Why Am I a Slow Writer?

Guest Post by Dr. Chris Hill

Inspiration 

I have an acquaintance who pumped out twelve top tier journal articles last year! She wrote 4 books by the time she was 30 while having two kids and running a boutique consultancy!

I am sure you have heard a version of this story before. Such people seem to be more than human, productive to a fault. Often, we chalk this type of productivity up to uncommon genius, superior intellect, and talent.  

In the past, I would get down on myself about these kinds of feats. A familiar refrain would begin to reverberate through my head: You’re just not as smart as them. I would dwell on my regrets and poor life choices. Meanwhile, a blank Word document would glow empty in front of me.  

If any of this sounds familiar, then I hope you will find this series of articles on academic writing useful.  

The series begins here by looking broadly at the writer’s life and explores how our physical and psychological well-being impacts upon our practice. I explode some myths surrounding writing productivity and set the stage for exploring a variety of factors that impact ourselves as writers, and our writing practice. Later articles focus on the specific habits, routines and practices that can enhance writing productivity. 

The writer Peter De Vries once famously quipped: I only write when I’m inspired, so I see to it that I’m inspired every morning at nine o’clock. It sounds like a quote about discipline and the rigour of regular practice, but seen another way, what De Vries is really talking about is inspiration.  

The trouble with inspiration is that it’s more than just sticking to a routine. Instead, it’s a feeling. We feel inspired.  

You have felt inspired. You can remember an occasion when the writing just clicked. You were focused. You found boundless energy for your ideas and their expression. Perhaps, you achieved what Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi describes as a “flow state”, a feeling you were in the zone and time seemed to go by without you realising it. 

So how does a fast writer find their muse and get into an inspired flow state every morning at 9am? 

 If you think back to those memories, you were likely in one of two situations; a highly stressful situation (usually a deadline) in which you overcame adversity and produced the desired result. Or you were just having a good day, and everything seemed to click. 

In both the above situations, your physical and mental wellbeing were the source of your inspiration.  

We have all heard stories of the writer who keeps irregular hours, relies on copious amounts of coffee and a looming deadline in order to pump out their work. Such stories obscure the key features of what makes most people prodigious. Because it is difficult to sustain your output and to be consistently inspired at 9am every morning if you rely too heavily on any of the above strategies.  

Here, De Vries’ quote is instructive. For most of us, life is already full of enough dramas, problems, and challenges without adding writing to that list. It follows then that one key aspect to being a consistently fast and productive writer is that you avoid the emotional drama of late submission, overloading on coffee or working irregular hours—being inspired every morning at 9am makes all the difference. 

 A writer then is more than just a person scrolling on the page or tapping on a keyboard. They are more than just their practice. How you sleep, eat and exercise defines your body. Your family, finances, culture, and experiences all shape who you are and influence your emotions, thoughts, and perceptions of writing. 

If you try to compartmentalise your body and mind from your writing practice, then you should not be surprised that inspiration is a fleeting muse. So, begin by acknowledging that your physical state of being along with your personality and thoughts have an important role in inspiration. Inspiration involves daily reflection on your thoughts and emotions, and work on your body.