Living the Creative Writing Lifestyle
Is creative writing a lifestyle?
Dictionary.com defines lifestyle as follows:
the habits, attitudes, tastes, moral standards, economic level, etc., that together constitute the mode of living of an individual or group.
A lifestyle is something you build for yourself from all the elements that make up your daily life: your thoughts, dreams, actions, routine, work, family, friends, food, hobbies, habits, and interests.
So, is creative writing a lifestyle?
Examining the Writer’s Life
The writer’s life is unique. We spend a lot of time alone, with only our words and ideas to keep us company. We are immersed in word counts and submissions, manuscripts and notebooks. We work under tight deadlines and live in fear of typos. When other people are enjoying their favorite television shows or a day at the beach, we’re busy at our keyboards, doing our writerly work.
We are idea seekers — always looking for the next topic, poem, or plot. Every moment is an experience that could lead to a masterpiece, so every moment is a masterpiece. We live as observers, taking in the world around us so that we can share the best parts of it with our readers.
We are communicators, using words to forge connections. It’s not enough to tell a story. We want to show readers what it was like to be there, to live it, even if it never really happened.
And the most ambitious writers, those who are driven to make creative writing not just a way of life but a career, must also look at themselves in a way few other people do. We must see ourselves as authors and learn how to brand and market ourselves. We have to be self-promoters, and we have to be brave enough to put our work, which can be highly personal, out there for all the world to see.
The Creative Writing Life
The writing community is a tight one. Outside of literary circles, when two bookworms or writers bump into each other, they’re sure to forge an instant bond because such a person is a rare treasure. There may be some competition among writers, but most of what I’ve seen is goodwill and support.
We find ourselves outside of social norms. Our day jobs are simply a means to pay our bills. The real work happens early in the morning, late at night, and on weekends, when the rest of the world is playing. But our work is play. We writers breathe language. We engage in make-believe. We search for stories that beg to be told. We are concerned with words and images, grammar and structure, the historical and the fantastical, fact and fiction (and the difference between the two). And while we may be concerned with ordinary living, we ourselves experience a rather extraordinary life.
We get excited over things that put regular people to sleep — a passionate voice, a riveting scene, a complex character. We delight in office supplies, stationery, and writing instruments, tools that other people see as mere necessities.
All of these things make up the life of a writer, a writer’s lifestyle.
How Do You Live?
Creative writing is an adventure, and it’s an adventure that is threaded throughout every minute of a writer’s day. That’s my experience, anyway. How does being a writer shape your daily life? Do you consider it a lifestyle? A hobby? A habit?
Melissa Donovan is a website designer and copywriter. She writes fiction and poetry and is the founder and editor of Writing Forward, a blog packed with creative writing tips and ideas.
Making poetry a lifestyle choice certainly makes sense to me! I can’t say I’ve ever gotten into performance poetry, though. I’m usually happier when I read things for myself than having them read to me. Come to think of it, though, I do enjoy a good audio book on long drives, but it’s not like I could be reading then, anyway, and besides, this is getting off topic. My small contribution to poetry month is that I pulled “Poem Crazy” off the shelf and am reading through it again. Of course, the fact that I read it moments before going to sleep means I’m too tired to address any of the tasks at the end of the chapters, but–maybe I’m absorbing the lesson in my sleep?
.-= –Deb´s last blog ..MM: Tighter Prose is Brighter Prose =-.
In the past couple of years, I learned that I enjoy poetry much more when I listen to it. I still like to read it too. A lot of the contemporary poetry that I like is created for performance. It’s a lot like listening to a really great song or speech. There’s also a lot of comedic spoken word poetry, and I always appreciate a good laugh. I still need to finish PoemCrazy. So far, I’m loving it. And yes, I think we do absorb lessons in our sleep
I definitely don’t live a poetry writing lifestyle, but what you described reminds me of a friend of mine. She reads and writes poems all the time. She has lots of notebooks and Word files filled with writing, finished and unfinished. And she does spend a lot of her free time writing. She is always writing down ideas when she’s watching a show or a movie. She certainly lives the poetry writing lifestyle.
I live more of a computer programmer lifestyle, I guess.
.-= Kelvin Kao´s last blog ..The Puppet Show =-.
Your friend sounds a lot like me! I’m not like that all the time, but when I get focused on something, like poetry, I incorporate it fully into my daily life. It’s a lot of fun!
Melissa, I’m impressed by the neatness of your files! How can you tell when a poem is “completed”? I always find something new to tweak! My poems are very stubborn and alive things
.-= Nacho Jordi´s last blog ..Hold that curse (but don’t forget it)! =-.
Well, the poems seem to move around a lot between the different files. A piece I thought was completed might get moved to the “In Progress” folder. Once I get everything situated, my plan is to start submitted, and that’s when I’ll created a “Submitted” (and hopefully a “Published”) folder — those will truly be completed
But yes, like you, I often go through and make tweaks, even to pieces I thought were finished.
Yay for this article! I created my blog precisely because I wanted to write about “creating poetry and creating a life in poetry.” I definitely consider my writing to be a lifestyle. It’s what I do most hours of the day, and it’s the lens through which I view the world. It’s a passion that gives me purpose and direction.
It’s super cool that you love performance poetry too! Do you have a favorite performer?
Thanks for the article!
.-= Ami Mattison´s last blog ..30 Ways to Celebrate National Poetry Month =-.
A favorite performer? Oh my. There are so many! Here are a few of my favorites: Taylor Mali, Cristin O’Keefe Aptowicz, Jack McCarthy, Andrea Gibson, Marty McConnell, the Mayhem Poets, and a lot more. What about you? Who are some of your favorites?
I’d say D. Blair from Detroit does everything right. Meliza Banales is a real firecracker, telling real truth. Ryka Aoki De La Cruz will break your heart every time. Gypsee Yo is just amazing and gives performances that makes you want to jump out of your seat and start clapping. And Minton Sparks!…well, she’s part poet and part storyteller, and I consider her work to be THE example of southern gothic happening today. Minton is doing performance poetry like no one else in the business. That’s just my short list! ha!
.-= Ami Mattison´s last blog ..30 Ways to Celebrate National Poetry Month =-.
Wow, most of those names are new to me, but I’ll be sure to check them out online and see what I can find. Thanks Ami!
Melissa, Your post makes a lot of sense. I guess another way of putting it is “being in the zone” i.e., alert to the ironies and humour of everyday life as well as the sounds and rhythmn of the words we hear. When I am in that space, the poems come freely and almost fully formed. I love your comment: “A moment that would otherwise become a lost memory is instead shaped into a work of art — a poem.” Sad that so many moments are lost.
Thanks also for the tips on filing and organizing.
.-= Ruth Zaryski Jackson´s last blog ..Even More on Family Secrets =-.
Thanks Ruth! Yes, I think when poetry writing becomes a lifestyle, you get into the zone and stay there. This allows a poet to capture those moments and experiences that will later become poems. I think regular people are participants in life whereas writers must participate and observe and then represent. I always say there are normal people and then there are artists because artists seem to go through life seeing the world in a slightly different way — almost like they’re looking through a (dare I say?) clearer lens.
Maybe I’ve never developed a real knack as a poetry writer because I never created a poetry lifestyle? I love to read poetry, and I occasionally scribble stuff down but I never get back to rewriting and crafting it. Maybe I’m a raw poetess/ (j/kg)
.-= Deb´s last blog ..Transition: moving from the shadows into the light =-.
Nothing wrong with being raw! Of course, there are so many different ways to approach poetry (both as a reader and writer). I don’t think you absolutely have to make it a lifestyle. This article just talks about how the poetry lifestyle could be achieved.
Right, but your idea of poetry lifestyle struck a chord that you seem to have a relationship with poetry like other poetry writers I know; and I think it explains why you and they end up with poems where I have the lucky random scribble that almost sounds poetic.
.-= Deb´s last blog ..What is this thing called a tribe*? =-.
That makes sense. If you make something part of your everyday life… well, it becomes part of your everyday life
Great article!!!!
.-= Francesca´s last blog ..representation =-.
Thank you
I agree that the poetry community is a tight one. I belong to this online poetry group and I have met and became friends with more than a few of them. It was a lifestyle for me until I started working as an ESL Instructor and found less time for it. I also started editing myself even before I write one down. I do still read poems everyday. I’m trying to get back to writing. Hopefully, in time, I can just sit and write poems all day…
I’ve had several phases when poetry writing didn’t fit into my schedule and I shifted away from it, but I always seem to return. It’s strange — when I’m deeply involved with poetry writing, I feel like it’s something I could never stop doing, but then life gets crazy and one day I wake up and realize I haven’t written a poem in six months. Anyway, I think the important thing is that we come back to poetry, the community, and creativity. And I’m with you — it would be absolutely wonderful to write poems all day
Writing is not only my lifestyle, it is my life, my breath and the lens through which I see all my circumstances. I can’t live my days without it. Love is filled with uncertainty without it. I can’t understand or manage negative feelings without writing. Writing is the string that binds me to life and helps me travel it’s meandering paths and often rugged terrain.
Cheryl, this is one of the most meaningful and inspiring comments I’ve ever read. Thank you so much for expressing and sharing your passion. Your words made my day
I HAVE BEEN A FREELANCE AUTHOR FOR ABOUT 4 YEARS.ITS’TRUE WE SPEND NUMEROUS HOURS ALONE WITHIN OUR OWN CREATIVITY.THIS IS MORE THAN LIKELY THE PRICE WE PAY FOR SUCCESS.
I started writing poetry when I was fifteen years old, living at my folks house. Over the years, I have written and then let it go. This has been a routine I have broken lately. I have been doing 750 Words a Day daily now for almost 75 consecutive days. I also have a blog that I try to share daily or every few days. I have also started to add more content to a book I started writing years ago. Writing is definately a part of my life and it feels more comfortable with each passing day. So happy a friend referred me here.
Happy New Year!
~Kristine
Wow Kristine, that’s awesome. We recently had a guest post about writing 500 words a day. I think 750 is a do-able daily word count for many writers. I love when writers explore different forms (blogging, poetry, prose) and I congratulate you on becoming so prolific. Keep it up, and happy new year!
Creative writing as a lifestyle for me means I’m writing all day long. Even when I’m not physically putting pen down to paper, I like to make mental notes on what can happen next in my novel, the people I meet (as if I’m taking in their backstory), and connect the philosophical significance between interactions that only SEEM random and coincidence at first glance.
I don’t know how to explain it, but even when I’m not a participant, I observe the way people interact with eachother and see how they relate. I don’t intentionally eavesdrop, but what I catch a glimpse of gives me a slight but impactful idea of how these people are around each other.
Anyways my daily routine goes as follows: a cup of coffee while reading either fiction or writing guide in the morning, then a few beers as I write into the night. Everything in between is a haze in my mind of images that get creatively misshaped.
Wow, it sounds like you have truly made creative writing a lifestyle and brought it into every moment of your life. Which is pretty awesome.
Yeah it’s like Living la Vida Loca…minus the lame dance number.
Aw, the dance number’s not that bad
Hi Melissa..
This is one of the best article I have read so far. I wish I could write one without any grammatical errors but I could not. I love my creativity but the language always drop me down at my blog Few Miles: http://pendownmythought.blogspot.com. Please tell me how to improve my writing skills. I would love to write more and more from my pen…
Someone is Special
I think almost all writers have to work on grammar. The best advice I can offer is this: get a good grammar/style resource (I recommend Chicago Manual of Style) and take the time to look up grammar issues. Often, when a grammar question or problem arises, if you just spend five minutes checking a credible resource, you’ll learn the rule and it will be with you forever. As months and years go by, you accumulate more and more rules and eventually, you produce fewer grammatical errors in your work.
I really liked this article! Writing is an amazing thing in my life. It’s always been amazing to me how a few words can create a different universe to explore. Still, I have trouble making writing my lifestyle. It’s more of a habit, but I’d like to involve it more into my life. How can I do that?
Well, there are some ideas in this post about how to make writing more of a lifestyle. You can study it (read books on writing), set some goals (work toward a career in writing), and network with other writers (online is a great place to start). If writing is already a habit for you, I’d say you’re well on your way
I still have not made writing a lifestyle,but I am inching towards it. I keep a blog for prose/journal http://www.itsalltizzy-wizzy.blogspot.com and another one for poetry http://www.unturnedpages.blogspot.com.
My job makes it difficult to devote more time to writing.But then,everyone is given 24hrs a day and you have to make time for doing what you love/like.Your posts are so inspiring for aspiring writers.Making writing a lifestyle will surely help towards a career in writing.
Thanks Peter. Yes, it’s hard to make time for writing, but people who are truly committed to it always find a way:
“If you really want to do something, you’ll find a way. If you don’t, you’ll find an excuse.” – Author Unknown
How pleasurable reading people’s comments and your feedback Melissa. I learn so much. I write everyday unless I am travelling and even then I tend to jot down things in my notebook. I find I can get ideas from anything in nature, people and events. I am writing my second fiction novel now and the overseas tour I did recently gave me some ideas for one of my characters. I belong to a creative writing group and each week we take it in turns to run the class. It is so interesting how each of us comes up with a different lesson plan. Then of course how each story is so different when given a topic. I focus totally on writing when at the computer so it’s like a meditation. My mind is totally focused on what I’m writing at the time. I often wish I had no interruptions but then I’d become a recluse and although I love that, it is not healthy for me. I have my Art and Singing to enjoy each week too.
I love that you said writing at the computer is like a meditation. I couldn’t agree more (although there are definitely exceptions). It can be quite magical. Thanks so much for your kind words. Keep writing!