Writing Hurts
Creating art is difficult because we put ourselves on the line every day. We tell the truth about the world in the way we see it, and this may offend people or simply be incomprehensible. We reveal ourselves and our vulnerabilities in ways that most people are smart enough to keep to themselves. We face criticism of our minds and our souls. We mine the deepest recesses of our lives. We face that blank page every day. We take risks. And we fail. A lot.
Some writers write one book and are finished with the dangerous price that art exacts from us. I don’t blame them. Writing hurts. Sharing ourselves hurts. Being vulnerable hurts.
Protecting your creative self means sometimes holing up in a private space. It can mean turning off the internet. And the phone. And putting in earplugs. It can mean going on long walks all by yourself. It can mean having a secret project you tell no one about. It can mean letting no one read your current project until it is finished and you are ready. It can mean rereading good reviews. It can mean writing it out by hand (like JK Rowling did) so it remains yours for longer. It can mean telling yourself that no one will ever read what you’re working on.
Protecting your creative self can even mean not reading for a while, or not writing for a time. It can mean giving up for years on doing art because you feel you’re drained or simply too tired to keep going.
Whatever you need to do to stay mentally healthy, give yourself permission to do it. Sometimes only other writers understand because most people don’t know what it’s like to give this much of themselves—and they never will.
