#44: Four kinds of energies...
This week, I learned that books are written with one of four kinds of energies.
I learned it from Austin Kleon’s post, who learned it from Jane Friedman’s newsletter, who in turn learned it from Bill O’Hanlon’s book, Becoming A Published Therapist. Bill O’ Hanlon wrote:
In my view, there are four main energies you can tap into when you write your book. The main writing energy you discover may be just one or you may find that you have a combination of more than one of these energies that fuels your writing endeavors. The four energies are Blissed, Blessed, Pissed, and Dissed. The first two represent the positive energies; the last two, the “negative.”
The energies are split between “what you love and what upsets you.”
“Blissed” energy comes from what you’re on fire for and can’t stop doing.
“Blessed” means you’ve been gifted something that you feel compelled to share.
“Pissed” means you’re pissed off or angry about something.
“Dissed” means you feel “dissatisfied or disrespected.”
O’Hanlon points out that it takes a good amount of effort to write a book, publish it, and get the word out to readers. He suggests not starting your writing project unless you have enough energy to pull you through the rough bits, the dips, discouraging moments, and the sheer amount of time it takes to see your book through and get it successfully out into the world.
He reckons ideas aren’t enough. The book must have some driving force that turns it from an idea into action. The essayist Annie Dillard has the same view.
“Writing a book is like rearing children - willpower has very little to do with it. If you have a little baby crying in the middle of the night, and if you depend only on willpower to get you out of bed to feed the baby, that baby will starve. You do it out of love. Willpower is a weak idea; love is strong. you don’t have to scourge yourself with a cat’-o’-nine-tales to go to the baby. That is the same way you go to your desk. There is nothing freakish about it. Caring passionately about something isn’t against nature, and it isn’t against human nature. It’s what we’re here to do.” - Annie Dillard, To Fashion a Text
While Tom Peter, the writer of In Search of Excellence, which caused a shift in business practices all over the world, said about his book:
“When I wrote [it]…I wasn’t trying to fire a shot to signal a revolution. But I did have an agenda. My agenda was this: I was genuinely, deeply, sincerely, and passionately pissed off.”
So both positive and negative energies - what you love and what upsets you - can fuel one’s writing.
My first book was written from a combination of pissed and blissed energy. I was pissed at my inner critic for constantly telling me that my work was not good enough. But it was equally driven by my passion for writing.
But my future work will come from “Dissed” and “Pissed” energies. Dissatisfaction in me leads to curiosity to find out if there is a solution and a kind of stubbornness to get it done against all odds.
What energies do you tap into to finish your projects?
It’s your deepest fear: you will never become an author.
Could it be that you’re intimidated by the whole process of writing a book?
You probably are.
Your book is taking too long to write. The editing process will take even longer. Publishing it will be a nightmare. You might as well give up on the whole idea.
Don’t do that. This book can help.
That’s it from me this week.
I would love to hear from you. Please drop me a line in the comments section.
Take care.
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