How To Be a Writer
Toronto, ON
photo by: Eileen Wennekers

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From the Sisyphian enthusiasm of Eileen Wennekers:

Introduction

Writing is really hard. Everyone writes differently. Everyone needs different atmospheric conditions present to make this profoundly weird activity possible. Figuring out what those are and making them a part of your day is as much a part of being a writer as actually writing is. Once you know what your space requires, guard this jealously. Tell your loved ones why you have to do the things you do. And then do them, unrepentantly. Don’t let Writing become an ominous thunderhead lurking on the horizon of your brain-screen. If you do, it will never rain and you will walk around with a continual, tremendous barometric-pressure headache.

The page staring at you is terrifying because it is where you are going to put what you think so it has to be perfect, right? It’s like going on a first date every time. You want to be exquisitely prepared, elegant, charming, loquacious but not insufferable, captivating but approachable, both a hunter and desirable, diamond-perfect but gloriously human.

Oh, fuck it. I’m going to go make a sandwich.

Really, being a writer is about inhabiting all of … Read More »