Writing and Breathing

Yesterday, I was surfing through the threads at Absolute Write when I came across one about stupid things writers say (apparently a thread created in answer to one about stupid things people say to writers). As I was reading something struck me. One member said something about if she hears one more person say 'writing is like breathing' she's going to scream. The reason this struck me: this is something I have found myself saying--in fact, it's part of 'No More Excuses' below.

This got me to thinking: what about that particular statement anyone could find so irritating. It could be because it is an inaccurate analogy. Obviously, writing isn't exactly like breathing. I don't have to think about breathing; it's an unconscious, automatic act. Breathing requires no thought whatsoever, while writing takes a tremendous amount of thought and effort.

So if it isn't correct, why do I say it?

Because, to me, writing is something I do even when I'm not thinking about it. When my mind isn't occupied with other tasks, I'm thinking about writing. I think about writing as I'm falling to sleep at night. (I may even think about writing while I'm sleeping, but I don't remember my dreams anymore.) I edit scenes while I'm in the shower; I revise passages while I'm mowing the lawn. When I'm outside smoking, I run through dialogue aloud--which is something I'm sure my neighbors find a bit crazed. You don't always have to be sitting at your keyboard or with pen in hand scrawling out your manuscript to be moving your story forward.

So, while it is an inaccurate analogy (and when you think about isn't that phrase redundant?), it suits my purposes. Sorry, if that might be a bit irritating.