The Eccentric Writer

Photo credit: Kelly Sikkema Greetings, wanderers. As mentioned in my last post, I am suffering from an overwhelming and ongoing case of perfectionism. Its symptoms are writing slumps, irritability, and severe self-doubt. However, through years of dealing with perfectionism, I have discovered a few ways to ease those symptoms. And while the cure still evades me (although I suspect it may be a thorny plant of some kind), these methods ease the symptoms to the extent that I once wrote a short story beginning to end in one sitting. Here I will impart five scraps of knowledge to you in hopes that they may perhaps aid you on your journey to becoming an eccentric writer. 1. Write late at night. The practice of midnight writing is one that every writer should follow. There's something about being tired that takes away the voice in your head telling you that your writing isn't good enough. I have written more freely in the moments before I fall asleep than I ever do at any other time of...

I am an eccentric writer. To be an eccentric writer is to shut oneself inside a dark closet and write using only a flashlight to see. To be an eccentric writer is to write while wearing a necktie paired with a T-shirt. To be an eccentric writer is to write in front of a mirror so one can congratulate oneself when one has a brilliant idea. To be an eccentric writer is to admire the dead flowers and insects on one's bookshelf. To be an eccentric writer is to scribble down whatever comes into one's head, even if it has absolutely nothing to do with what one had intended to write. To be an eccentric writer is to tell strangers what wonderful names they have. To be an eccentric writer is to fall in love with every passerby for the shoes they wear, the way they walk, or even some indescribable quality of the look in their eyes. To be an eccentric writer is to write down one's thoughts and feelings at midnight and remember nothing of what one wrote the next day. To be an eccentric...