aka on giving a damn
the more you write, the more you realize it is an asinine impulse. but it is an impulse, an annoying, screeching kind of thing. you sit down at a word processor and you write an inordinate amount of words and it all makes sense and you feel compelled to write more regardless of if you are happy/sad/tired. where the 'giving a damn' comes in is decided to 'abandon' your ideas, to rework old ideas and go for completely new ideas. if you want to be a writer, ideas shouldn't be the problem.
it shouldn't be comfortable.
i ain't talking iron maiden level of discomfort (primitive device or band), but a nagging feeling in your spine telling you to play videogames or go to bed. stick your finger down your throat and cough up some ideas.
on a side notes, i really like calling my coughed phlem 'cheese wheels'.
give a damn about everything going on. the characters and the setting and your own progression. if you can't find the write words currently, never stop. write past it. use the worst line you can think of, and edit.
i have a few novel ideas i consider 'legitimate'. i had to lasso myself away from the concept of 'that is not a proper idea for a first novel' or a 'mainstream novel' or 'this novel will not sell'. well placed apathy and arrogance. apathy battling giving a damn.
i had an english prof that playfully told us every writer had an addiction, whether it be coffee or cigarettes or the more legitimate kind, and i remember hearing that and immediately rejecting any platitudes i have heard or understood about writers.
on workshops, follow the advice of people you respect. if you don't respect anyone, you are an asshole. you can still be a writer, but you will be an 'asshole writer'. people will playfully call your corner of the room the 'genius convention'.
right now i got that nagging feeling resting firmly between shoulderblades and i am contemplating finishing out a chapter and watching sons of anarchy on the computer and neither one seems like a legitimate or worthwhile goal
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