Wanted to post something inspirational today, and this 2008 TEDTalk from novelist Amy Tan is a perfect way to reflect on the evolution of the writing process and on the personal meanings of creativity.
"The PEN Ten With Stephen Graham Jones"
Guest editor Natalie Diaz has a gorgeous interview with Blackfeet writer Stephen Graham Jones up over at PEN America. They talk obsessions, linguistics, writing process, and more. But I think this quote is my absolute favorite:
While the notion of the public intellectual has fallen out of fashion, do you believe writers have a collective purpose? To say the truth, or something in the arena of the true. Something that feels true. To carve down to what’s real, and then fold the reader into that spot for a couple hundred pages. To write for the people of today, not the ones who aren’t born yet, and not the ones from generations ago, who can no longer be impressed with your talent. To—to be one of the ones Plato would have kicked out of his republic, because we won’t shut up, because we won’t stop stirring things up, because we insist on rousing emotions and thoughts in people that are inconvenient for those in power. And to do all this without seeming to be trying to do all this. Mostly, if we have a collective purpose, it’s to dream on the page, such that others might subscribe not so much to that particular dream, but just to dreaming in general. To asking What if? That’s the most dangerous question. The most necessary question.
Last night, I couldn't sleep because I had a story creeping into my head. Let's hope we can all hit the page running today.
Happy Wednesday,
CL
Image credit: PEN America
"How the Writer Researches: Annie Proulx"
I love, love, love behind the scenes looks into the processes of different writers, so this recent LitHub interview detailing Annie Proulx's method and overall career is fascinating.
Right now, I'm waiting for a word processor update to download so I can get back to writing. Hope you guys are having better luck with your work today.
Happy Sunday,
CL
"On The Slow Pursuit Of Overnight Success"
Victoria Schwab, on the heels of her first #1 NYT debut The Savage Song, has a great post on her blog about how failure and success throughout her writing career, and how the big successes don't happen overnight -- even when they seem instant to your readers.
Her post reminds me of what my friend Aaron used to say about writing: basically, that "you have to write a million words of crap in order to start getting good."
So, fellow authors and writers, let's keep plugging away toward those million words!
Happy Friday,
CL