MADD: A Writing Disorder That Stifles Your Creativity

MADD: A Writing Disorder That Stifles Your Creativity

Reader Comments (39)

  1. My muse gets mean and cranky when I don’t get her out to walk.

    Teaching a creativity course helped me adhere to the rules you have outlined…and made me take a day off to play each week.

    Since my career started as something I loved to do, it is often hard to separate the blog job and the blog hobby.

    However, she is a mean, lean, idea machine!

  2. Producing quality content on a consistent basis is no easy task. I agree with Jon, everyone could benefit from incorporating more breaks into his or her writing time. The longer I work the less productive I become. Sometimes you need to step away to gain a fresh perspective.

  3. Nothing changes. You vow to take care of your muse, but you can’t concentrate on it long enough to see any effect.

    In severe cases, writers have reported that it irks them, but they forget 30 seconds later. So it’s not so bad . 🙂

  4. LOL, great stuff, Jon. Although when I first read the symptoms, I thought you were talking about your average pot smoker.

    Seriously, though, it’s no joke that throughout the ages, good writers have always talked about being conduits or vessels for writing, as though it were coming through them from someplace else–their muse.

  5. Great comments about taking care of our muse.

    However, MADD will always mean only one thing to me —

    Mothers Against Drunk Driving

    — a worthy, life-saving organization whose name deserves to not be usurped.

  6. I agree with GG, getting off the computer and onto the treadmill helps free up my mind, and my muse. If I don’t move my body my mind starts to wander and my muse leaves the room… probably to get some exercise! (LOL)

  7. My muse is currently asleep in the corner of the room, drunk out of her mind. Or should that be my mind?

    Whatever the case, thank you for the passing mention, and your sage, sound advice.

    I doff my hat to you, sir!

  8. I am one of those who suffered from difficulties to focus when writing but not after reading the free e-book, Time Management for Creative People.

    The tools and guide in it is so helpful to me. Of course, some productivity blogs like Zen Habits, Life Hack and Hacker helped me out as well.

    Although I am still not 100% on every work of mine, at least I will not clicking around in my iTunes when I am producing a blog post.

  9. Great, great post! As I’ve just ended my own on productivity this really struck a chord – especially the part about taking a break. That’s soooo critical to keeping your muse happy and productive. As you say, blogging is a creative endeavor and like other creative endeavors – you cannot force and obsess about creating. You have to let the ideas unfold and reveal themselves when the time is right – even if your ambition for great blog rankings keep nudging at you to try harder. Thanks again for the inspiration and for being my muse tonight 🙂

  10. My muse ran away with my girlfriend.

    It’s all good though, don’t feel sorry for me, I have genius characteristics without that bastard. And now I get to focus – since the two people who kept blabbing in my ears are long gone.

    Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious article Jon, thanks for sharing. :o)

  11. to my mind this is amongst the best posts at copyblogger.. and considering the general high quality of the stuff here this would rate amongst the best posts on any blog..

    was good and helpful read.. thanks…

  12. Love your blog posts. Always informative and inspirational. Just what the doctor ordered for us bloggers. Thanks for helping us to feed our muse and keep (her or him) inspired!

  13. Some lose their muse; but, of writers’ ailments, we prefer it over the alternative.

    Many ‘bloggers’ do not restrain their muse: it runs wild, saturating the blogosphere with stale, content-barren, time-wasting sludge.

    Those ‘bloggers’ are our muse. And they are never in short supply.

    We pray for the day we lose our muse.

  14. Wonderful article. And your right about feeding the muse, I have been subscribed to you for almost a year now and yours is the top on my list of feeds I read daily!

    Thanks for all the inspiration!

  15. Anne and Sean: Yes, I should be flogged for using the Mothers against Drunk Driving acronym. I didn’t even realize it until you brought it up. Still…

    Lord Likely: *bows low at the waist, flourishing his cloak behind him*

    Everyone else: Thanks to you guys, my muse perks up every time I mention writing for Copyblogger. It’s always nice to find an audience that enjoys your work. Thanks for the support!

  16. 6. Revise – no, really – if, several days after posting, you find that your words are less inspired or clear than you thought – for heaven’s sake, CHANGE them. The joy of the Web is never having to settle for so-so.

    7. DO write offline – and DO print and edit in hardcopy. An MIT Media Lab study found that people make 40 percent more proofreading errors onscreen than on paper. Twenty-five years of writing onscreen have only reinforced this truth: you will ALWAYS write better when you do a draft off-screen.

  17. 9. On the other hand, you shouldn’t spoil your muse by taking all its “choose another topic” or “talk to me later” for granted. Otherwise you may lose its respect. So, be the master of your muse.

  18. Your Muse-infused insight in right on spot!

    Managing the muse is definitely the name of the game in keeping content fresh, vibrant, and enticing.

    Thanks for your sharing

  19. I find quite the opposite. The more I keep calling the Muse, the more she keeps running. Maybe it’s fear, but it’s like she’s anxious that my every word be perfect.

    And she hasn’t flopped me yet. Sure, sometimes the odd spelling mistake or gamma meltdown crops up, but then booze-swindling roach traps don’t always steal the honey either. Besides, cranberries are usually a good substitute.

    Right?

    ~Graham

  20. This made me laugh. Thanks. Much enjoyed your perspective. I’ve found more than a few trails to nowhere across blogland. I’ve also found much that is excellent, informative, visual, and fun. Blogging is a great invention.

  21. Wonderful article. And your right about feeding the muse, I have been subscribed to you for almost a year now and yours is the top on my list of feeds I read daily!

    Thanks for all the inspiration!

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