I take the "a-watched pot-never-boils" approach to writing. If you are having trouble thinking of ideas, don't hover over your typewriter, wracking your brain for inspiration - those neurons can only withstand so much activity. Instead, I recommend getting up and finding a diversion - preferably a mindless one.
I still remember the exact moment one of my "winning" lines came to me. I was scrubbing grease off of a pan, when I suddenly thought of the most clever and mischievous metaphor. At least I
thought it was clever until it ended up in bold print within the pages of my local newspaper for all the neighbors and their children to behold.
Oh well. Writing is about being honest, is it not? At least according to Stephen King in his novel,
On Writing, and who can argue with a bestselling author?
In order to succeed in the field of writing, I suppose I will have to stop caring so much about what people think of me. After all, whether I like it or not, I am going to be judged by what I write, and I absolutely believe that my writing is a true reflection of who I am, even if some of my ideas seem to arise from nowhere. I assume they probably come from day-to-day observations that are stored in the back of my mind, but how they become prominent, I have no idea. Occurrences are one thing; analyzing them is something completely different.
Some of the thoughts that I entertain, surprise me because of their sheer awesomeness. Sometimes I wonder if these thoughts are even mine or if they arise from divine intervention. Either way, I suppose it doesn't matter, because my talent as writer is God-given so even if God isn't supplying every word - which I doubt he supplied my thoughts about Spandex - I still owe him credit for each and every story I put my name on. If I don't, I'll mistake myself for some sort of genius - just kidding.
Still, I know that if I do not acknowledge my talent as a gift from God, pride will overcome me, as it often does. Thank goodness I didn't test out of my beginning college-level writing class because what a humbling experience that was for me! I didn't like it, but it was exactly what I needed. If you have "ups," you've got to have "downs."
I probably sound like a nutcase, urging myself to embrace humility and still somehow sounding prideful despite my best efforts. It must be because writing does such a fine job of revealing the heart and mind of its author.
As an author, I'm
not opaque. My writing is intentionally - sometimes unintentionally - transparent. Even if I
tried to obscure the truth, you could probably see right through me because, sometimes, truth can be found within the most unconscious and unintentional of confessions.