Such a ridiculous state of affairs. Although I maintain that I am writing a novel, the fact remains that at the end of the day I have usually accumulated not one satisfactory page of manuscript. And this for some unguessable reason is, for me, intolerable.
Yesterday my daughter posted on Facebook a maxim that made sense to me. It was:
"Healthy habits are learned in the same way as unhealthy ones -- through practice."
--Dr. Wayne Dyer
When I read that my first thought was: Now that makes sense to me.
And I mused upon that sensible idea for a time.
By the end of the day I had concluded that my next step should be to set aside a portion of time each (and every) day wherein I allow myself to do nothing but write... and that means write my book.
It does not mean that I should THINK about writing -- not READ about already established writers and how they go about practicing their particular personal craft (or their art) of writing -- NOT scribble notes for my blog -- not check and re-check my email -- not absently MUSE upon my novel's theme or its originality or its publishability -- but that I should WORK at it by planting my seat on the chair and pounding the keyboard's keys until my absolutely-allotted time for this and EVERY day's WORK has expired.
Noble sentiment, is it not?
Now . . . to DO it.
. . .
Here is another piece of wisdom:
If we believe something about the world, we are more likely to passively accept as truth any information that confirms our beliefs, and actively dismiss information that does not.
. . .
Do I truly believe that I am a writer?
Do I really want to write a novel?
I'll have to ask Eva those questions and then pay attention to the answers.
Or . . . I could just sit myself down and write the novel.
Yes . . .
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You seem to have left out one central question: Can you write a novel?
ReplyDeleteOf course, there are those who insist on a belief in the trite promise, "You can do anything you want." But a moment's worth of intelligent reflection will reveal the nonsense of that belief (much like a religious belief, it is).
Slush pile readers know that most people cannot write a novel that will interest anyone outside of the writer's family; and slush pile readers suffer under that burden for the sake of meager salaries.
Publishers of writing magazines know the same, but they milk the hope of broken dreams in order to earn fortunes.
Sponsors of writing conferences are just as guilty sinners.
Perhaps you can write an interesting novel, Gene. I cannot, even though I can write well.
I sometimes think that all failed novelists should move to Ohio, refuse to think deeply about anything but Ohio, and form yet another support group for shallow patriots.
Wayne Dwyer, by the way, and in my opinion, is a fraud who has fed on broken dreams and earned a fat living by doing so.
Feel free to delete this comment.
AVT
Delete your comment I most certainly will not, Anthony. Everything you wrote in that comment is (in my opinion) absolutely true... if, of course, one is granted the right to replace "Ohio" with "Thule, Greenland" or "Bum-fuck, Egypt" or perhaps "Whatever-Town, Any-State".
ReplyDeleteCAN I write an interesting novel?
Yes.
Thank you for reading and responding, my friend.