How I Wrote My Essay Collection in 2 Months
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The other day I was teaching a writing class on short fiction when one of the participants blurted out: huh. That wasn’t actually hard.
I could see the surprise in their own face, somewhat in disbelief how they were able to sit down and come up with ideas on the spot without feeling inspired.
I’ve seen this many times now in my classes, the effect good writing prompts and exercises can have on any writer. The mind loves to solve problems, it loves to have rules and restrictions, and equations to think through: low stakes and reward. It is so satisfying.
I think so much in the discourse about art and suffering is driven by weird power dynamics and a worthiness complex. That the process of creation has to be difficult and paved with sacrifice.
For years I bought into this narrative, torturing myself with word counts and morning pages and rigid routines that were far less helpful. Prodding a novel draft over years till I squeezed out any spark.
