What ONE thing would you give up to become a better writer?
This could be ANYTHING, like a pledge for Lent or a sacrifice to the Writing Gods or a resolution to cutting back on nasty habits that hinder your work. Time to confess.
11 thoughts on “A Sacrifice to the Writing Gods – What ONE Thing Would You Give Up to Become a Better Writer?”
Ha! I’ve already given up gaming. No video games, no table top games. They were simply taking up too much of my time. For the most part I’ve given up movies. I do still watch television every once in a while, but that’s practically gone now, too. Most social media is out the window. All this so I can practice my craft and really hone in on writing better and being a better business person regarding that writing.
Perhaps a different question could be, what wouldn’t you give up to be a better writer?
I won’t give up my health, which means ensuring I eat well and practice good physical fitness routines. What is the point of being a phenomenal writer if you’re too sick or dead to enjoy it?
I won’t give up my relationship with my wife, the only friend I have left (now that I’ve abandoned social media). What’s the point of being a phenomenal writer if you have no one to share your success with?
Is there anything left to give up? My day job. 🙂 but that’s being facetious.
Wow you gave up video games? That’s hardcore! LOL, now I’m being facetious. I like your proposed question, “Perhaps a different question could be, what wouldn’t you give up to be a better writer?”
Well the most critical component to becoming a better writer is time to write. But I can’t give up anything. The day job being the biggest culprit but of course I need it. Nor do I fritter away countless hours watching TV/playing games. When I’m not working, choring, trying to get some rest, I’m doing other creative things like drawing, painting, studying history–all of which contribute to what I write.
But would definitely love to give up the day job and the choring. 😎
I’m like you. Sometimes I read (not generally here) writers talking about how they spend six or more hours on their work every day, wishing they had more time.
They’ll get no sympathy from me. When I’m lucky, I’ll work less than 50 hours in a week at my sales job. Then I come home to my (working) wife and 2 kids… I can’t just sit down and start writing. What kind of father and husband would do that?
So the kids go off to bed and I speak with my wife – her day, my day, that sort of thing. Then I can usually start writing around 9:30 or 10:00. I get up at 6am, so I can’t crank out anything better than 2 hours of writing – and focusing can be hard at the beginning.
I won’t sacrifice family time for writing, but I am sacrificing longer/better sleep, and I stay away from Facebook (Facebook is like quicksand).
I’ve tried giving up sleep to get in extra word count. Doesn’t work. I’m toast the next day and write zero. I’ve tried giving up TV from time to time. That works because, I swear, my brain gets stupid after watching an hour of TV. I should give up this one more often.
Similar to what Logan said, I wouldn’t give up my health or family. I wouldn’t give up my dog. The cats, however, are negotiable.
Don’t let TKZ’s Catfriend read this.
If I may, Satan once came to a Hollywood agent and said he would become the most powerful agent in the business, if only he would give Satan the soul of his first-born child, and the soul of his first-born grandchild.
The agent said, “So what’s the catch?”
LOL!
Double LOL!
I started my first book in 1981 and continued writing and publishing for over 40 years. From my experience, you will have to give up far more than one thing, if not almost everything, in this current world of publishing which requires you to produce a lot fast and promote that. A better question is what are you not willing to give up. Figure that out and draw a mental line in the sand which says “this far and no further” and never, ever let your writing and career cross that line, or you will regret it.
The one thing I’d LIKE to give up is fear. When I bare my soul in my writing, it terrifies me, but my writing is much better. I also have a fear of people knowing I’m the author – yeah, I know, that’s weird!
Ha! I’ve already given up gaming. No video games, no table top games. They were simply taking up too much of my time. For the most part I’ve given up movies. I do still watch television every once in a while, but that’s practically gone now, too. Most social media is out the window. All this so I can practice my craft and really hone in on writing better and being a better business person regarding that writing.
Perhaps a different question could be, what wouldn’t you give up to be a better writer?
I won’t give up my health, which means ensuring I eat well and practice good physical fitness routines. What is the point of being a phenomenal writer if you’re too sick or dead to enjoy it?
I won’t give up my relationship with my wife, the only friend I have left (now that I’ve abandoned social media). What’s the point of being a phenomenal writer if you have no one to share your success with?
Is there anything left to give up? My day job. 🙂 but that’s being facetious.
Wow you gave up video games? That’s hardcore! LOL, now I’m being facetious. I like your proposed question, “Perhaps a different question could be, what wouldn’t you give up to be a better writer?”
Well the most critical component to becoming a better writer is time to write. But I can’t give up anything. The day job being the biggest culprit but of course I need it. Nor do I fritter away countless hours watching TV/playing games. When I’m not working, choring, trying to get some rest, I’m doing other creative things like drawing, painting, studying history–all of which contribute to what I write.
But would definitely love to give up the day job and the choring. 😎
I’m like you. Sometimes I read (not generally here) writers talking about how they spend six or more hours on their work every day, wishing they had more time.
They’ll get no sympathy from me. When I’m lucky, I’ll work less than 50 hours in a week at my sales job. Then I come home to my (working) wife and 2 kids… I can’t just sit down and start writing. What kind of father and husband would do that?
So the kids go off to bed and I speak with my wife – her day, my day, that sort of thing. Then I can usually start writing around 9:30 or 10:00. I get up at 6am, so I can’t crank out anything better than 2 hours of writing – and focusing can be hard at the beginning.
I won’t sacrifice family time for writing, but I am sacrificing longer/better sleep, and I stay away from Facebook (Facebook is like quicksand).
I’ve tried giving up sleep to get in extra word count. Doesn’t work. I’m toast the next day and write zero. I’ve tried giving up TV from time to time. That works because, I swear, my brain gets stupid after watching an hour of TV. I should give up this one more often.
Similar to what Logan said, I wouldn’t give up my health or family. I wouldn’t give up my dog. The cats, however, are negotiable.
Don’t let TKZ’s Catfriend read this.
If I may, Satan once came to a Hollywood agent and said he would become the most powerful agent in the business, if only he would give Satan the soul of his first-born child, and the soul of his first-born grandchild.
The agent said, “So what’s the catch?”
LOL!
Double LOL!
I started my first book in 1981 and continued writing and publishing for over 40 years. From my experience, you will have to give up far more than one thing, if not almost everything, in this current world of publishing which requires you to produce a lot fast and promote that. A better question is what are you not willing to give up. Figure that out and draw a mental line in the sand which says “this far and no further” and never, ever let your writing and career cross that line, or you will regret it.
The one thing I’d LIKE to give up is fear. When I bare my soul in my writing, it terrifies me, but my writing is much better. I also have a fear of people knowing I’m the author – yeah, I know, that’s weird!