The Multiple Personalities of an Author

THE HAPPY WRITER

On so many occasions I‘ve as asked  my writerly friends on this path of pursuing traditional publication why we put ourselves through this whole torturous obstacle course. Is it some sort of deep rooted need to punish ourselves or twisted masochism that makes us continue?

I don’t know about you, but I experience emotional ebbs and flows toward my writing. It can be the result of a rejection or from reading something that is so magnificent it makes all my work pale in comparison. These emotional ups and downs are fairly common/natural, however they can affect our work.

When we start feeling insecure, it effects the quality and quantity of our scribblings. It’s usually a good idea to take a break from writing when experiencing a valley. I’ve tried to push through and be productive during these times and it usually ends up in a lot of re-writing later. The trick is not letting these pity parties last too long so they don’t effect the quantity of our writing. Many times, we wait so long to get back into “the mood” that we lose momentum in our stories. When it’s been too long, try to find a good quality in your story and build on that. It may mean re-writing and making some plot changes but this approach has resulted in some of my best story lines.

The Peaceful Writer

Writing Gives Me Multiple Personalities. 

THE PEACEFUL WRITER

Despite the valleys, there are times in the journey that are pleasant. My favorite times are the times of peaceful writing. I’m convinced that most writers are users. They use writing to obtain peace. They love the euphoric sensation of  being swept away to another world – away from their own responsibilities and problems, even if the main character’s problems are worse than their own. While anything can be abused, with balance, pouring oneself into a story, feeling the emotions of the characters and finding creative ways to work out their problems (which often times emulate your own), can’t be all that bad.

 

THE CARE FREE WRITER

 

THE CARE FREE WRITER

The care free part of me likes to write just for the sake of writing. This is usually in the early parts of a manuscript when I’m just trying to get the story on paper. My fingers fly and the story flows out of me as fluidly as coffee from the carafe, which is typically consumed in high quantities during this stage. I’m not worried about flow or transitions or overuse of adverbs or world building or character descriptions. It’s all about regurgitating the plot. This is a fun time to write for authors. That excitement and passion for our story is there and so is our faith in it.  We know its value. We know it has potential. I’ve been on the roller coaster enough times however, to know the rush I get from being on the peak doesn’t last but that never keeps me from screaming all the way down.

 

It’s these manic episodes, these ebbs and flows, that result in the final product. 

 

THE DRIVEN WRITER

THE DRIVEN WRITER

Once the story has taken shape and I’ve read over it and made it through the valley of I-Hate-It and the trenches of This-is-Crud, I eventually find myself in the plains of I-Can-Work-With-This. This is when I hit hard. I get a few critic partners to look at it for me and I devour every word they have to say. Then I cut the fat, slash the ramblings, polish the descriptions, obliterate the adverbs and capture the voice…at least those are my goals. I have gone through the full cycle multiple times, from Happy Writer to Driven Writer and back again, during the course of editing a single manuscript. Don’t feel sorry for me though. It’s these manic episodes, these ebbs and flows, that result in the final product.  I endure the multiple personalities of writing, BECAUSE I can’t settle for a mediocre product.

What about you? What are the names for your writing personalities. Come on, you know you have them too!