High on Writing

 

There are some moments in a writer’s life that make the blood, sweat, and tears all worthwhile. Those magical, blissful moments that make us believe we can actually do this. The ones where we sit back and think, ‘Oh, yeah. I’m awesome!’

Think of that great scene you just finished writing. Fresh off from a brush with brilliance, you’re feeling pretty good about your skills. Sure, there are passive words or adjectives and adverbs that still need slashing, heck, you may even have to kill that darling in the greater scheme of things. But right now, at this fateful moment, everything is all right in the world.

Remember when you wrote that shockingly good chapter? You were so stoked when you finally discovered that twist—that jaw-dropping moment that raised the stakes and blew your own expectations out of the water. Remember that? Oh, yeah. You are awesome!

A writer’s high could be hidden anywhere: a musical turn of phrase, a poetic verse of description that sets your heart singing with accomplishment and confidence. It doesn’t have to be a big thing to make one appreciate the gift of being a writer, but there are those golden, grand moments that put the cherry on top of the gooey icing.

Think about the moment when you completed your first draft. Didn’t that feel good! You know you have to edit it later, but you don’t care. You just finished spewing out tens of thousands of words. And they make sense! More than that, they make a story—a world you created and then populated with fascinating, original characters. There is a start, a middle, and an end. You pulled this out of the ethos and nailed it down. It’s yours, and you finished it. How sweet is that? That is a yummy, warm, delicious, hot cocoa kind of moment.

Then there was that time you completed your edits! Now, if you’re a pantser like me, this can be a long, drawn out, painful process, but depending on how many drafts you go through, there still comes a time when you are actually finished with editing. When you look at what you’ve created and think, ‘I’m done. This is ready!’ Not ‘ready’ as in ready to send to publishers or agents, mind (unless you have one already and he/she is chomping at the bit to see your latest masterpiece) but ready to send to beta and critique readers. You’ve done the best you can, and now it’s time for others to have a fresh look at it. It’s out of your hands. Nothing to do but wait and get ready to bask in their glory!

This is where I’m at. Right now. I’ve just finished going through the final draft before I send it off. I still have to enter my changes into the computer, but I’m so close, I can taste it. And it’s like a cinnamon roll crepe with apple pie filling and caramel and butterscotch drizzle draped over rich vanilla ice cream and topped with whipped cream and a waffle cookie. OMG that sounds awesome! Someone needs to invent that. Seriously. Then send me a sample!

Kinda like this... but even better!

This is why I write. I’m addicted to this incredible high and when it happens, it feels fantastic. In my mind, in that glorious space and time, I’m confident the story is solid—all the plot holes filled and patched, the character motivations solved and solidified. It’s only a brief moment. All too soon, the self-doubt will niggle back, and I’ll start questioning my skills, undermining my confidence, and knocking down my pedestal. I’ll start sweating and pacing when I haven’t heard back from my beta readers. My agent’s silence will become deafening. But right now, all that is in my distant future. At this moment, all I can think is, ‘Oh yeah. This is awesome!’

What’s your favourite writing high?

In gratitude,

Marissa xo