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My Desire To Write Versus The Media Of Writing
a day ago
I have three images I'm finished, or nearly finished, that I feel would benefit from short stories to give them some extra context. It would also be a good time to practice writing so I can finally get into properly putting down the stories that have been infecting my mind for over a decade.
I have a decent portion of the writing down, have proofread a decent amount of it, and feel like one is almost publishable.
But as I'm getting to work on these pieces, I get a bit of a mental block. I think about all the effort I put into writing; for me it's not as natural as the visual art, so it takes me a lot more time and energy to even get out a rough paragraph.
I worry that it's a bit pointless. And I am aware of the Two Cakes idea when it comes to content. I'm aware that my digital art falls into that very same category. From the way I see it, writing has a much larger academic hurdle than visual art does. Grammar and structure can't be cheated on as easily as proportions and composition. And while I can read and write in an academic manner, doing so creatively isn't natural to me.
Going even further, I think about the redundancy of it. If I wrote a fantasy narrative, what would it contribute to anything other than themes and tropes that have been echoed time and time over? Would it even matter? Is it worth my time to create something that has been done already?
Those images I have that have stories attached to them take so long to publish because I freeze up on these worries.
I have a decent portion of the writing down, have proofread a decent amount of it, and feel like one is almost publishable.
But as I'm getting to work on these pieces, I get a bit of a mental block. I think about all the effort I put into writing; for me it's not as natural as the visual art, so it takes me a lot more time and energy to even get out a rough paragraph.
I worry that it's a bit pointless. And I am aware of the Two Cakes idea when it comes to content. I'm aware that my digital art falls into that very same category. From the way I see it, writing has a much larger academic hurdle than visual art does. Grammar and structure can't be cheated on as easily as proportions and composition. And while I can read and write in an academic manner, doing so creatively isn't natural to me.
Going even further, I think about the redundancy of it. If I wrote a fantasy narrative, what would it contribute to anything other than themes and tropes that have been echoed time and time over? Would it even matter? Is it worth my time to create something that has been done already?
Those images I have that have stories attached to them take so long to publish because I freeze up on these worries.
There are times where I need to get the stories and set out of my body with a passion. And sometimes that I hate myself for ever having done the thing.
Plus, and this goes for writing in general and not just in association with visual art, there's always someone new. Someone who hasn't read every prior work ever made, and so to them the idea of elves being treehuggers and dwarves being mountainfolk is novel and fascinating, even if it's the most trope-y and rote thing imaginable.
Besides, novelty by itself has limited value, if you fill a page with random words you've likely created something unique, but it's all gibberish. Meanwhile, you can write a page worth of generic fantasy and still have it be a banger if it's got solid prose and pacing.
For example, with my Ivalician story, all the member of the hunting clan will be alienated from a biological or legal family for varying reasons. It's a bit overdone, but as a person that's only had solace in found families, it's something I feel is important.