After being in the car for what felt like an eternity on this hot July day, I finally arrived at the writers meetup. I find my set inside surrounded by other enthusiasts of the trade. The place feels alive, everyone's excited to hear some of their famous writers talk about their work and what inspired them. As the writers come up and talk about their work I found myself having more and more questions about the trade. As the meetup comes to an end and everyone's filling out, these questions seem to be building up inside me, I decided screw it I'm going to see if I can get into the back and talk to the writers. I can't let an opportunity like this go to waste. I walk down this brightly-lit hallway turn the corner and see the entrance to backstage. I go for it, I can't turn back now I think to myself. I go through the doorway and see Anne Lamott, Don Murray, and Mary Karr sitting there having a discussion about writing process.
I awkwardly invited myself to their conversation by saying “ Hey guys I overheard you talking about the writing process and I was wondering if you could help me answer a few questions I have?” Don Murray Introduced himself and said what questions can we help you answer? I said “Lately I've been really struggling to start writing I feel that all the work I'm doing is repetitive and uncreative. Do any of you have any suggestions on how to start writing?” Anne Lamott seemed quite passionate about this question, I could tell in her voice that this is something she's put a lot of thought into. Anna responds with “The first useful concept is the idea of short assignments. Often when you sit down to write, what you have in mind is an autobiographical novel about your childhood, or a play about the immigrant experience, or a history of---oh, say---say women. But this is like trying to scale a glacier. It's hard to get your footing, and your fingertips get all red and frozen and torn up.”(1) Anne then says “For me, and most of the other writers I know, writing is not rapturous. In fact, the only way I can get anything written at all is to write really, really shitty drafts. The first draft is the child’s draft, where you let it all pour out and romp all over the place, knowing that no one is going to see it and that you can shape it later.” (2) Don Murray confidently but in a almost arrogant way states “You stumble into it, mostly. You don’t know what you’re doing, and suddenly, it’s done. You don’t set out to reform a certain kind of writing.” (3) Mary Karr unlike Don and Anne takes a minute, then joins in by saying “ In the beginning, when there are zero pages, you have to cheer yourself into cranking stuff out, even if it later lands on the cutting room floor. Each page takes you somewhere you need to travel before you can land in the next spot” (4) I was kind of confused by hearing their responses It seems so unorganized so counterproductive. Write a bunch, cut out. Wright again, cut out again. how can this lead me to my end goal? It doesn't seem like anything can be put together from this. I pulled out a pen and paper to write down their responses. I can't let myself forget this moment. As I'm writing down their responses I ask “ So with all this material you have written down in the early stages of writing how do you perfect it? how do you get it to the next stage? What is the next stage? Don very kindly waits for me to finish writing down their previous responses and then says “The writing process itself can be divided into three stages: prewriting, writing, and rewriting. The amount of time a writer spends in each stage depends on his personality, his work habits, his maturity as a craftsman, and the challenge of what he is trying to say. It is not a rigid lock-step process, but most writers most of the time pass through these three stages.” (5) Mary is nodding her head in agreement with Don then chuckles and says “I am not much of a writer, but I am a stubborn little bulldog of a reviser.” (6) We all laughed for a moment then I start to write down their answers once again. Mary asked me if I have any more questions about the writing process. I say “just a few more, what stage do you see the most Improvement? And how long do you spend on each stage?” Mary jokingly says to Don, I'll get the first part of this if you get the second? Then Mary precedes to say “For me, the last 20 percent of a book’s improvement takes 95 percent of the effort—all in the editing. I can honestly say not one page I’ve ever published appears anywhere close to how it came out in first draft.” (7) Don takes a second to think about his question then says “ Writing is the act of producing a first draft. It is the fastest part of the process, and the most frightening, for it is a commitment. When you complete a draft you know how much, and how little, you know. And the writing of this first draft—rough, searching, unfinished—may take as little as one percent of the writer’s time. Rewriting is reconsideration of subject, form, and audience. It is researching, rethinking, redesigning, rewriting—and finally, lineby-line editing, the demanding, satisfying process of making each word right. It may take many times the hours required for a first draft, perhaps the remaining 14 percent of the time the writer spends on the project.” (8) I think to myself that can't be 20% of the books Improvement takes 95% of the effortall in the editing, that's not where I've been spending my time. I frantically try to write down their responses but definitely missed some of Don’s. Then ask Anne “ What are some of the biggest mistakes you see new writers make?” Anne says “Beginners always try to fit their whole lives in to 10 pages, and they always right blatantly about themselves, even if they make the heroine of their place a championship racehorse with an alcoholic mother who cries a lot. But beginners are learning to play, and they need encouragement to keep their hands moving across the page.” (9) Well after that I figured I would stop bombarding them with questions. I stood up said my goodbyes and started walking back down that long bright hallway to my long hot ride home. Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life (Anne Lamott) (1) Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life (Anne Lamott) (2) Teach Writing as a Process Not a Product (Don Murray) (3) Against Vanity: In Praise of Revision (Mary Karr) (4) Teach Writing as a Process Not a Product (Don Murray) (5) Against Vanity: In Praise of Revision (Mary Karr) (6) Against Vanity: In Praise of Revision (Mary Karr) (7) Teach Writing as a Process Not a Product (Don Murray) (8) Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life (Anne Lamott) (9)
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GreinerI hope as you read my blogs you will gain insight into my aspirations. Archives
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