How frustrating can writing be? Enough to make you quit? Sometimes. But according to Jonah Lehrer, frustration is what makes creativity work. Think about it. How many times have you been told that it's the hard work that makes the job valuable?
In "The Talent Myth" Barbara Baig (The Writer April 2012) says it in a slightly different way. Baig says that talent really is the result of deliberate practice, not a gift. Without hard work, the constant reaching for objectives just out of reach, we can't become better. Writing well requires a constant striving for improved craft skills and not accepting "good enough."
But do we really want to be frustrated? Looking back to Lehrer, I think we have to accept the frustration to get to our goals. His equation is:
problem = frustration=creative breakthrough
So, we should be thrilled when we're frustrated with the problems we face--when the book's plot sticks, a character refuses to behave, or a sentence baulks. Frustration is good for us. Really! ; ) Don't believe me? Check out the following video illustrating Lehrer's point.
What do you do when you're frustrated--give up or buckle down? Here's to persistence and deliberate practice!
The trick is not stopping but working through the frustration, I think. If I stop for too long, I get discouraged, and never return to editing!
ReplyDeleteThat's one of those suggestions that doesn't always work for me. My fatigue level makes powering through impossible some days. Then starting back is even harder. ; )
DeleteWell, that's true. And of course there are lots of other commitments... I try to feel less guilty if I'm at least thinking of my characters and learning new things :-)
ReplyDeleteIf I think about them, something to jot down will come up. It's the days i can't even think that are the hardest to swallow. ; )
DeleteI've been learning that frustration tends to be a by-product of us wanting to have complete control over something. I think that if we take a breather and let things flow then the frustration dissipates somewhat. At least I'm hoping that's what will happen for me!
ReplyDeleteSometimes that works for me, too. And sometimes it's an excuse. I think the trick is knowing which is which. ; )
DeleteHi, Zan,
ReplyDeleteFor me frustration comes mainly when I can't get a sentence to do what I want. After struggling with it for a bit, I leave it alone and then come back to it at some point.
Some sentences are incorrigible, aren't they, Joy? I think I've rearranged the clauses ever possible way and then--Bang!--the one best possible order will appear and I wonder why I didn't see it to begin with. ; )
DeleteFrustration for me (as a pantser, my bad), is when I run into a closed door and I have to find a way in or around or over or under. I'm learning to do a bit more plotting these days, lol!
ReplyDeleteDenise
Don't you love those doors with no knobs or a keyhole blocked with glue! ; )
DeleteHi, Zan Marie! Thank you for your lovely comment on Denise's blog. I could so relate to what you wrote about the South, I thought I'd drop by. While your post today is lovely, your previous post on censorship hit a respondent chord. I went though much of what you said with my first e-pub, "Remy Broussard's Christmas," and how to handle the poverty issue during sharecropper days. After all, it was a holiday story (with the ending never changing from first though to pubbling.) Like you, I couldn't reconcile what people probably wanted with the honest truth, so, me being me, I heaved a big sigh and wrote the latter. I'm working on "Jacob's Birthday Party" now. The KKK is front and center. As a kid, I saw the Klan ride - there's no making chicken soup out of that crew. Anyway, I thought I'd share.
ReplyDeleteI saw a few hoods, too, when I was young. Thankfully my parents knew how to debunk that line of thought. Of course, growing up in an integreated neighborhood helped, too. Good luck with that story.
DeleteWhen I'm frustrated I'm no good. I have to take a step back and calm down. Then I can workthrough the problem.
ReplyDeleteI do that sometimes, too. It seems that I can beat my head on the wall only so many times. ; )
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