“I got a fever. And the only prescription is more cowbell!” – Christopher Walken (as Bruce Dickinson on SNL)
“The act of writing is, for me, like a fever — something I must do. And it seems I always have some new fever developing, some new love to follow and bring to life.” — Ray Bradbury.
Is writing for you a fever, a pastime, a hobby, a vocation, an obsession … or something else?
What are you doing to add more cowbell to your writing?
For me it’s obsession. Sure, the amount of time I spend writing each week may be a small fraction compared to everything else that life demands, but I can never give it up. And I’ve gladly tossed aside other artistic pursuits, choosing instead to keep chasing after the stories in my head. It takes precedence over drawing, painting, & a hundred other creative outlets. That’s the way I want it.
I’d call it a thirst to keep learning. No matter how much I write, there is always more to learn, explore, and improve. The education never ends and is never boring.
It’s just part of what I do. Usually. I confess I have yet to remove the markups on my printout of the first 25 chapters of the WIP from the envelope after returning from my trip, but I’m giving myself a week of guilt-free catching up on everything else that I have to do–much of it writing related, but not moving forward on the manuscript.
An obsession.
I’m constantly exploring different genres, reading new authors, and rereading the “textbooks.”
Obsession, fever, addiction – every time I think I’ve wrung every word of the stories in my head onto the computer, another idea pops in and demands I follow its rabbit trail to another story. It’s a glorious sickness and I love it.
Definite fever. And at times, an obsession. Okay, alright, I’m totally obsessed. 😉 Can’t help it. Passion embers like red-hot coals.
I may not write every day, but my story is always in my head trying to find a way out. If I have put it aside for awhile to attend to life’s other demands, my story – the characters- start speaking louder and louder to be heard over the distractions until I have no choice but to listen and write it down.
It must be an obsession because when I’m not sitting at the keyboard and writing, I’m thinking about writing. Or I’m talking to someone else about writing. Or I’m reading and paying attention to how other authors use the language. Even when I’m in casual conversation with a friend about a non-writing subject, I find myself using metaphors to describe some situation or another. (This sounds like love!)
Yes . . . when I’m not writing, I’m writing. I get that, Kay.
When I’m writing I feel like myself. Period.
What a great way to put it.
When I’m in the Zone, there’s no high like it. I must be addicted. 😉 and even when I’m not in the zone I’d rather be writing than anything else.
Some people say you aren’t what you do, but I AM a writer. It’s so much a part of me that through everything I’ve done in my life – school, marriage, motherhood, jobs, travel – the stories are always, always there. My husband has long accepted that there are times when I just zone out and he knows I’m somewhere in the Old West or running through the streets of Cape Town trying to find a place to hide from the killer who’s chasing me. He takes it in stride when we’re sitting at the family table having Easter dinner and I ask, “Which ammo in a Walther PDP F-series 9mm would do the most damage?” Not that that happened or anything. 😉
Obsession, addiction, guilty pleasure, and my favorite way to escape the world.
Writing is a fever, an obsession, and a vocation. It’s who I am.
I like all of these, guys! It kind of depends on the day which I would choose for myself.
I’d add, for me, writing is an explanation of who I am and where I fit in this crazy world. I find that when I start a new project, it’s me trying to explain something to myself and eventually my readers.
I like this. Me, too.
I’ve got the fever. I’m obsessed. It’s also now my vocation, and will always be a passion.
I also need more cowbell in my writing. Tackling another aspect of craft, daring to outdo my last book, and continuing to up my writing game help provide that cowbell.
It is an obsession. I can go maybe three days without writing, then the idea bunnies get out of control and I have to write something–even if it will never be read by anyone but me. Short stories, a paragraph, or expansion of an idea. I find it fun and I’d rather be writing than doing almost anything else.
I feel guilty about my writing commitment. Currently my writing focus I most like a hobby with competing passions winning out for most of my time and effort.
Marketing is something related and unpleasant.
I write to engage and entertain readers…with anemic sales/readership my motivation has declined.
Not proud of my lack of dedication (especially in contrast to those posting) but good to confess very late in the day, when I suspect virtually no one will read this. Ha ha! 😀
👀