I Hate Writing I Love Having Written

Today I have a guest blogger - Barbra.  I found Barbra on Twitter when her bio phrase caught my attention.  "I hate writing, I love having written"  It struck me because it's exactly how I feel but have been to afraid to admit.  I immediately tweeted Barbra and asked her to please be a guest blogger on this subject.  Here is what she wrote:

Love and Hate: A Relationship with Writing

Barbra L. W.

The witty Dorothy Parker quipped, “I hate writing, I love having written.” She, like all writers understood that writing is hard work. Writers have to practice everyday, EVERYDAY, to perfect their talent. For me finding the time to practice my craft proves to be quite a challenge.

For one thing, I am a true procrastinator. I will put anything off till tomorrow. “After all tomorrow is another day,” so says Mitchell’s protagonist, Scarlet O’hara. To add to my “I’ll do it tomorrow” list, I hate the tedium of writing. I hate trying to get the words just right. I hate it when a story shifts and I feel like I have to start over. I hate trying to come up with ideas. I hate when none of the thirty-five ideas I’ve come up with are any good. I could go on for hours expounding on the things I hate about writing.

So, now, you may ask, “Why do you write?” The answer is simple. I love what I write.

The love/hate relationship a writer has with their creativity is conflicting. In order to feel the jubilation of a well-written chapter or a tantalizing tale, one must push through the laborious task of writing. Like most of us with the ambition to become successful writers, I have attached a dream to my efforts. For me, the dream is parties with fancy cocktails and witty people. The red carpet gala when my novel is made into a blockbuster movie or the Diablo Cody Oscar speech moment. The reality is that to get there, you have to WORK and work is a four-letter word that is hard to avoid.

Even now, I sit here fingertips at the ready. Eager to write something profound, I’m charged with electricity. But, then, the drier buzzes. The energy dissipates. While folding laundry, I start to daydream and procrastination hits. An hour later, I have to shut off the email, twitter, Facebook, or other medium keeping me distracted from my writing and responsibilities. And while I can push other responsibilities aside, my beautiful daughter will not wait until I finish my next paragraph for her afternoon snack. Which leads to the procrastinator’s favorite saying, “I’ll finish that short story later; I need to”, you fill in the blank. At the end of the day, sacrifices are made for writing.

Without the work, I don’t get to see how my story will end. I wait till the house is quiet and with six cups of coffee coursing through my veins I write. I write with purpose and conviction. When the last line has been written, it will be the most rewarding feeling. I will love having written. I will love every word that has been typed. I will love every character I have created, as I love my own child. The euphoria of its completion will wash away all the hate that once covered me from head to toe.

Still awash in the glow of my love for the completed work I will inevitably sit down in my writing space and go through the whole love/hate process again. So will you.  

Bio:

Barbra L. W., originally, wanted to be an English teacher. After earning her B.A. in Literature she decided to pursue her passions for writing and photography. She lived in Okinawa, Japan as a child. The experience left a lasting impression on her and she returned to the island as an adult. After four years abroad she returned to the states. She spent a few more years as a nomad before settling in Virginia. She now lives in Richmond, Virginia with her husband and one year old daughter.

“When I take a picture I immediately make up a story for it. When I’m working on a story I look for scenes to photograph that represent it. My passions are so intertwined it is hard for me to do one without the other.“

You can see her photos and scribbling’s on her blog  http://puddwonphoto.tumblr.com/