I often hear writers talking about their creative lives. We both love and hate this ceaseless obsession. It can be one of the most pleasurable parts of our existence. The chance to create worlds and characters with no more than a flicker of imagination is a journey few people experience. And having an outlet to express your dark, whimsical, or insane side is a gift ... but it can also be a curse.
So much pressure surrounds the lives of writers. There are the ever-looming doubts that swirl around in our minds. The fear and likelihood of rejection. The pressure to live up to some (spoken or unspoken) expectation. Not to mention the fact that we see other writers who seem to have their crap together while we're out scraping around for our last few morsels of sanity. It hardly feels fair at times.
So, why is it writers struggle? Why do we end up suffering over our desire to create? It causes so many to give up on something they love to do, and that's just wrong. I've seen it time and time again. They get beaten down and lose their passion.
Elizabeth Gilbert is the author of Eat. Pray. Love. Here she gives a speech about writing, inspiration, and actually enjoying the process without suffering the fear of failing. It's a little long, so watch it when you have time to sit and really digest what she's saying. It's very eye-opening. Enjoy!
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