The Wolf is in one quadrant of these two dimensions: Rare on how often you write, Inspired on when. Every writer sits somewhere on both measures, and these categorize you into this house.
Long stretches of nothing, then you get inspired and suddenly have five chapters in your hands. Your peaks are larger than almost anyone else’s, and they arrive on no schedule you control. The writing you do in your sessions is inspired and makes you proud, but you find it hard to just sit down and write when the moment isn't there.
Strengths
- Peak output in single sessions most other houses never touch
- No routine to protect, so nothing to lose when life gets in the way
- Uninterrupted flow-state once you get going
Drawbacks
- The build-up to the moment you write can look, from the outside, like nothing happening
- After a while you can forget about your project and need to re-read before you can get started again
- You have no reliable way to summon the inspiration to get started
Famous writers in the House of Wolf
By studying these writers habits and patterns we've determined their writer house. Their story could serve as inspiration for you, and the way they took on the habit of writing can inform you to improve on your own habit.
Jack Kerouac. Typed the first draft of On the Road onto a 120-foot taped-together scroll over roughly three weeks in April 1951, fueled by years of notebooks. Beat Museum
Georges Simenon. Before starting a novel he cleared eleven days on the calendar and had a doctor check his blood pressure. Eight days for the draft, three for corrections, four dozen sharpened pencils on the desk. The Paris Review
Fyodor Dostoevsky. Dictated The Gambler in 26 days, 4 to 29 October 1866, up to eleven hours a day, to beat a contract that would otherwise have cost him nine years of publishing rights. Wikipedia, Anna Dostoevskaya
If this is you
One thing to try: You cannot schedule the session, but you can shorten the preparation phase. Keep a running note of fragments, questions, bits of dialogue in the days that you don't write. So that you keep living in your project and when inspiration hits you, you have a springboard to start from.
Watch for: The periods of drought are the real risk: projects go cold, and cold projects need re-reading and reminding. Try checking in on your progress and your latest writing and notes during the week, even if you don't intend to write anything, that's what can keep the next burst of inspiration from being spent on catching up or starting from scratch.
Relevant Authorlytica metrics
- Monthly totals and personal records: Streaks aren't the tool for you. But achievements, monthly metrics, and personal records are where you shine, and what can fuel your pride as an author.
- Mood per session: If you're a natural wolf but you try to force yourself to sit down and write, keep track of your mood and see in what moments you actually feel great about the writing. What's the pattern there. Perhaps that insight can inform your writing habit.