Hate writing?

Yup! Then again if I don't write I don't eat-what a ya gonna do kid?

I don't know what to tell you, maybe because writing is one of the few things in life that hasn't and doesn't make me miserable.

I love writing, but I'm totally curious about why it makes you miserable.

I've always enjoyed it. I find the act of sitting down and getting started very hard, but once I've written a sentence or two, it's mostly joyful.

Some might consider it a case of splitting hairs, but there is a difference between writing fiction and non-fiction (perhaps neurophysiologists may one day indicate an actual neurological difference?). It might even have a relationship with the left-brain vs. right-brain view on knowledge acquisition, personality and performance.

Does the physical act of writing make me miserable? No, I am sure it is not the physical act. But certainly, my mental and physiological state affect it. Not to mention the topic with which I am involved, and my level of interest. And, of course, the nearness of the deadline, and how much I have done and yet to do within the available time. But getting down to the physical act of writing sometimes takes longer than it should for the above reasons. In this regard, I generally find it necessary to have a break between the intensity of the research and interviewing, and the next intense phase, being the writing.

ATP said:

Some might consider it a case of splitting hairs, but there is a difference between writing fiction and non-fiction (perhaps neurophysiologists may one day indicate an actual neurological difference?).

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I'm not sure I agree. I'm currently working on non-fiction as well as fiction projects, and the statement I made holds true for both. Of course, everyone has different experiences within and outside of both.

KitKat said:

I'm not sure I agree. I'm currently working on non-fiction as well as fiction projects, and the statement I made holds true for both. Of course, everyone has different experiences within and outside of both.

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In the physical act of writing per se, be it fiction or non-fiction, I agree --there's no difference.

But, given the differences in the nature of the requirements of fiction and non-fiction, I would hazard a guess that to some degree, these differences are also indicated in different areas of the brain. I haven't done any study or research on this, but I think that given what is known already, it might be a plausible hypothesis. The/an answer may be already available in the academic literature.

Writing is not a profession but a vocation of unhappiness.
- Georges Simenon

Celia Cyanide said:

You're probably a lot better at it than I am.

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Actually, that's a very interesting statement. Do you think our level of happiness or unhappiness in writing may be very dependent on how good we think we are at the time?

That would mean that if we're feeling confident, even if we may be writing crap, we'd feel really good about it. On the other hand, we may be producing gems, but if we're feeling we lack talent, we might just bin it.

Any thoughts?

KitKat said:

Do you think our level of happiness or unhappiness in writing may be very dependent on how good we think we are at the time?

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I think you've exactly nailed it. That certainly applies to me.