As an employeed writer with little or no control over what I write, I often find writing becoming a drudgery...I lose my passion. One of the ways I regain that passion is to write personal projects "off the clock" (as if a writer is ever off the clock!). That's what I found so interesting about this article by Scott Lindsay:
Personal Writing: A Passion Infusion
By Scott Lindsay
Have you put together a writer’s checklist? You know, the things you will need in order to put your story together.
A few suggestions…
1. A pen or pencil.
2. A note pad.
3. Alternatively a personal computer with a word processor.
4. A dictionary.
5. A thesaurus.
6. Applicable research materials.
7. An outline providing direction for your work.
OK, if you’ve checked everything off your list then you’re ready to go, right?
Well, maybe not.
In the world of writing one of the components often forgotten is ‘passion’. I’m not talking about romance here. I’m talking about a personal vested interest in the story or subject matter you are seeking to write. Is it something you are passionate about?
“What is it that you like doing? If you don’t like it, get out of it, because you’ll be lousy at it. You don’t have to stay with a job for the rest of your life, because if you don’t like it you’ll never be successful in it.” – Lee Iococa
I recently read the story of a screenwriter who had listened as a friend explained the premise of a movie they would like to see made. The screenwriter decided he could write a screenplay based on that vision. Two years later, the screenwriter was still having difficulties pulling it all together. He was miserable and couldn’t figure out why. The truth for this individual was he had no passion for this type of story. When the writer took the time to think about it, the story was one he would avoid reading or watching in his personal life. He lacked passion for the project. He learned a lesson late, but once he moved on to other personal projects the joy of writing returned.
"If you want to be successful in a particular field of endeavor, I think perseverance is one of the key qualities. It’s very important that you find something that you care about, that you have a deep passion for, because you're going to have to devote a lot of your life to it." – George Lucas
If you are writing for hire there may be times when you lack a passion for the subject matter, but you write it anyway. For some writers the act of writing IS, in fact, work and they are often left with little choice in style, direction or overall content. However, it is possible and even imperative that you discover what you are passionate about and find a way to write about it. Carve out time for your own personal writing and make sure it is something that infuses your passion for writing with new energy.
Scott Lindsay is a web developer and entrepreneur. He is the founder of FaithWriters (www.faithwriters.com) and many other web projects. FaithWriters has grown to become one of the largest online destinations for Christian writers. Members include writers from all around the world. Please visit the website at: www.faithwriters.com
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