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Posted by: Tessa Gratton (
![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} everflame) Posted at: May 2nd, 2008 05:46 pm (UTC)
I love this, thanks! |
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I would add that just because a novel (or story, or poem) is of your soul doesn't mean it comes out perfect. But we don't come out perfect, either. It takes years of mistakes, experiences, laughter, tears, anger, love and suffering to get anything near an interesting soul. Why should we expect the Books of Our Souls to be any different?
And the best thing is, when you make a mistake with a novel, you can fix it! And nobody but you and maybe your crit partners ever have to know about it. If only our lives worked the same way! ;)
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Posted by: Queen of Sharp Pointies (
wandereringray) Posted at: May 2nd, 2008 05:57 pm (UTC)
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That is an awesome poem. I'm printing that out and putting it on my office wall.
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Posted by: johnlevitt (
johnlevitt) Posted at: May 2nd, 2008 07:57 pm (UTC)
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I mostly agree, but with a couple of qualifications. If you're writing a series, even standalones, it takes a lot of faith to start on book two before you sell book one. Because of course, if book one never sells, book two will never even be submitted. Although if you're talking about flogging the same book for years, that's a different matter.
And as to Bukowski, the idea of writer as artist following a passion is only one avenue. I think of myself more as a craftsman -- I get tremendous satisfaction out of finishing a book and making it as good as I can, but I can't really say I've poured my soul into it. I'm just a storyteller, and I hope a good one, and I enjoy what I do.
But I'm not compelled to write and my writing never ties me up in knots. (Well, sometimes it does, but that's just a matter of occasionally being unable to write dialogue that rings true, or a paragraph without a clumsy sentence) A literary writer especially may be feel the necessity to exorcise their inner demons, and in some famous cases have to be cajoled into even letting anyone see what they've written. Me, I'm just having fun and entertaining people. Not that there's anything wrong with that.
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Posted by: angely78 (
angely78) Posted at: May 3rd, 2008 01:44 am (UTC)
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Fabulous post. And I thought long and hard about this. 10-12 years ago I had stories coming out my ears, couldn't put them down fast enough. A YA novel, a mystery, a romance. One of those three actually got finished. Right now with this urban fantasy eating up my head, already planning a freaking sequel and possibly a third, do I know if they'll ever see the light of day? No. Does it matter? A little bit. Will it stop me? Nuh uh. Hasn't yet. :-)
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Posted by: ((Anonymous))
Posted at: May 3rd, 2008 11:38 pm (UTC)
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Ah, jeez, that poor writer who can't let go. Yeah, I've known a few. Sometimes they can be convinced to let it go and work on a new book, but they usually go back to the first one anyway.
There are just too many great stories waiting to be told. I can't imagine sitting on one and beating it like a dead horse for years. That's just insane. I have a first novel that's too crappy to go anywhere, but I love it because it taught me so much about writing. That doesn't mean I have to share it with anyone. That would be cruel... to the reader.
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Posted by: lankywriter (
lankywriter) Posted at: May 3rd, 2008 11:42 pm (UTC)
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uh, that was me up there. Live Journal forgot who I was. 8^(
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Posted by: jordansummers1 (
jordansummers1) Posted at: May 4th, 2008 10:12 pm (UTC)
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Lilith, This is a really great entry, but please try to limit the links that take the reader off site. Thanks, Jordan, who's putting her mod hat away...
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Posted by: cearabrede (
cearabrede) Posted at: May 6th, 2008 06:09 pm (UTC)
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This I definitely agree with all the way... I had the opposite problem; I'd write 'em, but had a genuine fear of revision. I never dreamt of submitting my first novel (or second or third) anywhere because of this. I'm just finishing draft one of the fourth and have conquered my revision fear thanks to short stories and an attack plan, so I hope to submit four. And regardless, ... let's do it again. I think your subject line should be taped to every newbie writer's monitor. :) It's a reminder not you have to finish before you can do another one, for one thing, and then that you do have to do another one. :D
fangs_fur_fey is hosting its very own mini-conference. Join us at Conestoga in July for paranormal fun, panels, and author speed dating! Special fangs_fur_fey guest is literary agent Rachel Vater.
current location: Pain Alley
current mood: pensive
current song: Portishead
Note: My Friday writing post this week, since my head is throbbing and my entire body feels like it's been beaten with lead hammers, is a repost from a Midnight Hour post I did last June. For a number of reasons--not least the fact that I'm talking with a fan lately about "first books" and how he shouldn't stop writing even if he's got a manuscript to flog, I think it's germane. Here it is, in all its slightly edited glory. Enjoy.
Angela James wrote a wonderful little Romancing the Blog post about the one-manuscript author. We all know them. James's description is right on the money.
Of all the things I see writers doing to shoot themselves in the foot, this is the one that makes me flinch the hardest. I even have a sort-of-rule about it: thy first book shall not ever sell, for even if it doth not stink your pimpage of it reeketh most hardily.
The first time one finishes a novel is quite deservedly an ecstatic occasion. You have, after all, done something most people never do. Whether the book is any good or not, you have spent a lot of time and work living with the characters, poured a lot of your energy into its confines. Like any life-defining moment when you achieve a major goal, it is noteworthy and should be celebrated.
But for the love of God, don't stop.
Finishing one book does not make you a writer, I am sad to say. (And don't throw Harper Lee at me here, she might have finished others. We don't know.) Writing makes you a writer. It is an active process, not a finished product, however awesomely Of Your Soul the finished product is.
Finishing a book is great. But the person who flogs only one manuscript is functioning in the same trap as the person who never finishes a piece, is always working on "something new" and always ditching it when problems arise. It's a mechanism for avoiding the very real scariness inherent in the process of writing.
Writing is terrifying. There's the hard work aspect--typing sixty to a hundred thousand words in order to finish a novel is no small order. Drafts of short stories, once revisions are taken into account, can easily be that much. A poet can churn out multiple poems before she finds a decent one. Then there's the inherent risk of exposure--thinking that your characters can be mistaken for you, and therefore people can judge you through them. There's the emotional nakedness of working with characters whose heads you take up residence in. Then there's the sting of rejection from agents, publishers, or reviewers. No, my chickadees, this is not for the weak.
Hence avoidance raises its ugly head. Sure I'll write another book--as soon as this one sells!
No. A thousand times, no. You must not write for the paycheck, or the reviewers. You do write for your readers to some extent, because clearly communicating is what we're doing here, in order to share human experience.
But first and foremost you must write for yourself. Bukowski said it best:
You have got to write because you feel some satisfaction in the process, because the act itself fulfills something in you. Flogging one manuscript around to get validation isn't what makes you a writer. Falling into the trap of thinking that you will "write something else once this book sells" is merely avoidance bred by fear (understandable, in light of how bloody scary writing is) or the less-attractive behavior of a poseur (most often accompanied by the ever-famous "I WROTE something! But you won't UNDERSTAND it because I am an ARTIST! I can't REVISE it! It's the work of my SOUL!" But that's a different blog post.)
So you finished one book. That's great. It's wonderful. I cannot say too much how wonderful it is. Go out, get drunk, get laid, celebrate with the substance/friends/food/party of your choice.
Then get over your hangover the next morning and go back to the goddamn keyboard or pen. Sit down, and write something else. Get back to work. Do it as soon as you can, don't give yourself a reason to put it off. To paraphrase the Buddha: before finishing novel, write and revise. After finishing novel, write more and revise.
It sure beats hell out of chopping wood and carrying water, even if it is just as hard. The blisters you get might be on the mind or the soul. But that's okay.
It's what minds and souls are there for. Go do it, and do it, and do it again.
There is no other way.
I'll be at Cover to Cover Books this Saturday from 5-7PM for the monthly Writer's Mixer, talking about continuity and character development in a series. If, you know, you're in the area and want to beat me up. *grin*