Replenishing Your Creative Well
3
Thou Shall Write Every Day
. It’s the commandment cattle
-prodded into every young
writer’s brain. It’s the
advice that eventually breeds that rare species of subhuman known asthe
Modern American Novelist
, which can be identified by their weak eyes, a forming hump, anda severe case of carpal tunnel syndrome, and are often spotted lurking in chat rooms, wearingtheir daily and total word counts on every post like badges of honor.
Now you’re probably saying to yourself, I’m reading an article about writing, and thisguy’s telling me I got a hump on my back. Well, I didn’t want to be the one to have to tell youbut … No, the point I’m alluding to is that whi
le
Thou Shall Write Every Day
is good advice, youalso need to find a healthy balance between writing and keeping your creative well full.What do I mean by creative well? Writers have many pet names for their inner eye, youknow, that lump of brain matter that brings your subconscious to the page with vivid images.
Some writers call it their muse, and it’s that. Some writers call it their creative well, and it’s thattoo; however, I prefer to think of my inner eye as a well, because it reminds that it’s s
omethingthat needs to be replenished.Many writers compare writing to exercise; that is, you must write often to strengthen
your skills just like you must exercise often to strengthen your muscles. I’d like to add to this by
saying you also need a rest period in writing, just like you do in physical training. Without a rest
period between exercises, your muscles won’t grow, and you’re apt to do damage to yourmuscles. Without a rest period between writing sessions, your imagination won’t grow, andyou’re
apt to do damage to your story.Even that word factory Stephen King understands that writing requires a period of restin order to flourish. In
On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft
, King suggests that you should, ”Put
your desk in the corner, and every time
you sit down to write, remind yourself why it isn’t in themiddle of the room. Life isn’t a support
-
system for art. It’s the other way around.”
Neil Gaiman takes King’s advice further by saying to good writers who have nothing tosay, “Go get a job somewh
ere. Go around the world. Do stuff. Go get your heart broken. And
then come back and write some more.”
Okay, so maybe going around the world doesn’t fit your budget, but there are a number
of less expensive things you can do to keep your creative well pumping out the goods. The bestway to churn up that creative brain matter is through some good old cardio exercise.
Now Drop And Give Me Twenty, Maggot!
There’s a good reason why so many writers turn to exercise before they begin writing or
during those periods without inspiration. By getting your blood flowing, endorphins releasing
and synapses firing, you’re oxygenating your brain, which creates, among other things, creative
fuel. Joyce Carol Oates wrote her novel
Do With Me What You Will
entirely while running. Theimages were so vivid during her runs that she only needed to return to her desk to transcribethe details. Stephen King, having completed nearly 500 single-spaced pages of his masterpiece
The Stand
, hit a serious roadblock when he couldn’t figu
re out how to conclude his story. He
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