Writers Create Something out of Nothing

 

Looking at the poster for today, it occurred to me that maybe writers don't give themselves enough credit for what they do. Think about it. Writers start with a whole bunch of nothing and create something from it.

That's magic, isn't it? Writers don't wave a wand to create this magic. Instead, they delve deep within and bring it forth from past experiences and imagination.

More than once, I have thought about a man like Walt Disney, not a writer, but one who created a wonderful world from nothing more than the ideas in his mind and ionspiration and hard work. Hard to imagine a world without what he has given us.

Writers are the same as they come up with an idea, feel inspired, and spend time seeing it to fruition. 

Is it hard work? It is. Anything worthwhile is going to involve a work effort. 

Do you have a list of publications in your files? Take a minute or two today to read through the titles. You created each one from nothing, made it into something and managed to get it published. Go ahead, pat yourself on the back. You've earned it. 

What about the file that holds all the pieces you've written that have yet to be published.? Take credit for them, as well. Once again, you started with nothing and made something. Not everyone can do that. Are they all perfect? Probably not, but you can continue working on each one and make it better, maybe good enough to submit and hope for publication. 

Start with an armful of nothing. End with a great big scoop of something. That's the writers' own special magic!

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What's Magic in Writing?

I love this poster quote. Especially the last part that says You create something out of nothing. That's powerful. It is a kind of magic, except that there is no magic wand. It's you writers who are the creators. I wrote a post last March on this same theme, which is often the case. Same theme, different perspective.

Consider that you begin with a blank page, whether it is in a notebook, a journal, or on your computer screen. Blank! Waiting for you to create the magic by putting words together to form paragraphs, then paragraphs one after the other, and finally a full story, essay or whatever. Those who are poets do the same by in a different order--words into phrases, phrases into verses until the page is filled with a brand new poem.

It sounds so easy, but we all know it is not. Even so, when we do create a finished piece of writing, it feels a bit magical. It gives us satisfaction, some pride, and incentive to keep writing another and another.

When what we write tosses out one stumbling block after another, we can't feel much magic. Instead, we are frustrated, disgusted, and perhaps angry. Nothing magical about that! If we keep working around those stumbling blocks and finally reach a point where we are satisfied with what we've written, then the magic floats over us like the magician's swirling cape.

Is every piece of writing going to be magical? Probably not, but if we work hard and practice writing on a daily(or almost daily) basis, we're going to have some of those magic moments. Each time we do, we're inspired to start a new writing project. We like that good feeling, and we would like to have it again and again.

Ponder on that final sentence in the quote: You create something out of nothing. Not everyone can say that, but many writers can. Step 1 is to believe you can do it.

The Writer As A Magician

Ever give consideration to the fact that you, the writer, are as creative as the sculptor who takes a lump of clay and comes up with a piece of art. Or the painter who starts with a blank canvas, a brush and a few paints. He finishes with a piece of art.

Perhaps the writer is even more creative. We don't have a lump of clay or a clean canvas. All we begin with is our mind and what it contains. I've thought more than once about my mind being filled with boxes with certain types of information in each little box. Maybe our minds are compartmentalized in some respect.

The older we are, the more we have to draw from. As a young adult in our twenties, we drew from experiences as a small child, then a teen and finally someone in the beginning stages of being an adult. I'm a senior citizen so there are more little boxes in my mind--many, many of them. When I write, I open one or another to use whatever the experience I need to illustrate what I'm writing.

Creating a piece of writing really is a type of magic in some respects while, in others, it's just plain hard work. There have been times when I've gone back through old stories or essays and read them again. Sometimes, I wonder where in the world it came from. How did my mind to fingers produce this particular story?

It makes me realize that our writing process is both conscious and subconscious. The parts that usually surprise me are the ones that have been dredged up from my subconscious.

The magician pulls a rabbit out of his hat while you and I pull stories, essays and poetry from our minds. Start with nothing and come up with something. Our own kind of magic.