SELF-DISCIPLINE IS NECESSARY,
BUT SO IS PLAYFULNESS, FLEXIBILITY, JOY.
WHEN YOU STOP DEMANDING PERFECTION OF YOURSELF,
YOUR WRITING DESK WILL BECOME A SPACIOUS PLACE.
SLIPPERINESS IS GOOD. SLOPPINESS IS OK.
CULTIVATE PATIENCE
WITH YOUR OWN UNCERTAINTY AND DOUBT;
A TOLERANCE FOR BAD WRITING;
A WILLINGNESS TO LET A STORY DEVELOP
EMBRYONICALLY.
(Karen Russell)
This quote makes me feel like I now have permission to have fun with my writing again. Don't get me wrong - I always enjoy the process, but I'm better at some parts than others. I respect the gift I was given, and I try to make the most of it. This is why I also take my writing very seriously.
But maybe there's a difference between taking the craft seriously - making the time to practice, defending it against others' disregard, continuing to learn and improve - and sucking the joy out of the story.
I like to be organized. I like files and folders and lists. And while this usually works in most areas of my life, it is not working with this novel. For every neat and orderly list I make, three raggedy scraps of paper appear - one with dialogue snippets, one with potential plot points, one with the phrases "Phil the bus driver," "she had wine with lunch," and "hanging from iron spike" scribbled on it.
It reminds me of when I was helping my niece put on her shoes, and I could not get her feet into the stupid things. I felt like an idiot - much the way I feel when my words don't work. But my niece just looked up at me, calmly, and said, "It's okay. It's tricky."
So, I am going to let my tricky novel run barefoot around my office, throwing scraps of paper in the air like confetti. It will slide and slip and make a mess, and I will practice patience and restrain myself from trying to corral it into a file folder. And eventually, we will both calm down, and then we will play nicely together.
Let's find the fun in our writing, in our work, this week. Let's remember to play and to laugh and to enjoy all the amazing things we can do with words.
"But maybe there's a difference between taking the craft seriously - making the time to practice, defending it against others' disregard, continuing to learn and improve - and sucking the joy out of the story." <---Absolutely there's a difference!!
ReplyDeleteGreat post.
I just wish I could tell the difference better, easier. Sometimes I get too wrapped up in "the rules."
DeleteGlad you liked the post!
Just make a mess of it and see what happens!
ReplyDeleteI'm doing my best! :)
DeleteONce we lost the fun in what we love to do...it loses it's magic doesn't it? Kudos on finding the fun in writing again :)
ReplyDeleteI think that's true for so many things - once we stop enjoying it, we need to step back and re-evaluate what we're doing and why.
DeleteLOL. I read a post last week about someone who wrote a beautiful 20K words over the weekend and then deleted every single one--just because she could. I don't think I could do that, but the idea was the same--freeing ourselves to write whatever and having the confidence to throw it away if we want.
ReplyDeleteI give my first draft as much license as it wants, but when it comes to draft 2 and 3, that dang thing better conform! ;)
Eeek! I couldn't do that either but I get the concept. I've gotten better at writing just for the sake of writing and telling myself that not everything I come up with will be or should be published, or evolve into anything other than a writing exercise.
DeleteThis is something I definitely need to do right now. I've been stressed and making my writing into a chore and that defeats the whole purpose of doing it. Great motivation for the week!
ReplyDeleteAnd I found out that National Tortoise Day is in May! So Larry and Mrs. Larry have to wait a while but they will have their day next year. :D
I'm glad this quote/post was a good reminder for you!
DeleteAnd thank you for finding out about National Tortoise Day! I will let the torts know and we can start planning for it now. :)
This is a great post!! I really needed it today. I am about to embark on wrangling the words from Camp Nano and AugNo into a coherent something or other. I will remember to play.
ReplyDeleteGet photos of that barefoot story running wild!! ;)
You can do it, Jai! Just remember the fun you had with it in the first place - discovering and telling the story, meeting the characters, etc - and bring some - or all! - of that back.
DeleteI need to make lists and reminders. Unfortunately, I take little pieces of paper and stow them away for future reference, these I need to organize better.
ReplyDeleteMy husband recommended to me to take all those scraps of paper, categorize them (dialogue, setting, etc) and stick them/tape them to bigger sheets of paper. It worked for me for a little while but then I kept forgetting to do it so then I had big pieces of paper with stuff on them and smaller pieces everywhere, too. :)
DeleteYou made me smile. There are so many snippets of paper running about the surface of my desk it looks like someone three confetti on it. Have fun.
ReplyDeleteA smile is a good thing any day but especially on a Monday. :)
DeleteYes! Excellent quote! We need to have fun with our writing to keep the creativity rolling!
ReplyDeleteI like that - fun with our writing keeps the creativity rolling. :)
DeleteA very important distinction! Let's have fun with our writing!
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely! :)
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