As a copywriter, I have the good fortune of being knee deep in words and writing every day. However, the past two months have been a different breed of busy with life and work that the writing I do for pleasure -- most recently poetry -- has fallen by the wayside. What I've noticed is that I've been frustrated at myself for not having the time nor finding myself in the right frame of mind to write what I want. Frustration turned eventually turned into an ache of the soul. I tell myself there's a time to live and there's a time to write. But I ain't doing either! Strangely, the conclusion I have gathered then is not that I write for pleasure, but something else completely. And not writing for that something else sucks.
I just feel I have missed another day to do what I enjoy. I like the high I have after a few hours of writing.
I don't feel I'm neglecting anything, but I do feel that my current WIP is waiting to be completed and I want to finish it so I can go on to the next book.
What art? It's only art if someone else says it is. Anyone can create something and call it art. It's only when someone else looks at it and sees the same thing. It's not easy. Near impossible. That's why it's called art. No one here or I have ever even created it. Quit fooling yourselves. Mad Max: Road Fury or whatever it's called is not "art."
People can call anything art. For anyone to call our work "art", is an accomplishment. If you really want to have your work seen as that, you have to keep trying. Bitterness will only hurt you. I consider my work to be a pile of garbage but i know a small number of people who see it differently, so i continue on regardless. I don't let my personal opinion of my work clog up my love for writing. I just try to improve. I saw your workshops and i was in the same boat when i started on here. Take what people say as a grain of salt and just try to nail the discrepancies and make everything pristine as possible. There's potential in everyone, don't exclude yourself out of that. Art is for those who care about it enough to contribute to it.You're apart of that movement.
Writer, sculpter, painter, graffiti artist ... It's all art. Whatever you can do that someone else can't, it's art. I can't knit so the me, anyone that can, is fab!
Not really. I write when I am feeling especially creative. I do not see how it makes any difference if I complete a project 1 year from now or 20 years from now. One of the things I love most about fiction as a type of intellectual pursuit is its timelessness.
Ridiculous. Art is anything created, or any action performed, for aesthetic enjoyment or for a purpose other than the utilitarian. All (or nearly all) humans are artists. You can quibble about the quality of said art but to deny its existence is to insult and demean a huge facet of human experience and endeavor. It just makes you sound like an asshole. Art is not magic. It's just something people do, some better (subjectively!) than others.
Actually yes, sometimes I feel "guilty" when I am not writing for a day or two. But lately, I have been writing every day, so I do not have much problems with that.
This is true for me also. Any procrasti-surfing online typically netts me a new web site or video or idea I can email myself about the novel, a concept involved in it or something else to consider. It's easy to feel guilty, I think, but just as with physical training, I also think having a rest from time to time (but not too long) is a good thing. It allows you to recharge and resume with renewed energy levels.
Yes, I know that high. When my writing has gone well, I get this stupid grin that won't go away for an hour or so afterwards. However, if my writing has NOT gone well, I can get quite agitated and feel unsettled for the same amount of time. I guess I get so involved in what I'm doing, that when the results don't match the effort I've put in, I feel unhappy.
I am a pretty hardcore gamer, and love watching new tv series or movies, thus I feel like I neglect my writing too much, and that makes me sad. But of course, I do get inspiration from the games, series and movies, so it's not too shabby I guess. I quite often get a fucked sleeping pattern, staying up at night and sleeping at day, and then, when there's no one online to talk and play with, I get to work a whole ton on my book. This continues until I fixed my pattern. So in the end I have these phases of the week, sometimes I work close to zero, other times multiple hours.
In answer to your title question I'd have to say 'No'. As to your final question, I guess I have a hard time equating attachment and guilt.
I don't know about guilt, but it's tough if I'm not writing. Especially because I view it as a craft, not just an art. If my craft of choice was carpentry, I wouldn't want to leave a shelf sitting unfinished in the garage when I could be using it or giving it to a friend who will find some use in it. Writing is the same way. I don't want an unfinished manuscript sitting on my computer where no one can see it, I want to finish the product so that it can be shared with others and I can go to the next one.
I view writing as art and other people had damn well better, too. I pour my heart and soul into this craft, creating stories and characters that are meant for people to connect with and learn from. I don't expect everyone to appreciate everything I write, but my work is, quite literally, my life. I willingly gave up my childhood to learn to perfect the craft, and it just is art. Not always beautiful or understood, but it is art. All writing is. So, yes, I feel guilty when I don't write. I feel especially horrible because I know I should be writing and decide not to. The only time I don't feel bad for it is when I'm planning the story instead of writing it.
All the time! However, my inner lazy demon wins out every time. I think about the stories and ideas all the time, but it is just not the same as actually writing it down. Woe is me.
