The latest issue of Poets & Writers has an article called “Six New Novelists: On What It Takes to Write and Publish a Debut.” Each novelist was asked if he or she had any advice for emerging writers, but their advice could be applied to any creative pursuit, whether it’s a novel or a new business. Here’s what they said:
Nicola Keegan: Never give up. I actually had people who love me give me the “you are no longer a spring chicken” speech. [Keegan is 44.] I can only imagine what writers are hearing now, in this world, at this time. Don’t listen. Writing is good. Doing something good is good. Never. Give. Up.
Reif Larsen: In my travels I’ve talked to so many people who have a novel in their back pocket, and they’ll talk about it and talk about it. There are a lot of really great writers out there, but what separates the real writers from the rest is finding the time to do it. Life is so complicated and so many things come up – give yourself permission to set up a sacred space and say to yourself, “My arm has to be falling off in order to interrupt this,” which takes a certain amount of courage and craziness….Have some self-belief that it will be worth it in the long run and keep on trucking.
Ru Freeman: To discover what might actually be a story, you simply have to begin to write. If it takes you to a place that interests you, then you are in luck. If it gets to a point and then won’t tell you what happens next, put it aside. Begin again.
Joshua Mohr: …it’s really important to let yourself make mistakes on the page. Don’t worry about being clean in your early drafts. Don’t think too much. Just write.
Ali Sethi: Finishing a book is easy. It’s starting a book that ought to be difficult. Always ask yourself: Why am I writing this story? What do I want people to consider, understand, accept?
Joanna Smith Rakoff: You must make your book the absolute center of your life. Doesn’t matter if you have kids, aging parents, a demanding job. The novel has to take precedence.
So,
- In the brainstorming stage, ask yourself – why this project?
- After you’ve got the idea, jump in feet first.
- It’s okay to stumble. (Boldness and vision requires it, don’t you think?)
- Be persistent and focused.
- Remember: Doing something good is good. (My favorite.)
What would you add to the list?
P.S. Thursday’s post sparked an interesting conversation, so check out the comments!
Monday, June 29, 2009
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7 comments:
This comes to mind: In Stephen King's semi-autobiography, On Writing, he stresses that actually writing regularly is the key for him. In other words, get up every morning at the same time and force yourself to sit down and write from 8am to noon or whatever. Every single day. Get into the routine and form the habit. Sometimes you'll be motivated, sometimes not - but if you do it consistently, eventually you'll come up with *something*.
- Deb
I really like what Joanna Smith Rakoff says. You have to prioritize. No excuses.
not listening to your inner critic as well as non believers outside of yourself. NEVER GIVE UP!
-kath
The Stephen King comment above totally resonates with me. The best poetry I ever wrote on a consistent basis was when I was forced to for class! I cursed every minute of the drudgery, complaining about the creative flow being stymied, but it WORKED!
Yes, yes, yes, yes! I was doing well with getting up and writing five days a week... and then "life" took over and I haven't been able to get back into it. Structure and persistence are key. The 30-day trial worked to kick start it last time, so maybe I need to do that again.
I'm trying to read a variety of debut novels this summer, from a range of different writers. I don't even know if I have a novel of my own to write, but I like the idea of reading a lot of "beginnings" when I'm still at the start line. (Or actually, I'm probably still dragging my feet up to the starting line, but you get the idea!)
I think what I'm struggling with most at the moment is just trusting myself. I had hoped a year into the MFA this would be easier, but silencing that inner critic and not letting those mistakes on the page consume me is... god, impossible sometimes.
Margosita - I hear you on the trusting yourself part. I've got a couple good book ideas (i.e. books I'm capable of writing that might actually have a market), yet I find myself losing steam because I think - really? Someone is really going to want to read this? Doubt out of no where. But the truth is, I won't know the answer until the damn thing is written. It seems to be about picking the project I have the most juice for, getting started, then sticking with it.
Again, you've given me more ideas for blog posts, so thank you!
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