Either do not attempt at all, or go through with it. – Ovid
In our on-going series on How To Write Every Day we come to a key step – Commitment! We have already spoken about Inspiration and about Production previously. In a recent post I discussed the idea that “Time, endurance, and the unknown are probably the greatest enemies a novelist must confront.” Today let’s talk more about that, and how we as writers can effectively combat these enemies and live to write another day.
Everyone is busy. I’m sure you’re familiar. We all run around each day doing this, putting out that, have to get this done, oh look at that. It just seems like no matter which way we turn, no matter what we do, no matter how far away we travel, important, pressing, necessary things find us and steal away our time. There are of course many, many books and speakers that talk about time management, organizational methods and systems, and personal empowerment. And yes they’re all great, and many people have found them to be extremely helpful in de-cluttering their lives and helping them get things done.
But what about when it comes to writing? I mean let’s face it – sitting down and knocking out your to-do list isn’t exactly the same thing as sitting down and crafting the intricate details and complex story lines of a 90,000 word novel! Building characters and landscapes and stories requires some serious commitment. It demands attention and not just the kind of attention you give to washing the dishes late at night or squeezing in another load of laundry. No, writing requires the best of us to come present and issue forth creation after creation, idea after idea, beautiful line after beautiful line. Man talk about pressure! And not to mention the kids are hungry and the work emails are piling up minute by minute. The list goes on. To really succeed we must reserve enough of our best consistently towards our writing, because boy does it need it! In Walden; or, Life in the Woods, Henry David Thoreau writes a chapter on “Reading” devoted entirely to discuss books and the power of the written word. In this marvelous chapter he states:
To read well, that is, to read true books in a true spirit, is a noble exercise, and one that will task the reader more than any exercise which the customs of the day esteem. It requires a training such as the athletes underwent, the steady intention almost of the whole life to this object. Books must be read as deliberately and reservedly as they were written.
For Thoreau then reading, and by extension writing, is an endeavor fit for Olympiads. It requires incredible abilities, extreme training, and rigorous fortitude. And of course I completely agree with him! Not only does reading and writing require so much from us, it also gives so much to us. As we read and as we write, we are molded into greater beings. Our character and mind, our discipline and perception are all transformed, refined into a higher state and of a more exceptional stature. Books, both reading them as well as writing them, absolutely make us more noble.
And yet with such nobility comes greater responsibility. As writers much more is asked of us. I heard a story from a famous crime and mystery writer Andrew Klavan that Elmore Leonard would often advise aspiring writers to simply get up an hour earlier and write. Whenever he gave this advice, he would immediately know if they would be successful by their first reaction to his suggestion. If the person complained or gave excuses why they just could not get up an hour earlier and write, then Leonard knew the person wasn’t really devoted or interested in writing and that ultimately their efforts would amount to nothing. But on the other hand, if people responded favorably or at least willingly, then he knew they could succeed and would become accomplished writers. I like this story for multiple reasons. For one it is just so simple (and so true I’d like to add). Just get up earlier and write. Just do that. It’s really that simple. Make a habit out of it. As Nike would say – just do it. But the other reason I like this story so much is because it is so optimistic. It is a simple formula for success. Just write every day. That’s what your success hinges upon. It’s not about your agent, it’s not about the stories you write, it’s not about how good you are, or anything else. It’s just about writing every day. And if you are willing and able to do that, then you’re good to go! I love that. I absolutely love it.
So how then can we really just write every day? I mean surely it isn’t that difficult to do right? Well think again. Or better yet, I encourage you to give it a go. Now for myself personally, I like to add in a few other requirements to the edict – write every day. For me, I say yes write every day, but also write on a particular project every day. This to me is essential, because it creates trajectory for your efforts. It provides a linear path to a known conclusion. A finished project which we can all look at, critique, admire, and enjoy. So now you have your mission, if you so choose to accept it. Write every day on a given project to completion. Yeah! If you’re anything like me, and I admit I am assuming that is the case, you are going to find this task is far easier said than done.
Steven Pressfield wrote an incredible little book called The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles. It is as a non-fiction self-help type book that is easy to read, that is to say there’s not too many words on each page. But what he lacks in pages, he more than makes up for in content. The book breaks down into three major sections where he discusses Resistance – the great enemy of the artist, Professionalism – the saving grace of the artist, and Higher Realms – the potential that awaits a professional artist. The book is a cult classic, because it is so clear in it’s diagnosis and prognosis for the artist seeking to create. For Pressfield the solution lies in becoming a professional. He states:
The word amateur comes from the Latin root meaning “to love.” The conventional interpretation is that the amateur pursues his calling out of love, while the pro does it for money. Not the way I see it. In my view, the amateur does not love the game enough. If he did, he would not pursue it as a sideline, distinct from his “real” vocation. The professional loves it so much he dedicates his life to it. He commits full-time. That’s what I mean when I say turning pro. Resistance hates it when we turn pro.
This quote is powerful because it synthesizes love with commitment. For Pressfield, the professional is the one who actually loves, because they are the ones who actually commit. Only when you are truly in love are you going to commit yourself. Only when you are truly committed will you really be in love. To commit is to love, and to love is to commit. This is a profound wisdom not just for ourselves as writers, but also in our relationships, and in our devotions to God. For Pressfield however this is just the beginning; now we must actualize this love and commitment. He approaches his writing, that is to say his commitment and his love, like a warrior where every day is a battle against resistance. Resistance is our enemy. Its mission is to stop us from manifesting that which we love, that which is unmanifest and new. To curb our creation. As an artist on the front lines of battle, we are to resist resistance. We commit to ourselves and to our art no matter what the challenge, no matter what the task, and in so doing we rise anew, triumphant, able to issue forth our creations, our love, to all the world. The book is a clear and powerful read that dissects down to the bone of the artist’s struggle and salvation. I definitely cannot do it justice here in this post, but in a word it comes down to, yes you guessed it, Commitment! Suffice it to say, I highly encourage you to read the book.
To speak more personally, I received a major breakthrough in my own war with resistance when I was finally able to go to bed. Yes that’s correct, getting to bed was integral for me and my writing. Once I was able to do that, then I was able to get 6-8 hours of sleep AND THEN I was able to wake up an hour earlier to write. For a long time, silly as it may sound, this was a genuine struggle for me (I’m typically not much of an early riser). And then one day it was pointed out to me by the great inspirational writing coach Nina Amir, whom I highly recommend if you ever need a writing coach and consultant by the way. You can find her at her website here. She explained to me that if I wanted to get up earlier and write then I had to simply go to bed earlier. Ahh!! What a revelation that was!! Duh!! Of course that makes all the sense in the world – why didn’t I think of that!??!! Well what I realized then was that I had to figure out why was I getting to bed so late. What was I doing that late at night anyway? Finally after taking a more careful look at my tasks and schedules and the way I managed my time, I just decided enough was enough, and I made it happen. I just did it. And that’s what I’m talking about here in this post today. Just making it happen – Commitment. No excuses anymore. Throw them out the window! Excuses no more! You write. You get it done. You make it happen. It’s as simple as that. Mission Accomplished.
Commitment. It is a powerful word with incredible ramifications for our lives. Commitment demands sacrifice and requires great strength from us. The image I chose to lead this post is the 1603 painting by Caravaggio entitled The Sacrifice of Issac. I have actually seen this painting in person in the Uffizzi in Florence. It is a harrowing depiction of Abraham ready and willing to slaughter his only son Issac in order to obey the commands of the Lord God. Abraham, in all his staggering brilliance, held true to God’s commandment, but at the final moment before sacrificing his beloved son, an Angel appeared and intervened on behalf of God. Instead of his son, Abraham was to sacrifice a ram which miraculously appeared, and so marks the beginning of our civilization. To me Abraham exemplifies commitment to an unbelievable degree. His willingness to sacrifice everything allowed him to birth much of the world we know today. He is the progenitor of progenitors, the creator of creators. He was a powerful and wise man who clearly knew the value of commitment. We as humble writers today can surely glean a lesson or two from such devotion and clarity of purpose. The accomplished works of great men and women before us are an affirmation to the possibilities we too can achieve if only we are stubborn enough to overcome all odds, to disregard all objections, and to commit to our dreams with a fervor as primal as life itself. For whatever it’s worth, I too can offer my own testimony that such commitment is worth the sacrifice, that angels will rush you, and that no matter what comes of it, your success will surge alive within you.