Writing Your Own Character
Funny how titles are easier when you're not thinking about making someone click.
Recently I’ve started my children on a writing schedule.
33 minutes a day.
No talking, no chatting, no walking for snacks… just an old fashioned alarm, pencil and notebook.
They could write about anything on their mind.
My son found the idea of writing a story about his sister farting absolutely hilarious and it made her so upset she decided to… write a revenge story about him farting.
Not really what I had in mind but it was fairly entertaining watching them discuss how to write a creative story about who made worse farts.
So after two weeks of watching them in this new routine, sometimes arguing over what can write about what, sometimes it’s who gets to sit where… other times we’ve just sat in absolute silence for 30 minutes, here’s some things that I’ve come to notice and appreciate about blocked out time to write.
And I know it’s ironic considering it’s been awhile since I last posted but Black Friday has been pretty crazy and I’ve been drowning in client work but that’s my excuses for another time.
Anyway, on to my lesson, young padawan. Well, to be fair this might not be universally applicable but if it makes you think about your creative process… then that’s more than enough for me.
Everyone has creative blocks.
I used to think, wow, I wish I wrote more when I was younger. I was so full of ideas then! Now… life has made me more cynical. Less optimistic. That’s why I write like a boring old fartface now. Watching my 8 and 9 year old do this however showed me that wasn’t it. Some days when they sat down to write, they blaze through page after page. Getting 3-4 pages down in 33 minutes proudly showing me how much they’ve done.
There were days too when they struggled to write even one page. While I’m not certain which ONE factor caused this difference, I am quite certain age isn’t it. A younger, more creative mind is probably better at staying awake and squeezing for focus over a longer period of time but with age comes wisdom, experience and the capability to do more with less.
Having competition is important.
There’s the idea that I need to be the only one. Unique, unlike anyone else. In order to succeed. But having competition can actually be the reason you achieve success.
Look at Pepsi and Coca-cola. BMW and Mercedes. Wendy’s vs McDonald’s and Burger King. They have a long history of rivalry that pushed them to approach their marketing differently. Like the fart story. In a race to see who could write a better “You farted” story… they both didn’t even need my guidance or encouragement they sat down for 33 minutes and asked for more time! What do you do with competition? Does it turn you into a bitter, self-hating crone? Or do you use it to spur you onwards. To try something new?
Writing is a muscle.
Well writing ISN’T muscle but rather your brain is… and the more you train it, the better you get. Between my two children, my son is the lazy one. He’d do just enough to get by. If the teacher told him he needed to write 2 sentences as homework… he’d write 2 minimally viable sentences. He’d still be right but if you go into higher education writing “I ate an apple” as a sentence… you’re going to be in trouble.
And for a long while I struggled to get him to understand the importance of learning to write longer sentences. Not just for his academics but to expand his mind, his thoughts and to help him express himself. Trust me, telling your child to… write a longer sentence isn’t as intuitive as you imagine. However, when I pushed him and his sister to share a 33 minute daily writing schedule… without telling him WHAT to write, he’s been writing longer and longer sentences. While there’s a lot to improve on his vocabulary and grammar, that’s a battle I’m saving for another day.
I’ve felt this way for a long while now.
Why do we do what we do? Why do we chase what we chase? In a sea of “writing tips”, are we actually helping people express themselves better?
Expand their creative muscles and learn more about themselves? Or are we feeding into their delusions that “everyone can make money writing online, all you need is…”.?
There’s already an ocean of content on the internet that you could never finish consuming in two lifetimes even if that was all you did everyday. So instead of encouraging someone else to “create content”, maybe it’s better to encourage someone else to create art.
I’m not sure what my children will learn about themselves and what will change for them with a 33 minute daily writing schedule. But I’m hoping it teaches them something about habits and creativity, and if it spurns a love for writing… I’ll consider it a happy coincidence.