“On difficult writing days, I like to consider writing as much a physical act as a cerebral one, a manual labor versus an art. This doesn’t mean that I
devalue the craft, or that I believe typing is synonymous with writing. Instead, I recognize that half the challenge, for me anyway, involves sitting still in a chair for long stretches at a time and moving my fingers across a keyboard. When I’m stuck, I often believe the blank page can sense my desperation; the harder I try, the more the blinking cursor resolves to blink, unmoved. In these moments, I challenge myself to care less, intentionally so. I dare myself to write anything, write badly, write the worst sentences I can muster. Once I’ve set the bar really low—and I’ve written something like ‘She wanted one thing: a Snickers bar’—I realize the only place to go is up. The pressure to write dissipates.”
—Sarah Domet, author of The Guineveres (Flatiron Books, 2016)
Photo credit: Sarah Domet