For some writers and artists, it's difficult to find momentum in their work. They work in spurts, producing several pieces in a short amount of time and then it wanes. The creativity subsides and they find something to fill in the spaces between when they are once again arranging the charms of the muse. But what do you do when your work has been more than a spurt? When you have been working on the same thing for years? How do you step back from it when you're finished? What do you do to relax?
After long projects that have sponged every bit of my energy and attention, I feel an incredible sense of inertia. I liken the sensation to stepping off of a treadmill at the club. I have been walking in place. I stop the machine and walk to the fountain for a drink and in those few moments it appears as though my body is contriving more movement than is accurate. In other words, one step feels like ten, and ten feel like two hundred. It's inertia.
At the club I know the sensation will pass sometime before I hit the showers. With writing, I sometimes feel as if my momentum will be lost if I do not maintain the pace. In my case, a novel is the perfect medium to discuss, both because I have written a few and because I know it takes time and energy to combat the need to return to the desk and go over every line again.
In last week's article, I alluded to Stephen King's memoir, On Writing. In the book, King proposes some very simple guidelines that he believes are important to stick to in order to maintain a healthy balance in one's life. I'll paraphrase: Begin your story in a locked room. Do not come out until the work is finished, and keep the door closed. Then put the story in a drawer for six weeks and come back to it. This time, leave the door open (to possibilities that could enhance your story). It should take you about one year to write one book - by many artists accounts, this is about right. For others, ten years is appropriate.
So, you've been on the writing treadmill now for some time. The book is finished. What do you do now? How do you combat the urge to return to the desk?
In some instances, I have heard writers suggest that moving right into your next project is a good way to relax. For instance, reading, doing research, going for walks thinking about your new characters or subject matter, or traveling to Britain to read Civics papers in the Oxford Library in order to begin work on a collection of essays at the end of your study period ... you get the idea. There are countless ways to "relax" after the marathon is over.
In my own life, having recently finished the project to launch Cadillac Cicatrix, I must say I'm feeling the inertia again. Both the creation of website and the journal have required much attention for close to a year and a half. During that time, my schedule has remained steady: up at four a.m. to read submissions and proof drafts of each story/poem/essay or design NorthernPros.com and CadillacCicatrix.com, before going to work.
That's where the writing and the creativity cease drawing my physical attention at least. Many times I can be found daydreaming at work, thinking about the words, a storyline, book reviews, art, but this is my six weeks. Work (my job, I'm the Cellar Master of a California winery) is relaxing - although at times hectic and rigorous. After work, I dedicate my time to my family and know that I can return to the muse in the morning when I am fresh and the ideas are uninhibited.
That is a daily cycle however. And methodology is imperative to good work I believe. But, now the journal is complete and I am sending it out the galley to reviewers for pre-release analysis. What do I do now?
Well, I am taking a week to throw myself down a mountain on a snowboard. I am drinking wine and invigorating my senses in nature. I am getting away from the desk and the technology and the pace I've been keeping. This hasn't always come easy - I had to teach myself how to make the conscious decision to step back and let the work I've done come to a current of its own.
For me, doing the things that make me most happy makes the writing (or any project) more fun. Reading, traveling, adventure - these are all great ways to get away and grow. Many times it's in these moments that we come up with our next project. It could be a conversation we have that initiates a note about a character or a scene or a drawing. The only thing we need do as artists is to make ourselves available. The muse comes in many forms, after all. We must not always lock ourselves in a room to be dubbed a writer. That cliche went out the door already and is having a good time down at the local watering hole.
If you have difficulty creating a space in which to relax, meditation is another great way to settle the mind. My sister does yoga, she finds it relaxing and invigorating. Some of my friends go on a vacation where all they do is sit on a beach (rain or shine) and watch the waves roll in.
There is no shortage of things to do if you can just pull yourself away. Even that is easy once you do it a couple of times.
See you on the mountain slopes. I'll be the guy reclaiming control of his groove.
- Benjamin Spencer
Senior Editor
