When I decided to become an author, I also made a conscious decision to quit feeling guilty for not having an immaculate house, not keeping up with the latest television shows, not dressing in the height of fashion, limiting my attendance at social events, and not driving the flashiest car.
However, I did not abandon my family, they have always come first. Eventually, my near and dear came to accept my decision. I will admit it took longer for some of them to understand, but others were with me from the very beginning.
Getting rid of guilt is important for creativity because guilt kills imagination.
I found an excellent blog post on the topic of writer's guilt. If you suffer from this malady go to:
http://www.writingandwellness.com/2015/07/21/10-ways-to-kick-writers-guilt-to-the-curb/
Read it, and then get back to writing. :-)
2 comments:
I remember reading Neil Gaiman commenting that whatever helps you to create is good, whatever stops you from doing it is bad. If guilt falls in the stop category than yep it's bad. Sometimes I think guilt can be a motivator of sorts but it should most definitely not be the prime one.
I highly recommend this book, Art & Fear: Observations on the Perils and Rewards of Artmaking, by David Bayles and Ted Orland. Though the title says art, the meat of it is just as applicable to writing and the creative process. I was admittedly skeptical at first of it based on the title, but have found it to be some great food for thought. Hope you find it helpful!
Also a great book on creative endeavors is 'On Writing' by Stephen King. In it he describes his trials and tribulations going through life as a writer. I found his work schedule process in particular fascinating and inspiring.
http://www.amazon.com/Art-Fear-Observations-Rewards-Artmaking/dp/0961454733
http://www.amazon.com/Writing-10th-Anniversary-Memoir-Craft/dp/1439156816/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1440876302&sr=1-1&keywords=on+writing
Anne:
Thanks for the suggestions. I have read Stephen King's book and it is excellent, but I'll look up the others, too.
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