We hold beliefs that affect our writing, whether we are conscious of these beliefs or not. Years ago I started a list of my writing beliefs so I could become more aware of how they help or hinder my work.
Some of my beliefs are smart, others are pure neurosis, and from time to time I revisit my list because I’ve noticed how my beliefs change. Here is just some of what I believe about writing:
- Talking about writing is not writing.
- When my life is difficult or depressing, I think: it’s all material.
- Don’t get stuck in an idea when another one is trying to happen.
- Writing well isn’t easy; otherwise, everyone would do it.
- I will always be learning to write.
- Sometimes the workshop group wants you to write your stories their way.
- Get rid of a sentence that gives you a hard time. You didn’t need it anyway.
- I have often proved my inner critic wrong.
- My ex will think everything I write is about him.
- Creation is painful. Revision is a blast.
- The only time I feel like doing housework is when I have a writing deadline.
- Reading work out loud is a good way to detect errors, tangles, and crap.
- My standards are higher than my abilities allow me to reach.
- My best writing happens when I’m not thinking about it.
- I am cautious about sharing my work in draft. It’s fragile then, and so am I.
- There is always a nugget of truth in every criticism.
- Time slows down painfully when you wait for someone to read your work.
- All the good sentences might already be taken.
- I am kinder to other writers than I am to myself.
- The hardest thing about writing is believing you can make it whole.
- Laughing out loud while writing is good, even if it’s not during the funny parts.
- Typos magically appear a nanosecond after you send off the piece.
- I’m a better writer than I used to be.
- Writer-friends. Necessary.
What beliefs do you hold about writing? Do they help you? Or hinder you? Share your thoughts in the comment section.
Host Jose Miranda and Haydee Ayala keep the discussion lively every Saturday from noon to 1:00 PM on Yo Soy Latino, 810 WEUS AM, a magazine-format call-in talk show covering politics, the arts, food, fashion, and more.
This week Jose introduced the Scribbler’s Corner with Darlyn Finch. Featuring news and chat of interest to writers, this new segment will be heard on the show the second Saturday of every month. Great news for local writers! Thank you to Jose and Darlyn for creating a space where local writers to be heard.
For the kickoff, Darlyn invited me to join in the conversation, and it was a lot of fun, and we were particularly pleased that some of you called in! But if you missed it, you can listen to the show here. Scribbler’s Corner starts about 20 minutes in.
Annie Proulx
was well into her 50′s by the time she published her first novel — and became the first woman to win the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction. Subsequently, she has published much more, won scads of awards, and had her work adapted into award-winning movies.
“Spend some time living before you start writing. What I find to be very bad advice is the snappy little sentence, “Write what you know.” It is the most tiresome and stupid advice that could possibly be given. If we write simply about what we know we never grow. We don't develop any facility for languages, or an interest in others, or a desire to travel and explore and face experience head-on. We just coil tighter and tighter into our boring little selves. What one should write about is what interests one.” –Annie Proulx in The Atlantic, November 1997
via MAD’s Monday Muse | Experience, Learn & Grow.
Every day my email box fills with ads asking me to buy something to change my life. ShamWow promises to wash, dry, and polish all my surfaces. Other ads promise to make me rich, more lovable, and a best-selling author. I can have it all– quickly and easily!
These offers play into our basic longings, but they do so in a cynical way. Beneath the wow, there’s always a whole bunch of sham. I don’t believe magic-pill advertising; I don’t like it; and I don’t do it.
I have hundreds of names on my mailing list, and every week new people sign up. You’d be amazed at the number. Often subscribers write to me, and while they may not sign up for a workshop or hire me for a writing project, they tell me they enjoy getting my newsletter, because it makes them feel connected to the writing community. I’m happy to hear that.
We are blessed in Central Florida with a vibrant, diverse, and supportive writing community, but not everyone has tapped into its energy. All of us can use a boost from time to time as we work alone and our spirits flag. So I’ve decided to use this space in my newsletter to foster community and provide encouragement. [read on…]
Last time I downsized and moved, my son and I gave away lots of our precious books (to the Winter Park Library's bookstore). I tell you, it was a painful operation for both of us. And I, as Laura Miller says in the New York Times , am not "very rational about" my book collection. She says:
"Dr. Johnson once said of second marriages that they represent the
triumph of hope over experience. So, too, do my bookshelves. I have
turned out to be less rational about this than I thought, and have made
my library into a charm against mortality. As long as I have a few
unread books beckoning to me from across the room, I tell myself I can
always find a little more time."
Mary Ann de Stefano
