Writers like to write about their experiences.
A lot of their experiences involve turning ideas and intentions into the written word.
So it should shock no one to learn that there’s a lot of writing out there about what writing is like. And, being a poetic bunch, it oozes metaphor.
“How quaint!” says the one who doesn’t get how dark and disturbing many of these metaphors are.
There are metaphors like spilling your guts or bleeding all over the page. That sounds painful, disgusting, exhausting and even dangerous.
Or there’s building roads and bridges for my audience. Tough, satisfying work – but slow, backbreaking and intolerant to even small mistakes.
Writing is like swimming underwater. If that’s how you feel, then you must only write in small bursts, driven by an adrenaline-fueled burning to get it done or die in the process.
Then there’s the classic: writing is like selling your body on the streets. If someone tells me that, I know they probably enjoy the writing process but feel awkward charging money for it.
What’s your metaphor for writing?
If I ask you writing is like what?, what comes to mind?
Tell me that and I’ll tell you exactly how you struggle.
As for my metaphor for writing?
It’s like riding a motorcycle through the countryside.
For me, writing is about freedom and exploration. There’s also a feeling of raw power. Writing takes me to new places I wouldn’t otherwise get to. Every day I write is a day I get closer to my destination. It takes a lot of concentration, energy and balance, but that’s okay because I can pause any time. Big picture, I might know where I’m heading, but every new bend in the road surprises me. There’s always something new to enjoy and I can choose which roads to follow.
It’s also lonely and time-intensive. When I write, I’m exposed. I can make many small mistakes but some bigger mistakes can lead to catastrophes.
That metaphor works for me. It’s not perfect, but it works. When I think about the sun on my face as the natural scenery races past me, an engine purring beneath me, then the urge to write is almost irresistible.
“Good for you, William!”
Okay, fair enough. You don’t care about my writing process – not really. You only care about how you can write faster, easier and with less stress.
Now, that I can help you with.
In I Wrote This On A Monday, there’s a simple exercise for changing your metaphor for writing. It doesn’t involve choosing a new one – it’s not that flexible – but it does help you find a better one that works for you.
After all, my motorcycle analogy isn’t perfect.
But it’s more than good enough to let me enjoy and feel refreshed after writing thousands, even tens of thousands, of words per day.
If you want an analogy more like that, turn to page 16 of the print edition of the book. For the eBook version, it’s cleverly hidden under a chapter heading about how to change your writing metaphor.
Read the entire thing and then get to work changing your story: