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"Work will trump talent."- Dorothy Allison
Some days, writing flows out of me like water. I call it being in the flow. Nearly always, I get here because I sit down and write - not because I am inspired to write - but because I am committed to the vocation. Some days it is harder than others, but this week it is easy. In fact, everything is flowing so well, I am drowning in delicious words and possibilities.
What is especially exciting is that I am working on a new book. The one that is nearly written will wait. I know this sounds foolish, but I know in my bones that this book needs to be written first in order to smooth the way for the other book. Even more exciting is the fact that I know I can do this.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Perseverance
"English novelist John Creasey received 763 rejection slips before publishing 564 books. Get over rejection. He did." - Bill O'Hanlon, Write is a Verb
My agent told me that two publishers were interested in my book. Although this is good news, they both wanted me to write a different book than the one that is nearly completed. Not exactly the same as starting from scratch, but not far from it. I agonized for a couple days, wondering what to do. Fortunately both publishers were wonderful. They encouraged me beyond my expectations. I felt mentored and lavished with possibility. In the end I decided where I was headed and who I wanted to work with. I am excited about getting back to work. Right now I am in Albuquerque, taking care of my mother. My mother's perseverance keeps me focused. If she can fight so hard to live, I can certainly write a book.
My agent told me that two publishers were interested in my book. Although this is good news, they both wanted me to write a different book than the one that is nearly completed. Not exactly the same as starting from scratch, but not far from it. I agonized for a couple days, wondering what to do. Fortunately both publishers were wonderful. They encouraged me beyond my expectations. I felt mentored and lavished with possibility. In the end I decided where I was headed and who I wanted to work with. I am excited about getting back to work. Right now I am in Albuquerque, taking care of my mother. My mother's perseverance keeps me focused. If she can fight so hard to live, I can certainly write a book.
Friday, March 12, 2010
Rules for the Dark Days of Writing
Someone gave me a collection of quotes printed on stickers. They are handy to have around as they make great cards when one wants to send a note to a friend. However, one of the stickers I can't bring myself to use. It's a Sylvia Plath quote, "There must be quite a few things a hot bath won't cure, but I don't know many of them." Obviously, she found something...
I am in a writing funk. I'll spare you the confession, because I don't want to go all Julie Powell or Elizabeth Gilbert on you, although I admit I envy their success. However, this leads me to the first rule...
Rule #1: Stay true to yourself, even if it means the only thing you write that day is your grocery list. Moods will pass. Good writing will begin again.
Rule #2: Show up, even if it is in your pajamas. Put your derriere in the chair, and even if you have to stare at a blank page, honor your commitment to writing.
Rule #3: Don't compare yourself to other writers. Someone told me that she blogged plus wrote 2000 words daily, plus she has a job, and a family. I am pretty sure she goes to the gym because you can't have a figure like hers if you sit all day. It looked like she got her nails done too. After hearing that, I was ready to go the Sylvia Plath route (not the bath part), but that seemed really stupid, which leads me to the next rule.
Rule # 4: Killing yourself is a career-ender and incredibly ridiculous. Don't even think about it. Call your therapist or 911 if you do.
Rule #5: When you are in a funk, watch TV or read a junkie novel. It'll make you feel smug and bored. The next day, put your seat in the chair and start again.
Rule # 6: If the writing blues don't go away, call a writing friend, sign-up for a class or workshop, or start a blog.
Rule # 7: To break a bad spell, try writing a six-word memoir http://www.smithmag.net/sixwords/ It's a lovely way to have a finished product in your hand. You can hardly say you didn't accomplish anything if you've written a memoir.
Rule # 8: Never, ever, quit. Breaks are okay.
Rule # 9: Buy a new pen. A new pen is like putting our money where our intention is.
Rule # 10: Avoid reading Sylvia Plath, Virginia Woolf, or Ernest Hemingway. It sends the wrong message to our bones. Besides, they are such good writers that if you are inclined to compare yourself to them, you'll end right back where you started.
I am in a writing funk. I'll spare you the confession, because I don't want to go all Julie Powell or Elizabeth Gilbert on you, although I admit I envy their success. However, this leads me to the first rule...
Rule #1: Stay true to yourself, even if it means the only thing you write that day is your grocery list. Moods will pass. Good writing will begin again.
Rule #2: Show up, even if it is in your pajamas. Put your derriere in the chair, and even if you have to stare at a blank page, honor your commitment to writing.
Rule #3: Don't compare yourself to other writers. Someone told me that she blogged plus wrote 2000 words daily, plus she has a job, and a family. I am pretty sure she goes to the gym because you can't have a figure like hers if you sit all day. It looked like she got her nails done too. After hearing that, I was ready to go the Sylvia Plath route (not the bath part), but that seemed really stupid, which leads me to the next rule.
Rule # 4: Killing yourself is a career-ender and incredibly ridiculous. Don't even think about it. Call your therapist or 911 if you do.
Rule #5: When you are in a funk, watch TV or read a junkie novel. It'll make you feel smug and bored. The next day, put your seat in the chair and start again.
Rule # 6: If the writing blues don't go away, call a writing friend, sign-up for a class or workshop, or start a blog.
Rule # 7: To break a bad spell, try writing a six-word memoir http://www.smithmag.net/sixwords/ It's a lovely way to have a finished product in your hand. You can hardly say you didn't accomplish anything if you've written a memoir.
Rule # 8: Never, ever, quit. Breaks are okay.
Rule # 9: Buy a new pen. A new pen is like putting our money where our intention is.
Rule # 10: Avoid reading Sylvia Plath, Virginia Woolf, or Ernest Hemingway. It sends the wrong message to our bones. Besides, they are such good writers that if you are inclined to compare yourself to them, you'll end right back where you started.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Blogging Truth
The man who writes about himself and his own time is the only man who writes about all people and about all time. - George Bernard Shaw
Sometimes writing doesn't happen or it feels so clinical that it feels like it isn't writing. I knew I was in trouble when I fell behind in my blog. Actually, I realized that the problem is even bigger than that when not only did I fall behind in my blog but my blog felt like the only real writing I was doing. In truth, I was doing other writing, but it wasn't the satisfying kind. It was like needing a massage but settling for a flu shot.
The irony here, is that blogging about writing is becoming my authentic story. It's where the creative process is unleashed that allows the unimaginable to be imagine. Do all writers have a version of this story, wherein the writing is the story in the story?
Sometimes writing doesn't happen or it feels so clinical that it feels like it isn't writing. I knew I was in trouble when I fell behind in my blog. Actually, I realized that the problem is even bigger than that when not only did I fall behind in my blog but my blog felt like the only real writing I was doing. In truth, I was doing other writing, but it wasn't the satisfying kind. It was like needing a massage but settling for a flu shot.
The irony here, is that blogging about writing is becoming my authentic story. It's where the creative process is unleashed that allows the unimaginable to be imagine. Do all writers have a version of this story, wherein the writing is the story in the story?
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