Tuesday 21 August 2007

Narrowing the field - quality, not quantity?

At one time I used to be up for anything in my writing. I'm now getting much more specific. I can't believe that when I first started, I entered every competition going. I was a full time teacher, a Head of Department to boot, was just about as productive as I ma now. However, two things now occurs to me:
  1. I'd just rather not spend time on writing I don't want to do. There are some other things I'd rather do than writing that doesn't interest me.
  2. There's a feeling that the essential writing I ought to be doing is watered down by other stuff.

And should I really still be watching episodes of Neighbours? Oh, go on, why not?

Sure, I can dash off another language learning book, and it might be a bit of bread and butter work, but is it getting in the way of developing the craft in the areas I really want to get into?

3 comments:

AnneR said...

Hi Gill - I guess it depends whether you need the bread and butter! Yes, dreary writing does seem to sap the creativity, but if you need the money to live on (as I do), there's not a lot of choice. I, too, am trying to be a bit more fussy now, having taken a very lucrative but very mind-numbing big project that lasted a whole year and only finished this summer. But it's all a question of balance - we might both have a wonderfully inspiring autumn/winter and then be desperately poor in the spring!

Gill James said...

Going back this one again - I'd rather write "dreary" than work in a factory, but I'd rather teach that write extremely "dreary". I guess I have it made, teaching Creative Writing at university, becasue I get to earn money by talking to people who are interested in writing about writing.
Except that, in working for an employer one has certian obligations which can interfere with writing time and writing energy.
Swings and roundabouts, I guess.

ashley james said...

Yes I think watching neighbors is questionable! ;-)