Tuesday, March 15, 2011

The 3D’s of a Writer’s Life

Every profession comes with its set of rules, or shall I say inbuilt traits that are a pre-requisite for those pursuing the profession. It’s these traits and a person’s ability to put them into practice that determines how fast the road to success is traveled.

 For writers the 3D’s  are of paramount importance. 

 Dedication. We must approach our writing like a devotee approaches God. Writing is ofcourse our religion. Something we  wholeheartedly believe in. It defines us and becomes our identity. Its  when our dedication slips, due to another D: distraction, that what we usually enjoy becomes a chore, a burden. 

I have several times been undedicated, due to the other D (distraction) taking precedence. During those times I have written my worst stuff. To keep the dedication level high we have to constantly visualize our goal: the completed manuscript. Maybe if our visualization is strong, we can even  envision people holding our books and reading them.

Determination. This trait singlehandedly ensures that we reach the finish line  holding a complete manuscript: edited and polished. Many times I have seen several writers give up halfway because they were not determined enough. This is one of the biggest tragedies of a writer’s life. 

I have several manuscripts in various stages of completion lying in my drawer. I was not determined enough to see them  through to the final stage. With the slackening of determination, our enthusiasm wanes and we see a drop in our creativity. To keep determination high we have to self motivate ourselves that we owe it, not just to ourselves, but to everyone around  us to complete the stories that  our muses have been generous with. We owe it to everyone: our family, friends, fellow writers and readers to tell the stories in the best possible way. When we take on the mantle of a writer, it becomes our duty to live upto that name.

Devotion. This trait that we are writing because God wants us to, actually we are just taking down dictation from a higher source,  sees us re-infused with a fresh bout of enthusiasm.  If we approach writing with an attitude of doing a prayer, our entire being will conspire to aid us in finishing it. Valuable pockets of time will suddenly be available to us, our muse will be at our beck and call. We will also be blessed with those moments of insights that will clear  troublesome plot hurdles as God ensures his devotees somehow manage to finish the work he has entrusted them with. We should treat our writing  as though its a flower we are offering God. 

What about you all my wonderful writing friends? Have you at any time felt a decrease in any of the D’s. How do you cope with waning enthusiasm? How do you approach your writing? What  keeps you motivated day in and day out. Please share as we all can learn from each other.
      
     

20 comments:

  1. Hello Rachna, I love this post. Its like a prayer you have written. I plan to take a printout and paste it near my study table. This should be mandatory for all aspiring writers. I teach in a school and I will put this on my classroom wall.

    ReplyDelete
  2. This is a wonderful post! These 3 D's are definitely critical to writer success.

    I am guilty sometimes of slipping in Dedication - sometimes it's hard to muster up motivation, and that other D (distraction) sneaks in, making it more difficult to sit down and write. Sometimes a scheduled break, doing other creative activities, is helpful to get the distractions out of my system, and get back to writing.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Good morning Rachna,
    You always lay out your posts so clearly. I think about these three Ds and I know there are times I lack some of them. But for the most part, I am determined to finish what I start. When I began writing, I did let one MS slip away but since then, have finished all of them.

    ReplyDelete
  4. If my enthusiasm is waning it is usually because I am overbooked and stressed, or have personal stresses (such as a death in the family). My solution is to regroup and lighten my schedule as I can, and to take much needed breaks.

    I like the way you broke this down! Have a great week!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Oh, Rachna, you have put me to shame. Thank you for reminding me why I do this. You're absolutely right. This should be my act of Devotion.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I'm with all the way - those are the 3 D's I'd choose!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Thanks Rachna. I love your 3Ds! I love your attitude, too.

    Blessings!!!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I love what you said about devotion. Sometimes this whole writing experience feels like a fit of mania then I remember it's for me and for the readers, then all of the mania is worth it.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Helpful thoughts, Rachna, for us to use as reminders as to why we want to be writers in the first place. It can be hard to keep a high level of dedication, determination, and devotion, but if we love the act of writing, and believe in our work, we will revisit each of these areas regularly--and not get "Discouraged" :-)

    ReplyDelete
  10. Hello friends....its nice to see that we all agree with the three D's of writing. Its a tough process to keep all the three levels high, one or the other is constantly slipping away.

    @ Kenda... Discouragement is a dangerous D. Its one to be avoided at all costs. Its easy to be discouraged when things are not moving smoothly. Its something I constantly battle.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Great post! When I am feeling unmotivated, it's my D's that keep me going!

    ReplyDelete
  12. You are always such an inspiration Rachna. Writing takes heavy doses of the 3Ds, but when I do slip and slide--which seems to be an inevitable aspect of the human condition--I try and remind myself not to get too Discouraged and jump back in with both feet!

    ReplyDelete
  13. I love these 3Ds. I do allow them to diminish at times when I let the doubts in, so I try my hardest to remind myself of your 3Ds instead.

    ReplyDelete
  14. If my enthusiasm wanes, it's often because I lose hope that I'm writing a good story. Then I roll up my sleeves and figure out a way to make it better!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Usually I never let my enthusiasm die. I try to keep focused on my goals: to become published, which leads to my second goal, to get great books into the hands of readers that don't like to read. When I think of my goals, I always keep on keepin' on. :)

    ReplyDelete
  16. I definitely know that my story telling skills are a gift from God. Very often, I get distracted, but always come back with the determination to finish what I start. Of course, I often wish I had a more disciplined approach to writing and querying. Hadn't thought about what I do as doing what God wants me to do and giving it back to Him as a gift, which puts a whole new perspective on things. I should treat time more like the valuable commodity it is and use it wisely. Quite a thought-provoking post this.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Ah yes, these three D's are perfect. I do feel like writing skills are a blessing. And we can either choose to use the gift, or let it sit dormant. I'm glad we've all chosen to use the gift.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Brilliantly put, Rachna!

    I have lost all three at some point of time, but never at the same time. Thank heavens.

    When I feel my enthusiasm wane, I tend to slow down my writing for a bit until I catch the new spark that will light my enthusiasm again.

    It's a lot easier that way than to pressure myself to find something invisible.

    :-)

    ReplyDelete
  19. OMY, never thought of it this way but this is wonderful " If we approach writing with an attitude of doing a prayer, our entire being will conspire to aid us in finishing it. "

    THANK YOU! Bless you!

    ReplyDelete
  20. That ol' distraction can be a nasty pest, but so much fun sometimes. Your positive d's should be engraved on our hearts and minds. It's something that I often just have to force myself to do.

    Lee
    Tossing It Out

    ReplyDelete