fairly transitory and dissipates quickly, if I do not find some way in which to render it part of my regular life. It is establishing a continual state of fruitful unsettledness that is my greatest challenge when it comes to creativity.

My fatal flaw is compulsive responsibility-taking. I tend to assume that, having identified a problem or potential problem, it must go on my list. I need to rechannel the energy being directed towards risk management and use it creatively. I write. I want to do more writing. I have 2-3 good ideas languishing, and feel guilt about not giving them the attention I’d like to give.

5 years ago I underwent chemotherapy, and although I’m doing quite well, my brain was scattered so I have a very short attention span and tire easily. I try to keep busy with many different activities but sometimes miss my ‘old brain’. Maybe I need a spot with a view of an ocean where I can write……Ginger G.

Fear and negativity. I just finished the first draft of my first book and it took me way too long. For me, sitting down to write is definitely the hardest part. Second, is after I’ve had a couple of good writing days, keeping it going when life turns up to stop the flow. I’ve never found a good balance with writing and life. I’m all or nothing.

I create transformational programs. My resistance shows up as distractions–doing all of the little things, giving them importance or relevance to justify avoiding the real work of connecting with people to make the events a reality. The resistance is little about self worth or inadequacy, which loomed large when i was young, but rather is about the discomfort of stepping into unknown territory. I know that I have something profound to offer, yet feel like I’m stuck “on hold”.

I’m the same as Lee – I have great monologues with myself, develop storylines, scope concepts etc while driving but the essence is always lost when I try to recreate in front of the PC – don’t havea dictaphone but that is a great idea about using a phone – which i do have and with more features that I ever thought I’d use…great idea and will test it out on my way home tomorrow…then I just need to type faster to get it all into a workable format…thanks for the idea

I think managing the care for my husband Bill is a big part of it. But not to blame Mr. Bill or Mr. Resistance, I think the lack of focus toward the future keeps me from forming dreams. Living in crisis mode for several years and visiting hospitals monthly, took a toll. Now that things are stabilized, it is time to set some goals and start dreaming again, to get back to my goal of continuous growth as a writer.

Brandon and I have just this afternoon been discussing my current WIP. My battle with this project, just like the projects that have gone before, is overcoming my need to “do it right the first time.” I want to do all my research, make all the critical decisions, and then start typing the final draft; I don’t want to explore it as I go and end up with all the leftover bits of writing. In general, I do write more as a “stylist,” taking great care with the language from the beginning, rather than just typing away to get it down and then revising it all later, and I continue to see this as a legitimate method. But I also have to be willing to “waste” words if necessary, whether that is writing a 20-page synopsis no one else will ever read but helps me decide chapter breaks, or keeping meticulous footnotes that the publisher will probably cut out later but that remind me where I got this info in the first place. I need the motivation to just write and quit worrying about if today’s thousand words will make it into the final text or not.

Procrastination towards getting started, diluting energy by talking about the project far too often and then not having a consistent system which keeps me in the process instead of trying for a home run, without warming up or practicing.