Should You Force Yourself to Write?: Striking the Right Balance Between Inspiration and Perspiration

There's a great article by author and web designer Jeffrey Zeldman that's been making the rounds among creative web people in the last couple of days. Called "Write When Inspired", it presents some really well-thought-out ideas about the role of inspiration in design. In a nutshell, Zeldman says that design should never be forced and that a designer will produce mediocre work if he or she rushes to finish by a deadline. He gives some great advice:

If you want to be great, or at least to be better, start by breathing, taking breaks, and working intensely when the mood is on.

I got to thinking of how his advice applies to poetry. Most poets, particularly those who don't make their living from poetry, maintain a very Romantic ideology; they only write when they're visited by some literal or figurative muse. There's certainly nothing wrong with this notion, but there are definitely other approaches.

Back in April I was at a workshop led by poet Sonia Sanchez. She said one thing that really stuck with me, mainly because it's pretty controversial. In response to a question about inspiration, she insisted that poets should write as often as possible. She complained about students who come to her saying that they can only write when they're in love, out of love, at leisure, busy, emotionally compelled, etc., etc. For Sanchez, waiting for a muse is something a poet can do only at his or her peril. Write first, edit later. And often the art is in the editing.

Sanchez's position was intentionally over-the-top. But the point is clear: creative minds simply can't make it without some kind of discipline. Perhaps the situation is different for web designers, but for poets it's much better to have piles and piles of unedited garbage than a small kernel of refined, inspired verse. As poets, discipline can give us the one thing we all desperately need: material. A regimen isn't always the enemy. Sometimes a daily writing regimen can be a poet's saving grace.

However, Zeldman's point still stands: creativity needs a spark. But he doesn't seem to believe that the spark is everything, either. He recognizes that a certain amount of discipline is necessary to be successful in a creative field. The important thing is not to get carried away by the Romantic sensibility. Poetry, as with all creative pursuits, relies on inspiration, on aha moments, but if we wait for the eureka we can miss the more subtle genius that exists in grinding it out, day after day.

A balance has to be struck between discipline and inspiration for a creative venture to be successful. The nature of that balance depends, above all, on the individual artist at work. Sanchez and Zeldman both found processes that work for them, though they lean in opposite directions. What does your process look like? Could your creative life use a little more inspiration? a little more discipline?

As a poet, it's good every once and a while to evaluate your process. This week, thanks to Sanchez and Zeldman, I'll be looking to improve the way I work, and I hope you will too.