Creative Tension: How It Affects Your Writing Momentum

I was sitting with a good friend, a fellow writer, and we talked about her latest story-in-progress. I knew she felt itchy about it. I could see the signs of restlessness and insecurity about how it was going with this story. And I could almost predict her next question.

“Can I show you a little? Just so you can tell me if what I’m trying makes sense to someone else?”

We know each other well. Well enough that I know not to automatically say yes, agree to reading some of her draft, because I don’t really know what she wants at this early stage. Early-stage drafts are extremely vulnerable to even the slightest critique, even if you’re an experienced writer.

It would be hard for me to say anything but, “Sure, keep going,” which might have been just right for her. I’ve done this before, and I don’t even have to read the draft to know this—she’s always on track with her ideas.

But there was something in the restless way she couldn’t meet my eyes, and I suspected it was all about creative tension.

Creative tension

When we begin a new story or piece of writing, there’s a gradual building of creative tension that keeps us excited and engaged. I liken it to a balloon slowly being filled with air. As it inflates, it lifts.

The piece gets worked on, dreamed about, struggled with. More air fills the balloon. The piece expands and grows, gets bigger and bigger, starts to lift off because of this creative tension sustaining it.

If you keep building it, the accumulated creative tension will provide enough momentum to finish the piece. This may be one reason many professional writers are super careful about talking specifics about their current project. They don’t want to lose that momentum. They want to stay in the dream, keep thinking about the piece, working on it in their minds when they’re not writing, gain energy to get back to it after any break.

As a teacher, I learned how dangerous it was to break the creative tension a writer is building. Even a tiny amount of critical feedback, as I said above, can get someone totally stuck.

Questions

One way to engage but not break the creative tension is to ask questions. So I asked my friend about where she felt stuck, why she wanted to have other eyes on the story at this point, what she thought was missing. Mostly, I wanted to help her keep going.

But I could tell she wasn’t satisfied when we said goodbye.

She ended up taking the draft to her writer’s group. Who gave her plenty of feedback. So much so, she stopped working on the story altogether. This isn’t unusual. My friend is well published. She knows better than to give in to the restlessness to ask for critical feedback when a piece of writing is still gestating.

I would say one of the biggest dangers to derailing a writing practice is this restlessness, this need for early reassurance. Can you hear the Pffsstttt of all that gathered creative energy escaping into the atmosphere? Can you imagine how hard she’ll have to work to get it back?

I can. I’ve been there soooo often myself. Witnessed it even more often with friends and colleagues.

Sometimes I think that finishing a book or writing project depends mostly on that build-up of creative tension. It’s a kind of fuel that lets you keep writing.

Another view

Another working writer always felt ashamed of his lack of progress when we reviewed goals each January. He had lots of good reasons for not writing: Not enough time. Not enough energy for a real writing life. No space in the house to write. Printer or laptop or both are acting up. Kids are having an awful month in school. Work is crazy too.

All real. He’s not making anything up.

Then I chatted with other writers who juggled the same crazy life challenges. But they managed to write anyway. What’s the difference?

I used to think that the difference between those who got writing done and those who rarely did was some kind of inborn discipline. Something a bit magical inside. Now I know it’s the ability to build and hold this creative tension.

How to find your optimum creative pressure

It’s all about finding your point of optimum creative pressure. How do you do this? By tracking two things: when you begin to get restless, bored, or distracted as you’re writing and when you get the urge to show your writing to someone for feedback.

Both are totally natural parts of writing practice, but so often we let them rule us instead of using them as clues.

Your job is to find the ideal amount of pressure you need to sustain to keep you creating. Each of us it very different.

I find myself able to write for a few hours before I start to feel ancy. I know this about my writing practice now, so I plan to stop my writing session just before that happens. Why? Because it keeps the optimum pressure. I’ll leave the writing with an intense desire to get back to it. If I write too long, I start to lose my enthusiasm and energy. The pressure declines.

I also keep track of when I have the urge to get feedback—and why. What was I working on just as I felt that urge? Usually it’s a risky idea I’m trying. Or I feel I’m repeating myself (often because I’ve worked too long and started to mess with the beautiful creative tension I’ve built).

Not too much, not too little.

You know about pressure. Everyone feels it these days. Lots coming from outside us, much from inside too. This is the good kind, the creative stuff that keeps you going. It’s so worthwhile, to spend time this week figuring out your optimum and how to maintain it.

Your Weekly Writing Exercise

This exercise is one I practice over time, but you can start this week. it has two parts; you can do one or both. Each will help you build the creative tension muscle.

Exercise 1: Noticing

Begin to track and make note of whenever you get restless when you’re writing. Do you last an hour before you start to get bored and start to drift to other things? Or do you have a word count that is your optimum for a writing session?

When that occurs, begin stopping just before you reach it. Like if you’re following the #1000words plan, stop when you’re at around 950 words for that writing session. Or if you do well with about two hours, set your phone alarm to stop you ten minutes before the second hour is up.

Exercise 2: Needing reassurance

We all need reassurance, but it’s a great habit to learn when this need surfaces and why. For me, it’s usually when I am taking a risk and I get uncomfortable.

Begin to notice whenever you have the nudge to share your writing with anyone—your spouse or partner, your kids, your mom or dad, your colleague, your writing friends or group. Take a minute and ask yourself why, specifically, you crave feedback at that moment. Most of us secretly want others to love what we’re attempting. Nothing wrong with that—but often the urge is poorly timed.

Begin to notice these aspects of your creative life and work with them more consciously. Knowing your tendencies can help you keep the creative tension building so you can stay the course.