On inspiration and perspiration

I only write when I am inspired. Fortunately I am inspired at 9 o’clock every morning.

Attributed to William Faulkner

People who aren’t writers (a/k/a normal people) like to talk about inspiration. Where do you get your ideas? What inspired that story? A few will ask about writing routines, and I figure they’re aspiring writers looking for some magic formula for finishing the Great American Novel. I’ve been writing fiction for only about 9 years, but already I’ve figured out there’s no magic formula, no combination of creativity exercises + daily routines that will magically put words in a document and turn them into a good story. What does put words in a document and turns them into a good (or at least acceptable) story? Showing up. Butt in chair, fingers on keyboard, trusting that the words will come. (I wrote about this kind of faith in my February 2020 IWSG post).

And speaking of the IWSG: In case you’re new here, the first Wednesday of every month is Insecure Writers Support Group day, on which we insecure writers share our doubts, fears, struggles, and triumphs. Our awesome co-hosts for May are Joylene Nowell Butler, Ronel Janse van Vuuren, Meka James, Victoria Marie Lees, and M Louise Barbour. We’re also given an optional question we can answer in our posts. This month’s question is: When you are working on a story, what inspires you?

The fun part

Usually the first thing that inspires me is the story idea, the What If that gets me started. What if the crusty, paranoid doomsday prepper turns out to be right? (Sign up for my newsletter to get a free copy of my story, “Collateral Damage,” and find out.) What if a mousy, nerdy college girl turns the tables on a would-be rapist? What if the devil went out to California on Christmas Eve, looking for a soul to steal? My mind starts whirring, and I sketch out a rough plot idea and a main character. I get way into the main character–what drives him? What’s her background? What would he literally sell his soul for–and why?

This is the easy part of the process. The fun part.

The Not-So-Fun Part

Then I get in deeper, and I have to make all the pieces work together. What, exactly, does the setting look like? What time of day should it be? Why would the character make the choice I need her to make to get her where she needs to be? Who should be telling the story? Past or present tense? And the hardest: What does this character’s voice “sound” like? How does he talk? What’s her inner monologue like? And on and on until the process starts to feel like–horrors!–work.

Hard work.

Hard work no one is paying me to do.

I could be gardening or reading or hanging out with Long-Suffering Husband or catching up on the work I am paid to do or playing Candy Crush or… well, pretty much anything besides rubbing my temples to soothe my burgeoning headache while fixing the 4th plot inconsistency of the day (and it’s only 7 AM).

What keeps me going then? Not inspiration. Nope, inspiration left the building halfway through the first draft. Inspiration is weak. Inspiration is lazy. Inspiration is that irritating uncle who always has some new get-rich-quick scheme that he drops like a hot rock as soon as it turns into actual work. (He’ll be the one talking your ear off about crypto at the next family reunion.)

So why do I keep writing long after inspiration has packed up and set off to sucker some other poor sap?

Perseverance. Or, more accurately, pure stubbornness.

I am going to finish this story and enter it in this contest, and this contest’s deadline is Friday. It’s now Tuesday. Pour another Diet Pepsi–the third one of the day, and it’s only 9 AM–put butt in chair and fingers on keyboard and get to work.

This is why Edison said,

Genius is 1 percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration.

I make no claims to genius–most days I find “conscious” to be a bit of a stretch–but accomplishment is definitely 99 percent perspiration. Sit down, do the work. Rinse, repeat.

Or, to paraphrase one of the great philosophers of our time:

The memery

And when we take a break from butt in chair and fingers on keyboard, a little laughter can help us find the energy to get back to work.

Here’s another take on perseverance:

Being distracted by the internet is for amateurs. I can be distracted by a dust bunny under my desk.

Kind of like this guy:

This next one sums up most of this post:

And finally:

To my fellow writers, happy IWSG Day! Now get your butt in your chair, put your fingers on your coffee-stained keyboard, and write!