{"id":10910,"date":"2018-05-02T17:30:23","date_gmt":"2018-05-02T16:30:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.city-academy.com\/news\/?p=10910"},"modified":"2019-04-17T15:24:23","modified_gmt":"2019-04-17T14:24:23","slug":"jon-on-writing-seize-the-inner-perfectionist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.city-academy.com\/news\/jon-on-writing-seize-the-inner-perfectionist\/","title":{"rendered":"Jon on Writing: Seize the Inner Perfectionist"},"content":{"rendered":"

Head of Writing Jon Barton discusses procrastination, perfectionism and high expectations. So if you have been pondering on that novel for a while now, it\u2019s time to pick up a pen and start writing! Read on to discover how...<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

Question. What do we think about when we think about writing? If I asked you to imagine the perfect conditions, what might you say? <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

I ask students this question on our <\/span>Creative Writing Beginners<\/span><\/a> course. Sure enough, a shared idea starts to emerge that casts the writer as a tortured genius. But is there any truth to it? <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Go with me on this. To talk about getting stuck is to put this clich\u00e9 to bed. After all, by definition, a clich\u00e9 must have some truth to it. Let\u2019s assume that you, like many writers, require certain conditions. Ernest Hemingway burned the midnight oil, Dylan Thomas hit the bottle, Hunter S. Thompson\u2026 well, you get the idea.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

The point is all writers have a process. Stephen King shuts the door. Roald Dahl worked in a shed at the end of the garden. Irvine Welsh writes to music. \u00a0Sounds like writers giving themselves what they need, doesn\u2019t it? No torture involved! So why does the clich\u00e9 endure? <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

The reason is simple. It\u2019s more interesting. Picture The Artist: alone in a room, cut off from the world, crafting each word. \u2018Not for ambition\u2026 or the strut and trade of charms\u2019 as <\/span>Dylan Thomas<\/span><\/a> eloquently put it. We seek conflict in the Greats like the Heroes in a novel. A classic Rags to Riches tale. If the clich\u00e9 is true we\u2019d never write well without turmoil. And we can never hope to meet expectations.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Pencils down. Shut the book. We\u2019ll never be that good so why try at all.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

You\u2019re still here. Which means you\u2019re not giving up that easily. Good news is the hard part\u2019s over. Now consider expectation a moment\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Walk into any bookshop in London. What do you see? Shelves full of books? Costa winners and Man Bookers and Bestsellers? Tomes of every creed? Take one. Any book. Hold it in your hand. This is what we compare ourselves to. It\u2019s in our nature \u2013 we all want to do well. Yet the book you hold was crafted; drafted; proofed; redrafted; edited; and proofed again. That work is ready. The difference between you and that author is actually very simple \u2013 that author <\/span>wrote<\/span><\/i>. And they <\/span>kept<\/span><\/i> writing. And when they felt ready they <\/span>shared<\/span><\/i> it. And now they\u2019re sharing it with you. There\u2019s no secret. It\u2019s a process of discovery.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

To start writing we must give ourselves what we need. To learn to do so is to write. One cannot exist without the other. But do yourself a solid. Put expectation to bed. Forget what enabled others, focus on what enables <\/span>you<\/span><\/i>. So ask yourself: what do you need to write well? <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

I\u2019m up with the lark. Cup of coffee to hand, a tidy desk if I can help it. It could be a scene from a script or a thousand words of something longer. I work for about five hours \u2013 six on a good day. I can\u2019t write in the afternoon. I can\u2019t write to music (get you, Irvine) or on public transport - I\u2019m jealous of writers that can. I can\u2019t afford a shed. I\u2019m a Londoner. But so what? It\u2019s none of my business. If I compared myself to others I\u2019d never write anything.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Give yourself what you need. Think about your process. You might be a night owl or even be a nighthawk, holed up in a bar until last orders or the Wi-Fi runs out. You may need a window, a closed door, a mood board, an Alexa or a Siri to dictate to. Whatever it is: it\u2019s all to play for. Find the time and the space to write. There\u2019s nothing more exciting than that.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Start. That\u2019s my best advice. Find time and space, and simply begin. See what happens. It\u2019s all to play for. Surely there\u2019s nothing more exciting than that?<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

\n

\"\"Jon Barton heads up our Writing department<\/a>. Want to find out more from Jon? Take one of his Creative Writing courses<\/a>!<\/p>\n

City Academy runs writing classes<\/a> across London. Whether you are just starting out or have written novels, scripts or blogs before, we have courses across all levels.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tWRITING COURSES »\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Head of Writing Jon Barton discusses procrastination, perfectionism and high expectations. So if you have been pondering on that novel…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":10921,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[130,118],"tags":[774,12,1386,772,1387,773,1385],"yoast_head":"\nJon on Writing: Seize the Inner Perfectionist - City Academy<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Writing tutor Jon Barton discusses being a perfectionist and high expectations when it comes to starting that novel. 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