The Goody-Two-Shoes Nature

In an article titled “The Goody Two Shoes Nature” the author brings up some interesting points about engaging in the writing process. While I found the article made several observations that I agreed with there were two particular items that struck me so I chose to focus on those in this blog post. In the second paragraph the author states,

 
“Some people hear the rule ‘Write every day’ and do it and don't improve. They are just being dutiful. That is the way of the goody-two-shoes. It is a waste of energy because it takes tremendous effort to just follow the rules if your heart isn't into it. If you find that this is your basic attitude, then stop writing. Stay away from it for a week or a year. Wait until you are hungry to say something, until there is an aching in you to speak. Then come back.” 

I think there is true value in getting something down on the page (physical or electronic) on a daily (or regularly scheduled basis.) In a way I feel like daily writing is like sifting for gold in the California Gold Rush. Much of what we find is going to be useless crap, but by sifting through the crap we can uncover some nugget of value.

Not everything I write is worthwhile. In fact, the vast majority of what I put down on the page is absolutely terrible. But for me it’s a way of shedding the bad stuff and getting it out of my head to find the next idea that will be worth pursuing. I need to work through the bad in order to find what I believe to be good…to be worth the effort and energy of building into a fully thought through idea. But to be fair to the author, not everything works for everybody. I’ve read many books on writing and one person’s model or method for turning an idea into a fully-fledged story might not work for someone else. It’s about picking and choosing what works best for you and your creative process. I just feel like, as the author says, “Stay away from it for a week or a year…” could take an author too far away from the process - creating a sense of laziness or procrastination that is hard to recover from. What if one determines that they have nothing urging them to write? What if someone becomes discouraged and never returns to the page? While I agree that, at times, we need to step away (briefly) from our writing to gain perspective, let the work “breathe”, or just give oneself a mental break to refresh, I think to suggest that dutifully writing every day is a waste of energy isn’t completely accurate.

However, one thing that I did find both inspiring and insightful was when the author spoke of her friend’s trip to Europe. The author talked about her friend approaching her writing dutifully like she had done her teaching. It was on the trip that the author’s friend, “decided to try something absurd that she had always wanted to do.” Sometimes it’s important to venture out on a limb. To push yourself to pursue your dreams. To do something that isn’t necessarily the “safe bet.” Life is too short not to venture out into the unknown and put ourselves into a situation where we feel challenged…and out of our comfort zone. It’s possible that we’ll fail. But it’s also possible that we’ll succeed. And, more importantly, that we’ll realize our dreams and full potential as writers.