Should Fiction Writers Ever Grow Up?

Flying is far more fun, after all. What follows is an A-Z list of common adulting distractions and how to circumvent them.

“So come with me, where dreams are born, and time is never planned. Just think of happy things, and your heart will fly on wings, forever, in Never Never Land!” — J.M. Barrie, “Peter Pan”

For me, and this will never change, the toughest thing about being a fiction writer is not the writing itself. Never has been.

My greatest challenge is maintaining strong, healthy interpersonal relationships with those who do not write.

If I allow it, anything that takes me away from my writing can be a distraction. I live a writer’s life; I need to be surrounded by stimuli, not time-wasters.

That’s been historically a big problem for me ... so I cured it. Today, adulting may be inconvenient but it’s certainly no excuse. The writing gets done on a daily basis regardless of distractors.

I write fantasy novels and make-believe TV and movies for a living. When I watch a “Star Wars” movie or “Edward Scissorhands,” or any of the “Planet of the Apes,” “Harry Potter” or Indiana Jones films, my childhood sense of wonder comes to the fore and I feel like a kid again.

That’s the feeling I strive for when I begin penning a new chapter of “The Chronicles of Ara,” my primary novel series. That’s the feeling I want when I sit with my iPad and type: Fade In.

Being surrounded by other fiction writers who well know and understand the eccentricities and the struggle is my comfort zone. Stopping everything to do dishes, or go shopping, or even to meet up with a bunch of friends to “shoot the shit” all remain honest personal challenges but, again, no longer excuses.

I’ve long ago learned the benefit of escaping my comfort zone, while also saying “no” when needed.

As a writer, what are the greatest challenges you face with your work in the midst of your adulting?

The following is an incomplete A-Z list of reasons I’ve received when asking writers that very question during speaking engagements. And, I confess, the response beginning with the single letter I did not capture (z) … I made up.

So here we go, just another adult writer who will now prove to the world he knows his ABCs …

A=Attitude

Adult responsibilities ideally would have no bearing on one’s writing, but attitude is a great place to check oneself when first setting to work. Clear your mind with whatever (legally) works for you, be it meditation, reading inspirational quotes, or even sex (proving that adulting indeed has its privileges). Allow yourself a specific period of time to work, eliminating as many of your distractions as possible. Disappear, and return to the real world with that much more work completed than you had when you started.

B=Balance

All writers ideally should consciously maintain a sense of balance in their day-to-day. It is imperative, not just for health reasons but for piece of mind. Taking regular breaks in the midst of writing is a must. Stretch, do push-ups, run in place. However, I am referring more to outlets before and after your writing. What works for me is a two-hour bike ride at the crack of dawn. By the time I come home, my wife and dog are awake and ready to begin their day. My bike ride clears my head, as does reading a book. Leave your home, take yourself or your significant other on a lunch date … again, whatever works for you.

C=Capability

You are capable of creating good work, but your craft must be practiced regularly. I strongly recommend researching prominent writers who have faced issues related to confidence and self-esteem, and modeling their ways of handling those challenges.

D=Discipline

There is no way to escape it. The discipline of writing is an ongoing matter that deserves careful consideration. My best advice is to either not set your writing time too strictly in advance, as if you cannot meet that creativity period you will likely become frustrated. Or, do set your writing periods in stone and by any means necessary make them work. Jot down your writing goals, estimate how long it would take to achieve your objective, and design a schedule that you believe you can keep. If you miss time, or a word count, make up for it in your following session. Remember, negative repercussions happen the more you fall behind.

E=Engagement

I’ve heard this several times: a fear of engaging the reader. Ask yourself: “If I don’t write, what are my chances of engagement?” We’ll leave that here.

F=Faith

This was surprising to me, as I’ve also heard it more than once: “My faith will not allow me to write what I want to write.” I can’t help you, there, other than to suggest to maybe write stories within your faith. There are few things more provocative to a reader than to explore worlds of which they are unfamiliar.

G=Goodwill

“I don’t know if I’m in the mood to write for anyone other than myself.” Easy answer: Write only for yourself, then. The more you write, the better at your craft you will become.

H=Heart

Heart has been referred to metaphorically, and more than once, in the sense of worrying about alienating the reader. Once again, if you don’t write … you have nothing to worry about.

I=Intensity

Some writers worry about incorporating enough edge in their work. If you can relate to this concern, I suggest writing as if you’re free associating, and editing later. If you are looking to add more edge, review your output and add it in the edit. Don’t fret intensity during your earliest draft(s).

J=Jealousy

“My friends are making sales as writers, and I’m not.” I’ve been there. Many of us have been there. But, with persistence and working daily on my craft, I’ve become a member of the Writers Guild of America (WGA), have sold to numerous networks and cable outlets, and have become a novelist three times over (so far). This all occurred after friends of mine had made it. There’s a lesson there.

K=Kindness

When you worry about offending others with your writing. Answer: Don’t worry about it. You will never please everyone. If you’re a writer, write.

L=Length

If you are writing a screenplay, keep it in the area of 120 pages, give or take (general rule of thumb is one page per minute of screen time). For novels, 100,000 words is the arena for an average-sized bestselling book. There are no hard and fast rules, in either case. If you find writing to these general lengths to be burdensome, maybe short stories, novellas, or articles are a better fit.

M=Morbidity

Some have worried that their work is too dark. Lighten it up in the edit.

N=Nuance

Once more, if you don’t believe your work has enough nuance, work on it in the edit.

O=Originality

Fretting over the originality of your work will lead to nowhere. Use aspects of your real life, of the people you meet, and of your own personal quirks to add your own twists on old themes, if necessary.

Also, many academics believe there to be only seven original plots in all of storytelling. See a Wikipedia entry on author Christopher Booker’s take on this idea, here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Seven_Basic_Plots

Your own spin, in that event, is invaluable.

P=Procrastination

Perhaps the greatest enemy of the writing process. Work on your discipline. There is no other way.

Q=Quiet

Writers need solitude. Or, if not solitude, then a space, either private or public, where they can work freely and without the usual distractions. Find that space and make it your own, be it an office, a coffee shop, or your own bedroom. With music, without music … it’s up to you.

R=Readiness

Do you prepare to breathe? If you want to to be a writer who gets paid for your efforts, on either a part-time or full-time basis, lose “I am not ready” as an excuse. Take whatever preparation time you were planning to expend to get ready, and use it for your writing time instead.

S=Sleep

Yes, you have enough hours in the day to take care of your adult obligations, your writing, and your sleep. To prove that contention, consider any high-achieving public figure that comes to mind. They all had the same 24 hours in a day as you do.

T=Time

As mentioned earlier, writing is a discipline that sometimes requires a strict schedule, and also sometimes requires flexibility to get it all done. Time is of immense value to a writer, in either case. Personally, I am loathe to waste it. I’d just as soon act like a goof around family and my close writer friends as a needed respite, then to lose precious writing time.

U=Uncertainty

See “C=Capability.” It’s the same difference.

V=Vulnerability

I’ve been surprised by this one as well. Many writers I’ve spoken to have expressed their concern that they leave too much of their own selves behind in their writing. I believe this to be a necessary piece of the writing process. Honesty comes across to your readers. Always be honest in your writing, just be cognizant of the fine line between honesty and an abundance of self-indulgence.

W=Worth

On repeat, see “C=Capability” and “U=Uncertainty.”

X=Xenophobia

This was presented to me once in private: “I was raised in a racist family. I’d rather not write at all then write and offend people I don’t know.” Again, one of a writer’s greatest weapons is his or her ability to edit. Unless you are writing a story specifically about xenophobia, or with a xenophobic protagonist, edit carefully.

Y=Youth

“I’m too old to write.” Bullshit. Get your ass in gear. Onward …

Z=Zen

An effective place to conclude this section. When you are able to attain a Zen-like state as you write, as opposed to fighting your words as you affix them on the page, much of your battle is won. You will be amazed at your productivity if you can make this work.

In Conclusion

So why grow up, right?

Well … there is a middle ground, which is comprised of the collective bullet points above. Most any professional writer is over 18. Of course, there are rare exceptions but the point is most pro writers are adults.

They make it work and you can too.

You absolutely can be a responsible adult and a child at heart.

Thank you, as ever, for reading.

P.S. Of course, the above ABCs also apply to nonfiction writers. I referred to “fiction writers” in the title and throughout to punctuate that those who specifically work in realms of make believe can also adult.

No writer, though, is excluded from this equation.

Welcome to the club.

If you have found this article of value, feel free to recommend, share and follow me here on Medium (and I will follow you back), where I publish new stories daily on a variety of topics.

If you would like links to new stories sent directly to your inbox, please email me at joel_ecmedia@yahoo.com.