I decided I don’t read quite enough to review a huge stack of books each week, so every other Friday I’m going to take my cue from Glenn Wolsey and post one of my photos.
To use this photo as a desktop wallpaper, download the standard (1600 x 1200) resolution or the widescreen (1900 x 1200) resolution.
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Posted: August 31st, 2007 under Photography, Photos.
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Three is a magical number in many cultures and many situations. The trinity, third time is the charm, bad things (and good things) come in threes. For me, three is that cursed place where my brain freezes, my fingers frost to the keyboard, and ice nests in the pit of my stomach.
Chapter 3 is when I realize I’m writing a novel. You’d think it would have been obvious before that. After all, I do a lot of detailed character and plot work before I sit down to write. The file I’m working on is called “Draft,” and it’s saved in the “Novels” folder on my hard drive. But for some reason, it doesn’t really hit me until Chapter 3: someone might actually read this someday.
Suddenly, I’m looking at this naked, newborn story with narrowed, critical eyes. Why would anyone want to read this crap? It’s just a first draft, protests the feeble writer within. But it’s pretty sad for that, even, the critic accuses. I summon the spirit of Natalie Goldberg to help me: “You are free to write the worst junk in the world.” Good thing, says the critic.
I’ve never finished a novel - and I’ve started several - because I’ve always listened to the critic. Sometimes I can get past Chapter 3, but not by much. I’ve never arrived at the point where I could confidently say “I’m half done with this draft, and if I could do that, then I can do this.”
I think this novel will be different. For one thing, this set of characters is just screaming to get out. All the characters of all the novels I’ve tried to write before come back when I’m dreaming a new story. They’re ghosts with unquiet graves, hidden away on a backup disk or in the bottom of a filing cabinet. They’re going to haunt me until I write them out.
But more importantly, I’ve grown up a bit since I last tried to write a novel. I now realize that I’m not writing because I want to be rich and famous. I’m not writing for love or to impress people. I’m writing because I love it. I’m happiest when I’m wrestling with a plot problem or imagining the background of a character. So, I’ll get past Chapter 3 this time. I’ll finish this novel, because I’m having a great time with it. It may never be published; it may end its days in a drawer somewhere. But at least I’ll know: If I did it once, I can do it again.
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Posted: August 30th, 2007 under Writing.
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Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within by Natalie Goldberg is a beloved classic of writing.
I love Writing Down the Bones not as much for the wisdom it imparts, but for the way it consistently rekindles my enthusiasm when I feel the writing part of me gasping for air. It’s my secret weapon, something I use when even the ideas I mentioned in 10 Tips to Hold on to the Enthusiasm don’t work. Like many life-giving drugs, the effects of Bones are diluted when overused. I go a whole year, sometimes, between readings. When I’ve almost forgotten the details, I crack it open and all the joy of writing comes pouring out. I can only read a chapter, or at most two, before my hair stands on end, I seize a notebook, and I write.
Writing Down the Bones is my favorite writing book not because it teaches me how to write - there are many books that do this more specifically - but because it makes me want to write. It may be immodest to say so, but I think my biggest challenge with writing is overcoming inertia, not a lack of talent. I say this partly because I don’t believe that talent is something inborn. Rather, talent is created through observation and practice. So in that sense, Bones teaches me how to write by encouraging me to learn through practice.
Many other writing books seem to emphasize the great difficulties of being a writer. I’ve often wondered if some of these books are trying to thin the herd of aspiring writers rather than lead them to the waterhole. Natalie never denies that writing is difficult, but I feel strengthened by the simplicity of her message - just write. Writing may be a difficult task, but that doesn’t mean I can’t do it.
Not only do the lessons in Bones - write, write, and write some more - inspire me, I’ve also learned from Natalie’s style. When my writing is at its best it is reminiscent of Natalie Goldberg’s - filled to the brim with images and simple in way that revels authenticity.
Other books by Natalie Goldberg that I have read and enjoyed:
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Posted: August 29th, 2007 under Reviews, Writing.
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What would you say if I claimed to have found a way to increase my writing productivity ten-fold? You’d probably think I was trying to sell something. Well, I’m not really. I’ve just had my writing really take off lately and I’m hoping this tip will help someone else.
Write on a computer that’s not connected to the Internet.
Too simple? Of course, that’s why it works. My epiphany came when I installed Ubuntu on my fiance’s old computer and then couldn’t get the network connection to work. I was annoyed at first; we’d wanted another working computer partly because we’re always begging each other for the computer that contains the crack that is the Internet.
But then I decided I might as well input my preliminary notes for the story idea I’d just had using the non-Internet laptop. And when I was done with the notes, I kept writing. I don’t know how long it was. I just knew that every time I got that itch to check my email, or my blog reader, or a forum - I couldn’t. And it wasn’t that big a deal to refocus and keep writing. I’ve been doing most of my writing on the laptop since.
What this really means, of course, is that I identified my single biggest distraction and eliminated it. Your distraction might not be the Internet. Maybe you can’t listen to music with lyrics, but instrumental music is fine. Maybe you have kids pestering you and need to go somewhere - the library maybe - where no one will tug on your sleeve every five minutes. Maybe you need a separate art or craft room where you can shut the door on your distractions for a few hours.
Take a few minutes to consider what holds you back when you want to create and try to think of some ways to regain your focus by eliminating distractions.
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Posted: August 28th, 2007 under Creativity, Writing.
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I want to expand on my post 10 Tips to Hold on to the Enthusiasm by addressing perfectionism and the procrastination it creates.
One of my chronic problems with producing creative works is starting at all, because I fear that the finished novel, necklace, or collage won’t be any good. I often tell myself that I need to have things just so - the right notebook, an organized workroom, or just a little more knowledge before I begin. Because the conditions for creativity are never perfect, I sometimes talk myself out of beginning.
Letting go of my perfectionist tendencies has taken me years since I first identified the problem. Here are some of the ways I’ve learned to avoid that feeling of dread when I think about starting a new project.
These tips were inspired by 7 Ways to Grow the Action Habit from Pick the Brain.
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Posted: August 27th, 2007 under Creativity, Writing.
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