A question for any older people who mess about with writing.

[The Backward OX]

As a wannabe writer, I keep reading the advice “just write.”

My understanding of this phrase is that little or no ‘slow and deliberate conscious thought’ is allowed to impede the creation of a first draft.

That may be a slight exaggeration, but it helps provide a perspective on further comments.

I think it might be generally agreed that as we age we become more set in our ways.

I’m wondering where that “set in our ways” leaves the much older person who by nature is guarded, cautious, circumspect, who by nature thinks everything through first, before acting, who has spent maybe seventy years honing those characteristics, and who THEN decides writing might be interesting.

“Just writing” would appear to be the very antithesis of the way they’ve developed over the years.

Do you think such a person could break out, and begin “just writing?” And if so, what tools would they use to start knocking down the walls?

Mushrooms and LSD might do the trick, but suggestions like that are not really helpful.

Thank you.

[ssandra]

I think writing is a process that is different for every writer.

So if you feel more comfortable editing every sentence before moving on, then write like that! The important thing is not to let fear of editing or bad writing stop you from writing.

You can also think if you are really set in your ways, or if that is just something that you always assumed that you should be at your age?

[rei]

Originally Posted by The Backward OX

Do you think such a person could break out, and begin “just writing?” And if so, what tools would they use to start knocking down the walls?

Okay, whether I fit your notion of "older" depends on the frame of reference. However, I've done graduate-level work in creative writing and taught students about various aspects of composition.

Many of my students also had a bit of trouble with "freewriting" - the approach of writing without focusing on mechanics. It is possible, though. It is easier to create with the right hemisphere and the left hemisphere (look first, analyze) doesn't always make the flow happen.

It may help to create a low pressure situation at first, say, write for a (real or imagined) young person who doesn't know the "rules" so can't evaluate the "correctness" of the work. Or some other scenario that provides a low pressure feeling. Maybe that means writing for yourself (though I was always my toughest critic )

I would say the walls can come down as soon as you're ready to give yourself permission to start without those restrictions - even if that means, "Okay, I will write just one page without stopping." You might find yourself going past one page but this might be a reasonable start.

It may also help to focus on the process instead of the results/outcome. Writing to have the experience of putting pen to paper and flowing with it, instead of writing to accomplish x.

[CoolBee]

Yes you can do it

Last year at tender young age of 49, I created around 200000 words of freeform (mixed techniques plus blogging plus pontificating on the internet on forums like here ) in about 3 months a lot based on the two techniques here. Also I did the nanowrimo last November where I achieved over 50000 words in a month (actually most of it in 5 days!) with my Hestia - A surreal journey around 5 days in the internet life of Leona Flower.

- journal jar prompts (I never make up actual jars, what I did was download a load and developed my own geeky method of picking one at random). Even the most unpromising prompts might call forth 1500 words in under an hour!

- morning pages - Julia Cameron's idea: The Basic Tools basically write 3 pages of anything first thing every morning - I used to do it in the evenings when I was working full time because my mornings were way too rushed.

I had done very little creative writing in my previous 49 years! Short stories at school and the like (when getting 500 words out seemed very hard and surely an epic novel )

I think starting OldbagofCairo blog was probably the key that unlocked it for me.

[IEvo]

I finished my first novel in May of this year and I while I think that 'just write' is great advice, you may be confusing its meaning a little bit.

Yes, flow is important and no, you don't really want to be editing after every sentence because it will affect your work as a whole.

But I think what writers mean by saying 'just write' is that you need to stop making excuses, stop trying to write something perfect or epic, stop trying to find every resource under the sun that will tell you what it takes to be a great writer and just write.

The only way to get better is to practice. Consequently, you're going to write a lot of crap. Things that are not what you would consider to be good work. But you need to forget about that, forget about the pressure you put on yourself and just keep writing.

Write every day. Write a novel and then immediately get started on another. Don't wait for it to get published or for the editing process to be complete. Just keep writing.

What seperates a wannabe writer from a writer is the amount of actual writing they do. Nothing else.

[Acting Like Godot]

A lot of writing is just rewriting, but before you can do any rewriting, you need the first draft.

Herein lies the importance of the "just write" advice. After you produce your first 2,500 words, then you have something reasonably substantial to rewrite. This is the time when you can ponder and delete and add and cut and paste and reorganise.

But first .... you need the first draft.

[James81]

Originally Posted by The Backward OX

AsI’m wondering where that “set in our ways” leaves the much older person who by nature is guarded, cautious, circumspect, who by nature thinks everything through first, before acting, who has spent maybe seventy years honing those characteristics, and who THEN decides writing might be interesting.

I would encourage such a person to let go of the notion that they are "set in their ways" just because they are old, and to imagine a new possibility that allows them to create and write in a way that is inspiring to them.

In other words, I don't think the issue is the writing here. I think the issue invovles some limiting beliefs at work that keep the older person blocked.