Sitzfleisch is a German word that means the power to endure or to persevere in an activity: stamina.
The word sitz means buttocks and the idea is that your bum sticks to the chair for the duration of the task in hand. It can be applied to all tasks but when applied to writing it refers to the business of writing through those periods when imagination seems to have dried up rather than putting your work down until you feel inspired.
I've experienced the need to stick to the chair on many occasions, for example, as a deadline approaches or when writing time is limited.
When inspiration has dried up I write lists, I revisit characters at different times of the day on in different places, I change names or find an ending and write backwards.
What other things can be done to trigger an imaginative response when you want to stay in your chair and finish a writing task?
Do you think carrying out this idea of sticking to your chair while you write through a dry patch leads to inferior work?
What other words, from any language, do you think need more appreciation and use?
The word sitz means buttocks and the idea is that your bum sticks to the chair for the duration of the task in hand. It can be applied to all tasks but when applied to writing it refers to the business of writing through those periods when imagination seems to have dried up rather than putting your work down until you feel inspired.
I've experienced the need to stick to the chair on many occasions, for example, as a deadline approaches or when writing time is limited.
When inspiration has dried up I write lists, I revisit characters at different times of the day on in different places, I change names or find an ending and write backwards.
What other things can be done to trigger an imaginative response when you want to stay in your chair and finish a writing task?
Do you think carrying out this idea of sticking to your chair while you write through a dry patch leads to inferior work?
What other words, from any language, do you think need more appreciation and use?
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