Comments on: Welcome to the Nuthouse

By: cindy

cindy — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 23:54:43 +0000

i used to be the most emotionally stable
person until i decided to pursue a writing
career–now i’m a neurotic mess.

i am going to make a HAPPY WRITER PILL.
it will be pastel colored. and taste good.

By: Kelly McCullough

Kelly McCullough — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 13:58:13 +0000

You and I are remarkably close to the same point in our careers, so I can’t say anything in terms of what happens next, but I’m afraid it’s probably a steady state thing. At every stage so far it’s absolutely been a case of same game, bigger stakes and when I talk to my mentors they tell me that part never really changes.

The crazy things is more, I think, tied to individual temperament than the writing. In my case it’s been pretty calm, but I’m generally a calm sort and writing makes me happy.

So here’s my theory. If a person wigged out about their writing when they were getting started at putting things on the page, or when they first sent things out, or at whatever point, they’ll probably wig out about it at the mirrored points later in their career as well. If they weren’t a wig out type in the early stages they probably won’t be a wig out type as they move further along the writing road.

By: Bran Fan

Bran Fan — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 20:36:31 +0000

Beta readers blogging about my work that they are critiquing for me. That sounds like hell.

By: Gustavo

Gustavo — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 19:01:58 +0000

Argh!

I’m a little further behind on the journey (OK, a lot, but who’s counting), and I was hoping the nuttiness would go away.

Another dream dashed by harsh reality.

By: sylvia_rachel

sylvia_rachel — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 18:30:58 +0000

Well, I’m still in the very early stages, and still very much nuts. Based on my ethnographic observations of other writers through their LiveJournal posts, however, I’d have to say that the being nuts does not seem to go away. People I regard as total gurus of all writerly stuff routinely astonish me by angsting about, well, a lot of the same kind of stuff I angst about.

My favourite summary of this is Patricia Bray’s: “Sanity. It’s for people who aren’t writers.” (And, yes, she said I could quote that ;^).)

By: Alma Alexander

Alma Alexander — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 15:44:03 +0000

“So to all of my fellow writers, particularly those who are farther along in this journey, do we ever stop being nuts?”

No.

At first you start the nuts of “can I do this? Can I finish this? Can I sell this? Will this get published?”

And then you graduate to the nuts of “How is it selling?”

And then you graduate to the nuts of “Will I ever do it again?”

And then you start something new and you slide right back to the original nuts, and off we go again.

So, in one short word,the answer is no. THis comes with the territory…

By: Steve

Steve — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 13:46:54 +0000

I was never fond of pixie sticks. Either we’re all gluttons for punishment or we really really like writing.

By: Adam Heine

Adam Heine — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 13:35:59 +0000

Yes, I understand. Writing the next story is the only way I’ve found to emulate sanity, but every time I get a new rejection, or a new comment on the finished novel or a short story, the demon monkeys come and pull me back in their cage.