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Thursday, April 06, 2006
Keeping on track...
Like most people, I love quotations--ones that inspire or make me smile or touch my heart. I write them down on colored index cards or scraps of paper and put them in a place where I notice them now and then. Occasionally I pull out the pile to read and enjoy all over again.
But on my computer monitor I have a to-do list of mini-quotes gathered through the years as they relate to writing:
- Ticking clock
- Invite discomfort
- Raise the stakes
- Surprise yourself
I particularly like "surprise yourself." I figure if my characters do something that surprises ME, then there's a good chance they'll surprise the reader. And I like to do that. I like reviews that mention the twists and turns in my books.
Also on my monitor is a quote from Tennessee Williams: "If the writing is honest, it cannot be separated from the man." Someone asked me recently what they would learn about me by reading my books. I replied that none of my characters is exactly like me, but all of them are pieces of me, even the men. How can they be otherwise, since they come from my imagination? Their moral core is mine. What's important to me shows up in my characters. But I let them make different decisions than I personally might make, take risks I might not take, or even shy away from doing something I would leap right into.
I've experienced so much more of life because I'm a writer. Research is important. Talking to experts is really fun. People are proud to tell me about their professions or their passions so that I can portray their jobs and hobbies believably. I don't want a reader to say, "Aw, come on," at least not more than once :-).
Writing empowers me, even when something I do doesn't work. I am reminded of this by the largest note taped to my monitor. A friend typed it up, cut the paper into the shape of a heart and gave it to me years ago in a fancy box. She attributed it to Oprah Winfrey: "I don't believe in failure. It is not failure if you enjoyed the process."
So, I've got success and failure quotes in my line of sight all the time while I'm working. There's a nice symmetry to that.
posted by Susan Crosby at 5:34 AM
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1 Comments:
Playground Monitor said...
"I don't believe in failure. It is not failure if you enjoyed the process."
I really like that. Maybe because it makes me feel less like a failure. *g*
Marilyn
10:42 PM
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