Hello friends and welcome to another distracted edition of Just Another Struggling Writer. I’m just another struggling writer.
Friends, the last seven days have been busy. A good kind of busy, but also a holy-hell-I’m-tired kind of busy. A this-might-be-my-life-for-the-foreseeable future kind of busy.
After last week’s public plea seeking feedback on what creative content you, my fellow writers and dearest readers, like to consume, I made the executive decision to just go for an idea that I’ve half been mulling over the last two or three years, half decided on a friggin’ whim: launching a book review podcast.
As a result I’ve spent a lot of time in the recording studio (my bedroom), working with audio engineers (me, with minor input from my partner), and scripting episodes (rambling into a microphone without any sense of direction). I won’t go too much into the sales pitch (yet; that’s tomorrow), but I’m kind of really jazzed about it. I know I said last year that I would never do this kind of thing because I’m too private and too busy and no one wants to hear me talk anyway, and yet… here were are. Because frankly… I don’t care if not a single soul listens. I’m doing the podcast to have fun, to encourage myself to read more, and to teach myself how best to read and review fiction. That’s more important to me than attention, which is a fickle thing to have on the internet even when you’re looking for it.
Writers Write? Preposterous.
The only downside to my new endeavor is that it is time consuming (so far anyway). Since last Thursday I have spent a little bit of every day either recording, re-recording, editing, or preparing for more content, and I have managed to produce thus far is one ten minute preview episode. Although another has been recorded, yet to be edited, that still makes for a hefty demand on my time that was already straining to accommodate my other responsibilities as a parent with a full time job and writing.
It has left in me a niggling kind of fear that if this is the sort of time commitment I can expect going forward, where will writing fit in? If I am actively spending more time on other projects, can I even call myself a writer anymore?
Compounding this anxiety is the frustrating fact that I only wrote a page last week, due – yes – in large part to focusing on recording podcast episodes, but also thanks to a healthy helping of writer’s block. Funnily enough, it was that block that led me to seeking other outlets for my creativity. And while just jumping off the ledge of a time-intensive, technically complicated, and undoubtedly exciting new venture is not the most constructive way to deal with a block, giving myself a reason to read more and engage with stories in the genre I myself write in cannot possibly be a negative thing.
Right?
More Than the Written Word
I think the thing people, including writers themselves (subblogging myself here), all too often forget is that writing is so much more than just putting the words on the page. Writing is also editing. It’s brainstorming. It’s working through writer’s block (unless you’re me of course). It’s reading other works in your genre. It’s engaging with those works critically and learning how to apply their wisdom to your own writing.
Am I reaching fawningly for excuses as to why doing this podcast is a good thing for me as a writer? Yes. Is it any less true? Tune into my podcast to find out.
Just kidding. But really, anything that gets the creative cogs in your brain turning, anything that teaches you something about the medium you’re working with, anything that gives you a new perspective will ultimately make you a better artist.
So, while I continue to toil away at this scene that still has me blocked dammit, I’m going to give myself a pass for seeking out other ways to improve as a writer. Especially since I’m having fun, I’m supporting other writers (since I paid for the books I’m reviewing), and I’m adding to the writing community in a way I hope is at the least entertaining.
Who knows? Maybe my next read has the solution to my writer’s block hidden inside it.
Since I’ve made the switch to doing full blown reviews via podcast, I once again find myself in the position of needing something new to post on Fridays. Tomorrow will be a shameless self promotion post, but then…?
Until next time friends, may your writing be plenty and your struggles be few.
Kerry Share
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