Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Getting High from Writing

Last weekend, I posted a question at The Writers' Cafe, one of the discussion boards under The Kindle Boards umbrella. This is a place where indie writers gather to ask questions, post news, do a little bragging, complain about this, that or the other. I asked: Do you ever get "high" from writing? I explained that I didn't mean do you ever get high in order to write? That's something else entirely.

The responses were gratifying to me, as I definitely get high from writing. Here are a few comments from other writers.

"I LOVE it when I get lost in that "zone" of the world I am creating. Sometimes I have a hard time coming back."

'Yes, definitely! … It can be quite a rush and sometimes I can feel my heart thumping along with my characters'.

"I always seem to buzz after a writing session."

"Yes, yes, yes! It's so awesome when that happens."

"Definitely, it can be quite a rush when the story is flowing."

So much for the idea of the writer toiling away in solitude, often blocked, the work torturous. Okay, it might be that way for "serious" writers who produce "literary" fiction. But if you're looking for that stuff you've come to the wrong place.

I think of what I do as writing smart entertainment, equal emphasis on each half of the equation. Most popular fiction writers, I think, are also entertainers. They want to give their readers a good time, have them laugh and cry in all the right places. Given the state of the world, now and pretty much always, that's a worthwhile thing to do.

If we can make a living from our writing and get the occasional word of encouragement, we're happy.

So my advice to readers is: Remember that emotions are contagious. If you're looking for a good book, see if it seems like the author had a high old time writing it.

(If you'd like to read the whole thread on The Writers' Cafe, here's the link: http://www.kindleboards.com/index.php/topic,93140.0.html)

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