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Category: Fiction Writing/Books

Do writers think they’re as great as their readers do?

In my last post, I talked about how a bit of mindless housework helped me to overcome writer’s block. Later that day, my husband and I went out for lunch and I asked him a question I had been thinking of during the said mindless housework:

Do writers think they’re as great as their readers do?

I had wondered about it because, as I uncrumpled and smoothed out sheet after sheet of newsprint, I noticed that I don’t really feel very connected with any of my stories. I mean, I do feel connected, but not nearly as much as I feel about some of my favourite short stories others have written. I can easily read Lorrie Moore’s Dance in America every month and still love it as much as I did the first time I read it – and that’s just one example. So it made me think – does Lorrie Moore hate Dance in America? Does she lose herself in it the same way I do, reading it? Or does she think, “Now why did I make him say that?” like I think about my own stories? I mean, I’ve never finished a story, sat back and thought, “This is among the greatest things ever written.” I’ve only ever thought, “This is finished now.”

I’m not saying I don’t like my work. I do. I just never like it as much as I like Lorrie Moore’s, or Alice Munro’s, or AS Byatt’s.

My husband’s opinion was that writers probably can’t disconnect themselves from their own work enough to adore what they write the same way their readers do. And, basically, I’m not a freak who writes consistently boring stories. Which, I suppose, was the secondary, underlying question to that.

So, what do you think? Can writers hold their work in the same high regard as their readers? Or, because they created it, are they always examining their work with a critical eye?

May 26, 2010 | 0 comments | View Post

Have writer’s block? Do something completely monotonous!

Yesterday morning I woke up early (finally back to my usual schedule!), made some coffee and sat down to do some work on a couple of short stories. I worked pretty well for a while, until I stopped to make breakfast and chat with my husband. After that, everything kind of went away.

I took a break to help him finally deal with the leftover moving boxes that were waiting to go down to recycling. First, we had to take all the discarded newsprint out of each one, spread it out flat, rinse, repeat. Let me tell you, there was a lot of newsprint. However, it turned out to be great for working out the knots my brain was making. I got to focus on something other than worrying what the buildings in Winnipeg are made of (yes, it’s important), so every 10 minutes something awesome popped into my head and I went promptly to write it down.

I’ve also started taking a walk every day – there’s a good-sized park near my new apartment so I have plenty of new places to see. I’m finding this is also helping me to think of new ideas or ways to improve on my old ones.

It’s not revelatory, I know. But really, it works! Do something monotonous, try not to get a repetitive stress injury at the same time, and I bet your writer’s block will go away.

May 24, 2010 | 1 comment | View Post

Does it matter where we write?

A few weeks ago, I was telling a friend about someone I once worked with. This person brought me to her home office and made a point to show me the space, saying, “I wanted you to see where I work so you feel comfortable calling me and knowing I’m at a desk.”

At the time I didn’t really get why she cared about it so much, and now that I freelance I get it even less. Personally, I never care where my clients or colleagues are when I talk to them, as long as they’re not driving or under a tree during a thunderstorm. What matters is we talk about what we want to talk about clearly and without distraction (I’m not trying to be a gossip or stir the pot here, but the person in question was constantly distracted by one of her persistent children whenever we spoke. To me that was the actual issue, more than where she worked from).

I mean, I’ve shown you where I write (and will show you again once our new apartment is more “lived in” and less “moving in”). When I started freelancing, I made sure to set up a dedicated home office space with a proper desk and chair. And I only used it about 40% of the time. I simply felt more comfortable elsewhere, most of the time. My attitude has always been: if I’m completing good, professional projects for my clients or creating something great in my fiction, it shouldn’t matter if I’m hanging upside down from my couch while I’m doing it.

That said, I’d never let a client see me doing that.

What do you think? Does where you write actually matter? Do you work better in some places than others?

PS I don’t actually hang upside down off my couch. More power to you if you do, but I would spend all day fainting if I did that!

(Image courtesy of stock.xchng user sundstrom)

May 17, 2010 | 0 comments | View Post

Losing my momentum

So. I am writing this on our brand new couch, delivered yesterday, in the living room of our new apartment. From my window I have a wide view of the Toronto skyline, flanked on either side by Lake Ontario and hundreds of green trees.

We’ve been here for nearly two weeks now and our time has been occupied with getting organized – taking delivery of things, unpacking things, assembling things. As far as writing goes, my progress hasn’t been quite so good. My first priority was to get my freelancing work back up and running and I’m still trying to fall back into my normal work routine. So with all that, I haven’t written a single word in any story, old or new, since the end of April.

It’s not like I don’t have material. I did learn from my Europe trip and made sure to write down thoughts during our three-day drive across the country. And I still have some very good comments from one of my “beta readers” to incorporate into my newest story. I just have to sit down and actually write.

Being stranded in Europe and then driving across the country to live in a new city has really made me re-examine my often-examined themes of Home and Place. I’m sorry to say I don’t have anything terribly groundbreaking to say on the matter, but thoughts are kicking around in my head which I’m sure I can harvest for a story or two. Once I actually write!

May 13, 2010 | 2 comments | View Post

Putting your writing in a drawer – it works!

So, you know that saying about writing something, putting it in a drawer, and coming back to it much later to see if you still like it? I don’t know who it’s attributed to, or even how long this mystery person recommended putting away your writing. Nine months? Nine years?

Either way, I’m here to tell you it works. The other day, I unearthed a story I’d written seven years ago and completely forgotten about. I was prepared to pull my face off in embarrassment as I read it, but the shocking thing was – I actually liked it! At that time in my writing life, I didn’t focus too much on traditional story structure or really even a traditional plot arc. I’d come across examples of this earlier, more experimental writing that made me roll my eyes, but this one pleasantly surprised me. If I may toot my own horn a bit, I found it was smart and flowed quite well. Of course, I’m not going to go into details about an unfinished story here, but suffice it to say that it just needs a small bit of polish (I mean, I really like plot and characterization now) and I’ll be happy to send it out into the world!

Success! It’s almost like I didn’t really have to do much of anything to get a completed short story. It’s like a gift from Me of the Past.

Seriously – who said that thing about putting your writing away in a drawer? Part of me thinks it’s someone ridiculous like Plato, but maybe it’s Zadie Smith. Does anyone know?

March 15, 2010 | 1 comment | View Post

Video post: How book covers get designed

Sit back, relax and spend a couple of minutes watching this video of a book cover being designed, courtesy of The Awl and Orbit Books. Oh, and sit far back from your monitor; there’s a lot of wiggling going on.

It’s so rare to see book-related things translated into visual format (yes, I know one can see a book, but that isn’t quite what I mean) and I love videos of words-and-books-related things. Let me know if you come across any good ones!

March 11, 2010 | 0 comments | View Post
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