Unlike
almost everyone I know I loathe reading books about craft. Possibly because I read a zillion of them
before I sold my first book. On the
other hand, maybe it's because one of the first things that is put on the back
burner after your first sale is your to-be-read pile. Or maybe it's because I
can't read without editing as I go.
I
can't remember when I didn't have a TBR pile stacked in my bedroom, often
taller than me. Except that with
deadlines, I'm so exhausted at the end of the day the last thing I want to do
is read. Alternatively, if I do read, it
tends to be true crime, preferably with gory pictures. Now I have maybe three books waiting for a
lull in the deadline action.
I'm
hoping to get better now that I have an eReader. At least now I can download something that
may interest me immediately. Who
knows? Hope springs eternal.
I
do have two favorite quotes that have been with me for so long that the paper
has yellowed, the tape has yellowed and the paper is curled. My favorite one is from Julian Barnes:
"A high anxiety level is the
writer's natural condition." This
speaks to me because even after 40+ books, I still think my agent or editor
will come back with, "Very funny.
Now where's the real book."
I don't ever think I'm fabulous when I finish a book. I hope I've done my best but I hope my agent
and/or editor will spot problem areas I can fix before the book is no longer
mine. By that I mean after the last
pass, the publisher can chose to make my corrections or not, their call. So all of you who rag on authors when you see
a mistake, place blame where it belongs - on the person(s) who last touched the
manuscript. I know that's where the
anxiety comes from. Fear of
failure. Need to please. Striving for perfection. Take your pick. Nevertheless, the Barnes quote reminds me
that there are others just like me, so I feel better.
My
other favorite quote is by E.L. Doctorow:
"Writing is a socially acceptable form of schizophrenia." Sense a theme here? I do find writers tend to be doing one of two
things at all times. Either they are in
their head thinking of a way to progress in their current work or they are
playing 'what if' on a new project. And
a lot of us do it while talking aloud. I
either pace or iron - anything mindless to get those creative juices
flowing. We always have characters in
our head. I do not, however, subscribe
to the theory that characters speak to us and write themselves. Would that it was that easy. Or maybe I'm just a little slow. My characters don't write their own stories;
I have to do it with careful consideration to plot, pacing and
progression.
And
my last quote isn't really a quote; it's a cartoon by Dave Coverly. Imagine an editor seated at his desk across
from an author. The caption reads:
"We loved all the words in your manuscript but we were wondering if you
could maybe put them in a different order." Anyone who has ever gotten a revision feels
this one. It's right up there with
having an editor reject something because it isn't "special enough."
Do
you have quotes about phobias?
Have a great day,
Rhonda
No comments:
Post a Comment