On Writing: Struggle

There was a book on my shelf for quite some time now. It waited since it was more different than those I’m used to read. The title was: Daily Rituals: How Artists Work. 

Until I woke up one day and I told myself: It’s time! I do want to know how artists work. I do want to know, and maybe I’ll find myself a bit related to some of the rituals, I’ll read? Maybe?

How did those famous and gifted people manage to balance life and creativity? How did they handle the voices in their heads?

I’m not surprised that some of them were alcoholics or addicted to drugs. I did not blink when I read that some were hermits or depressed. But I was kind of surprised that some were writing in a very slow pace. I had the wrong impression that creativity worked differently for them.

From my experience in writing so far, I know how hard it can be to produce something. I know how demanding and exhausting it is to untangle all the words that swim in your head and put them down in a way that do makes sense. But it’s not just because I’m a self-taught writer.

We all struggle. Famous or not, experienced or not, now or in the past and probably in the future, writing does not come easily. Technology has nothing to do with inspiration or writing rituals. Yes, you may be able to edit and alter your manuscript more easily now but that’s it. That’s the only perk we have these days.

So I do find myself related with some of the artists’ rituals and I really feel the struggle they went through in order to create. In a way, I don’t feel alone anymore, and I find more strength to walk this lonely road, because let’s face it, writing is a very lonely task unless you’re counting the voices, then it’s just pretty loud.

To all of you that write and struggle to create but not give up, just know that: we may be lonely, but we’re not alone. None of us are.