IT'S A FUNNY THING ABOUT LIFE; IF YOU
REFUSE TO ACCEPT ANYTHING BUT THE BEST,
YOU VERY OFTEN GET IT.
(Somerset Maugham)
These lines made me ask myself if I'm giving my best to my writing. When a story meanders off the page or the characters are flat and boring, is it because I didn't expect more - from it, from them, from myself? Struggling to get the pacing right or being anxious about digging deep into a character's motivation isn't the same as a writer being lazy with time and talent.
When I read published books and stories, I believe I'm reading the author's best (whatever that is, at whatever the time.) I hope that they didn't play it safe, that good enough wasn't good enough. Maybe it's silly on my part but I don't care. And if I ask that of the authors and books I buy and I read, how can I ask any less of myself and my work?
Excellent quote which I am going to apply to the agent-querying! :-)
ReplyDeleteGo for it, Cathy! You can do it. :)
ReplyDeleteYou're right -- we shouldn't expect any less from ourselves. But take Stephen King, for example. He readily admits that he's had some serious crap published over the years and I'm inclined to agree with him. But when he shines, he SHINES. That's what I'm striving for, whether or not I ever reach it.
ReplyDeleteBut I wonder did he think it was crap when he wrote it/published it or only after the fact? I look back at some of my published work and I wonder what I was thinking. But is it really that bad or is it just that I'm looking at it with a more learned eye? I have to believe that when I wrote it, it was the best I could do at that time... (eek!)
ReplyDeleteMilo, your work already shines!
Hi Madeline,
ReplyDeleteGreat quote and post.
Donna v.
Hey, Donna - thanks, and thanks for stopping by! :)
ReplyDelete