Tuesday, April 07, 2009

Authors: Do you find writing Boring?

In the most recent issue of RWR (Romance Writers Report published by Romance Writers of America), I was reading an article “The Five Qualities of a Successful Writer.”  

  1. Generosity. (check)
  2. Discipline. (check)
  3. Patience. (double check)
  4. Joy. (double check)
  5. Writing. (triple check)

Generally speaking, I was agreeing with the article (and was relieved to discover I'm not the only writer on the planet who fantasizes she's being interviewed on a daytime talk show while in the shower...lol), when I came across the following statement under Joy:

 “We all know how writing can be scary, difficult and (gasp!) boring.

Whoa, back up there, Nelly!

Boring? The author actually considers writing to be boring?

I finished reading the article, yet for the rest of the day, I couldn't get that statement out of my mind. Maybe it's because I'm a Gemini, and boring is the bane of my existence. Seriously. Just ask anyone in my family, and they'll tell you one thing I can't stand is boredom...(the other is repetition...but that's another story).

So I started going over all the things writing is to me:

  • Challenging
  • Inspiring
  • Frustrating
  • Exhilarating
  • Exhausting

But boring? Never! I've tried many different things in the past, and all them were dropped because I found them boring. But to me, writing has to be one of the most thrilling experiences of my life. I can't get enough, I'm obsessed! And I think the reason is because every story is completely different from the last, even if you're writing about the same characters, there's always something new and exciting to discover. I love taking that unknown journey into my characters' world. Like reading, writing is an adventure for the mind...

Which explains why I was flabbergasted to even think a fellow author might find writing boring. In fact, I would hazard to guess that if you find writing boring, so will your readers. Writing is what you make it.  

But then, maybe she didn't explain herself. Maybe she was talking about revisions, rewrites or edits. I can certainly understand finding that boring (although I must confess that I love rewrites and edits—there's something about cutting out the “deadwood” and tightening up your prose until the story shines...or maybe I'm just nuts. lol).  

One problem I do have—I can only read one of my manuscripts so many times before I'm ready to run screaming from the room (there's that repetition thing again). Hell, I still haven't read A Knight of Passion since it was published in paperback in 2006. Oh I pull it off the shelf from time to time, and leaf through it to read a sentence here and there, and to inhale the lovely, lovely scent of the glue, ink, and paper...*sigh* Actually, I'm saving my “re-read” of AKOP for when I'm ready to write the two sequels (Garrett & Sir Richard's stories)—at least that's what I keep telling myself.

So if she was referring to edits, revisions, etc., I can understand. But writing itself?

To me, writing is never boring. Never, never, never, boring! I don't think I can stress that enough.

Authors, what about you? Do you ever find writing boring, or an aspect of the writing/editing process boring?  

Readers, what do you think?



Labels: , , , , , ,

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

<< Home