Acedia: What we must overcome?

I recently read a new definition of 'acedia' (uh-see-dee-uh) which I had never heard before. Ok, to be perfectly honest I'd never even heard of the word before, but it intrigues me.

According to Susan Page ("The Shortest Distance Between You and a Published Book: 20 Steps to Success", 1997, pg. 218. Which is an earlier version of "How to Get Published and Make a Lot of Money", I think.), "Acedia is the inner process you must go through in order to undertake a creative endeavor that you not only want to do but actually long to do. Such a creative task is often a huge undertaking."

I had previously attributed my inertia to procrastination (a complete other topic I will 'someday' get around to [grin]), but Susan Page writes, "Procrastination is resistance to doing a task. Acedia is the opposite: a slow, laborious giving-in to the task, a letting go of resistance, an embracing of the challenge of creativity." (pg. 219) Now that I like. I like the picture of a 'slow, laborious giving-in'. Like sinking down into a very, very hot bath. You gotta work your way into it. First the toes, then the ankle and so on, until your body is finally acclimated enough to sink up to your neck. Once you're in, it feels fantastic, but before that, it's a slow, sometimes uncomfortable process.

Just like writing, or any creative process, really. I think I've nearly nailed my query letter, but now what? Back to edits? Or, yuk, compiling a synopsis? [shudder] I'm feeling a bout of 'acedia' coming on...

I like the idea of those sluggish moments being attributed to something other than procrastination. Something that actually ends up 'aiding' the creative process. It's true, as we push through, muddle through, or, uh, write-a-blog-instead-of-edit through, we finally do arrive at the taking off point. Our inertia is reversed and we jolt into the slipstream, words pour fourth, creativity rises and away we go!

Incidentally, if you look up 'acedia' most of the definitions tie back to one of the seven deadly sins. Hmmm, sounds more like procrastination to me.

What about you? Do you ever suffer from 'acedia'? If so, what do you do while you're going through it?

- Riss

First Time Lucky

I've never blogged before. It's a strange concept to send a piece of writing, a journal entry, something that means something to me, but not necessarily to you, out into the wide open space of The Internet.

But here I go...

I'm a romance writer. Uh-uh! Before you ask, nope, I'm not published - YET. But I intend to be. I'm actually right now (well not right now as I'm blogging right now) looking into the whole realm of agents. It's exciting. There are so many agents out there who want to have a squiz at my book. That is, if I can write an interesting enough query letter. I'm trying to nail it, hoo boy, am I trying.

I think I might finally be getting somewhere, but while I wait for my dear friend and fellow writer to get back to me on my 'query letter so far', I thought I'd finally bite the bullet and enter the strange world of blogging.

So, now I've done it.

I'd love to hear about other people's First Time. (At blogging of course!)

Drop me a line.