#240: The Physics of Writing
Perseverance is key to success, or so they say. You win when everyone else gives up. Iâve been thinking about that a lot. How can I keep creating sustainably? How do I not give up?
The thing is, quitting is a lot more insidious than it seems. There isnât a moment when you throw your arms up and say, âScrew this writing thing! Iâm done.â
Itâs gradual. Life gets in the way. You donât write as much as you used to. Then you open your WIP and realise that the last time you did that was two years ago.
Most people donât even realise that theyâve quit.
Nobody said itâd be easy, right? Just keep hustling. Keep showing up. Work hard, stay motivated and power through.
Weâve heard this before. It certainly is necessary to power through sometimes, but you canât sustain a writing habit for 40 years on pure willpower.
These things work sometimes, when youâre not feeling like it, or when you have to hit a deadline. But if youâre constantly stretching yourself, you will eventually run your passion for writing to the ground.
Some writers struggle to make it work for a long, long time. They get psyched up for a bit (usually around NaNoWriMo) and start working at an unsustainable speed only to burn out shortly after.
Itâs a frustrating cycle of failure that no amount of hard work will resolve. To change it, you have to change what youâre working on.
I often talk about the physical limits of writing. When it comes to other disciplines, physical limitations are pretty well understood. Nobody expects to run a mile in under 5 minutes without the appropriate athletic training.
When it comes to writing, the lines are a lot more blurry. Almost everyone learns to write at school. Somehow, that gives people instant confidence that they could write a book â if they had the time, of course.
The physical limits of what you can do as a writer are less apparent, but theyâre there nonetheless.
Depending on whatâs going on in your life at the time and what âwriting shapeâ youâre in, you may struggle to keep your writing projects on track. This manifests as a lack of focus, resistance, procrastination and many other things. Powering through those things isnât sustainable. Youâll burn out.
Imagine that you want to get into running. Instead of taking your time and slowly ramping up your training, you start going for two runs per day. You sprint as fast as you can and power through each 3-5 mile run. If you want something, you have to work hard, man, innit?
Youâd quit on day three, sore all over and covered in blisters. Well, at least I would. And Iâd hate running for the rest of my life.
Donât constantly beat yourself up for not being able to keep up your writing habit. Look at the âwriting shapeâ that youâre in and work your way up slowly. Maybe start by writing little stories based on prompts. Do some writing exercises. Dabble in fan fiction. Whatever you like.
Give yourself a chance to succeed.
Hi, Iâm Radek đ. Iâm a writer, software engineer and the founder of Writing Analytics â an editor and writing tracker designed to help you beat writerâs block and create a sustainable writing routine.
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#239: Writing for Fun and Profit, March 2022
#238: Should You Write a Novel?, March 2022
#237: The Paradox of Overthinking Things, March 2022
#236: Personal Writing Challenges, March 2022
#235: Setting Goals as a Writer, February 2022
