The Writing Life

Art and the Self

Friday, January 13th, 2012 | Random Thoughts, The Writer's Path, The Writing Life | No Comments

I was fortunate enough to see an exhibit on Rembrandt, and one of the most fascinating pieces for me was the self-portrait of an older Rembrandt. Painted after his work had gone out of style, after his clients had left for new fads and other kinds of art, Rembrandt was still painting for himself. I suppose all artists ultimately create for themselves. When we sit down to write, or paint, or sculpt, in the end, we work alone in a room with no one standing by to love it or to hate it. At least at first, we work alone, for ourselves alone. Only later do editors, critics, readers, and art dealers come in to tell us if what we’ve done is good or not. Basically, whether or not they like it.

But in the beginning, in its purest form, the only critic we need is our own vision, our own eye. Without that, we have nothing. As we work to make our art for the consumption of others, we must remember that our art has to be for us, too.

Rembrandt had no idea that his work would last, that four hundred years later, I would stand in front of it,  inspired by it. He sat alone in a room with his canvas and a mirror, and painted his own face, for himself. And it is one of the best works he ever did. I wonder if he knew that, too, even as he did it. Perhaps the best work we do, the purest art, is the art we make for ourselves.

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Retreats and the Fourth Draft

Wednesday, November 23rd, 2011 | Random Thoughts, The Writing Life, Writer Retreats | 2 Comments

Sometimes in the midst of a major re-write, it can be a real blessing to step away from life as I know it and go on a writer’s retreat. Of course, the opportunity for this is pretty rare. Often writing has to happen in tandem with the rest of life, and that is how it should be. But sometimes, every once in a blue moon, a major revision ( or opportunity to make the book better) comes alongside the opportunity to go away for a long weekend and do nothing but write. I was fortunate enough for that to happen for me this week, and I give thanks to the Muse and all the writing gods. Sometimes a plan comes together, and it is a beautiful thing. Now, if I can just make the book even better with draft five…

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Writing as a Blessing

Monday, November 7th, 2011 | Random Thoughts, The Writing Life | 2 Comments

Every time I sit down at my computer to begin the next phase of my novel, I realize how blessed I am.  When I begin my work, my characters show up to tell me their stories, to open the door into their world so that I can step into it with them, and hopefully bring my readers with me.

It is a privilege to do this work, and a joy to watch as a new world unfolds before me. I feel almost as Michelangelo did when he said that the sculpture exists already beneath the marble, and he was the one to free it. I am no Michelangelo, but I think every creative person knows a shadow of what he means. The work as it is meant to be born lurks in the darkness just beyond our reach, whether a piece of sculpture, a painting, or a novel. As a novelist, as I begin to give myself over to the work and to the story the characters want told, the novel begins to unfold before me almost like magic.

I do not mean to say that it is easy and effortless and that birds are always singing and that rainbows light my path. Sometimes it is dark where I’m walking…sometimes the Cave is a lonely place. But always, no matter how long it takes to bring a novel into the Light, the book and the journey to create it is a blessing.

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Bad Reviews and the First Time Author

Wednesday, October 26th, 2011 | The Writing Life | 15 Comments

“It is better to do your own duty badly than to perfectly do another’s.”

The Bhagavad Gita

Bad reviews are the tough part of being published. Not that there aren’t other things that are difficult once your first book comes into the world, but reviews from people who hate your work can be devastating, especially for first time authors. Please know that everybody, and I mean everybody, gets them.

No matter how hard we work to write a good story, to hone our craft, to develop our characters and our story arcs, even the most careful, meticulous work will not please everyone. Even when most of the people who read our work understand and enjoy it, even when most are moved as well as entertained, there will always be people who do not speak our language, who are not a part of our tribe, who simply will not like our books. Sometimes the voice of the author bothers a reader, or the author’s style. Sometimes a reader does not like the protagonist. As hard as it is to read those reviews, those people are entitled to their opinions and to their voices, just as we are. Hard to accept when they hate what we do, but accepting the reality of bad reviews and differing opinions is a necessary part of being a professional author.

Those are the people who read a book and genuinely, honestly, and openly do not like it.

Then there are the destroyers.

There are some people in the world who live to tear things down. They don’t seem to have much interest in what they attack, or whom. They do it for sport, because they like the taste of blood, because they can. I don’t pay much attention to these people anymore.  It’s easier for me now simply not to read these reviews, but when I began this work, they were very tough to take.

In this world of opposites, destroyers have their place. But remember always that you also have yours. Every writer, every artist, must face those who would tear down their work simply because it is there. Creators have always gone on creating in the midst of destruction. I think that will be the true harbinger of the end of the world: when creative people lay down their pens, and allow themselves to be silenced.

Do not be silenced. Keep writing. The world needs your stories. No one else can speak with your voice. No one can tell your stories but you.

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Climbing the Mountain

Friday, October 14th, 2011 | Editors, The Writing Life | 4 Comments

I know I have spent the last weeks obsessing over first drafts. Their joys and difficulties, the work that goes into them, the satisfaction that they bring. Today, on a completely different subject, I would like to muse on the moment when you send a semi final draft to your editor.

Turning your work over to another is always daunting. No matter how many times you have gone over it, no matter how well you have crafted it, you always know that it needs to be fixed. No manuscript is perfect, no matter how hard you work to make it as perfect as you can. And the day you send your baby off to your editor is the day you have to face that reality in spades.

Of course, it is exciting, too. The thought of the book you have worked so hard on going into the hands of the woman who will read it, who will later pass it back to you with queries, clarifications, questions, and suggestions. Sending a manuscript to the editor is the next big step in making the book better, the next step in bringing the book into the light, where others can read it.

It is a wonderful moment, standing on a plateau, looking down the mountain at the distance you have already climbed in the process of creation, the path you took to write and revise the book in its present form. The day will come when you get your notes back from your editor, and begin revising. That is the next step on the mountain, on the path you climb to bring a book into the world. But the day you send your manuscript to your editor is a wonderful time to stop and remind yourself of all you’ve accomplished. It is hard to remember sometimes, when there are so many deadlines, so many other projects, and work that needs doing.

But I try to stop and savor the moment. Standing still, looking back at what I’ve already done is a wonderful thing. A time to catch my breath before I begin the climb again.

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