Writers Must Be Constructive
I read a negative post on another blog recently, about how writer’s blogs are pointless. How ironic and self-fulfilling is that? I had a rant all typed up in response to it, but then I decided it would only be a further waste of time and energy to follow in the footsteps of that blog, which shall remain unnamed.
Instead I want to talk about a hard lesson I’ve had to learn in my life, one that I find especially pertinent to writing. That important lesson is learning to be constructive, and positive. The craft of writing is built on mental energy. You can’t write when you’re too tired. And writing itself can wear you out and make you tired. So every time you sit down to write, there is a ticking clock. It is not so much a clock that measures time, but one that measures energy. There is no point arguing with somebody who fundamentally disagrees with you. Most likely, you will not change the mind of the other person.
Likewise, if you launch into your blog with primarily negative posts, you’ll not only attact the wrong kind of audience, one which is primarily negative, but you’ll also be wasting a lot more time and energy that could be used to solve problems on your story, or the problems that writers face in general.
In other words, writer blogs and other things that involve writing but are not related to the act of writing a story, are not wastes of time if they are constructive, positive, and help to solve problems. But if they are negative, and their only purpose is to focus on failure and negativity, then they are certainly a waste of time.
Working out problems with crayons in the shower is not a waste of time. Writing this blog is not a waste of time. Anything that helps me push my story forward, solve problems of my own or any other writer’s, is not a waste of time.
Being productive is a not a waste of time. Going around labeling everything wasteful, pointing out how pointless everything is, ranting about the futility of the problems rather than searching for solutions—those things are a waste of time.
Next time you feel yourself frustrated or angry, stop yourself. Take a moment, and just breathe. Ask yourself, “What can I do to solve this problem?”
You’ll go a lot further than if you launched into an anger-induced rant, and perhaps you might even solve your problem.
It pays to be constructive. That’s what a writer does after all. They construct worlds, characters, relationships, and events. You cannot do that if you’re only ever focused on the destructive, or the negative. You could almost say, that by being too negative, you erode your ability as a writer. You destroy your ability to convey meaning and purpose. And that is the central element of all storytelling.
Writers must be constructive, and avoid the destructive or the negative.
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August 10th, 2006 at 9:41 pm
To play the armchair psychologist for a second here, the kind of criticism you’re talking about is more often than not the result of deep-seated insecurities. If they can’t build themselves up to a level equal or above certain peers, then they’d just as rather pull everyone down to theirs. Virtually all creatively-minded people have encountered it at one point or another, often from both sides sadly. Admiration is only a few steps away from loathing, eh?
So yes, two wrongs do not make a right. The appropriate response to negativity is to continue being constructive.
August 11th, 2006 at 1:01 am
In my humble opinion it’s all about controlling emotions. Emotional highs, and lows can be counter productive to getting any project done. Negativity and an unrealistic positive attitude can both be equally damaging.
Watch most successfull people and you will seldom see changes in their mood and overall demaenor.
Controlling emotion is a learned skill. Do not get too upset or too excited, keep an even keel and a level head (Save the drama for the closet at home). Have you ever seen or heard Bill Gates,Donald Trump or The President all worked up?
Think of the recent comment President Bush made about the middle east getting their sh@# togeter. That one slight emotional high allowed a comment to slip out. It was not a major change in emotion, but since the president is such a high profile figure, the press was all over it. Point is, those who can control their emotions can then channel that energy into productivity.
I am not a pro by any means, but from my own experience if I feel I am getting too worked up in a negative, or over zealous positive manor, I stop, take a short break, think the issue through, and proceed.
Observing others I have also noticed a few “Hot Heads” that occasionally are successfull. They tend to have an “emotional flare up”. Once the brief flare up is over that energy is focused like a lazer beam and bent on destroying their opponent or competitior. Some get so emotional they loose, but those who get the anger under control and focus on the problem at hand know when to back off a bit, and when to tighten the wing nuts.
Negativity and Unrealistic Positve attitudes are part of an emotional state of mind that is within our individual control. When you learn to harness your emotions (I imagine everyone does this a bit differnt) you can then channel that pent up emotional energy into writing or any other proffession or hobby.
Next time you feel yourself getting worked up over an issue see if you can controll and channel your emotions….it’s harder than you think.
August 14th, 2006 at 8:30 am
Good post Eric.
This is something I try to be very aware of, it’s often very easy to be negative about things, and I think that’s partly to do with the type of world we live, but as you say, it’s much more rewarding (essential even - as writers and otherwise) to be positive and constructive.
August 14th, 2006 at 3:32 pm
Yeah, when I was younger I used to waste a lot of time and energy on negativity. And then I slowly began to realize that if I used even a small portion of that negative energy towards something productive, I’d get more done and feel better about everything at the same time.