Monday, March 7, 2011

Writing Under the Influence

Posted by: Shannon
Is writing a job? A passion? A hobby? Or something else entirely?

For me it’s an addiction, a full-out gotta do it or die kind of thing. Yup. And it is one that I have no intention of treating. Recovery would be a real shame, wouldn’t it?

Funny thing is, unlike a lot of writers out there, I have not been a writer all my life. Like some addictions, mine was born from a scary earthquake in my formerly stable world. With it came insomnia and a whole lot of free time to fill my messed up head space. I pulled myself out of that tailspin by filling my head with (tequila and) imaginary people with all their troubles. Perhaps it was the need to fix someones problems, even if imaginary ones. That is the point of the romance HEA isn’t it? Everyone walks away alive, happy and in love or at least close.
Although I still occasionally drink wine (or bourbon or tequila or Buttershots OMG I love Buttershots!) and eat chocolates while writing, my most powerful drug is still the writing itself. It is truly addicting to feel the story unfold and follow the people while they fight for their dreams. Just like picking up a good book and not being able to put it down until you run out of pages, the writing can be just as grab-you-by-the-heart-and-never-let-go enthralling. With my addictive personality, this turns nearly every book into a series.

Are you addicted to writing? Do you write under the influence? Stand up and share your addictions!

Disclaimer: never allow your addictions or impairments to cause injury or injustice to others. ‘Cause Dude, that just isn’t cool. Unless it leads to a lot of drama, angst and naughty happiness.

L. Shannon
www.lshannon.net

4 comments:

  1. I'm way addicted. If I go a day without writing, I feel like I've done something wrong. On weekends, I sneak downstairs early on to check emails or peruse a WIP before the family catches me.
    :) Marie

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  2. LOL I'm pretty sure my post at the Para-Posse tomorrow is about this exact topic (I put it up so long ago I can't remember now). I get twitchy if I'm not writing or editing or at least plotting. We do extended family trips every year and at this year's ski trip, my mother instituted a "no computers in public areas" rule. I almost died. Fortunately I was also critiquing, so I moved my friend's manuscript to my e-reader and took long-hand notes, but I was still sneaking into the bedroom to write.

    As for writing under the influence, I do it a lot. I get into the whys in my post, but I'm learning to get the same feeling without the alcohol. Which is nice for my waistline...and my liver LOL.

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  3. I don't claim to be addicted to writing. Coffee, maybe, but that's another story.

    I can totally relate to using writing to deal with trauma. It fulfills a need to exercise control. In a fictional world, you can make everything come right in the end. Unlike in the real world.

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  4. I'm definitely a writing junkie. I get edgy when I go too long without writing. But writing "under the influence?" I drank some red wine once when I was experiencing a block on my WIP. I really wrote like crazy, and I was sure it was brilliant. I read it the next day. Was it brilliant? Not so much. Ha!

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