So I'm feeling inspired by Spring, by you guys, by my work on my thesis, and by the Writer's Conference.
I have a thought (that I am too shy to share right now...ah shucks) that I would like to develop. It isn't really a "new" idea for me; it's one of those nagging feelings that is beginning to articulate itself. My question then as a innocent/virgin writer is where to start and how to start. How to begin...and without the obvious answer of "at the beginning stupid!"
How do you begin? Where do you start? What's the incubation period? And is labor as hard???? Please keep in mind that both of my pregnancies were the things of horror movies as were the deliveries...will it be that hard? And are there at least a few moments of joy?
Wow the pregnancy metaphor went way further than I wanted it to. Okay??? Maybe I'm not cut out for this. I'll continue to blog, write my thesis and wonder if I should write...if I can...
3 comments:
I think it's wonderful that you're opening this door for yourself, sweetie!
As far as where to begin--to be honest, I look at this the same way that I do student writers: we all really do have our own process. Some writers just begin with the germ of an idea: a character, a scene, a plot device--and then let it unfold on the screen. Other writers plan, map out their plots in detailed outlines (Janet and I know one who uses EXCEL Worksheets!), and know exactly what's going to happen before they write a page.
It's really about who you are as a writer, and I think that's as much a discovery process as learning to write academically. And here's something I learned: it's not necessarily the same process. Because I'm such a planner, pre-writer, and out-liner in academia, I assumed that I was the same way for fiction, and it took me awhile to figure out that the two processes, for me, are very different.
If I map out an entire story in advance, it takes away all of the mystery--for me, it's like reading a book I've already read; because I know what's going to happen, I'm less driven to get back to my characters, to my story, to find out what's going to happen next. Now, I intentionally don't plot beyond a chapter or two at a time, and that works really well for me.
Sometimes, I'll have a character or a scene in my mind, and I'll write it down, and that's all I'll do with it. That's all it is: just an idea that isn't quite ready to go somewhere. So I save it and let it sit. And then one day, I'll be working on a different project, and I'll suddenly realize that HEY! That scene/character/idea would work perfectly here.
I know that we're all inspired by different things, but one thing that really inspired me was a response by Nora Roberts on a blog I read regularly.
Everyone was chatting about how much of a web presence new writers should have, what kind of marketing and self-promotion they should do, etc., and it was all a little overwhelming--especially for those of us who are working within very real time constraints--and one author said that ultimately, if you're working with limited time, the most important thing for a writer to do is to sit down at the computer and write.
Nora's response? "Exactly." :)
Okay. Lisa is feeling "shy," "innocent," "virgin" and yet she's asking about LABOR?
Honey, the first three've got to go before we get to labor! LOL!
On a listserv I'm on, people are using the pregnancy metaphor, too. My thought: Ha. You don't have to send your book to college. And it sends money HOME TO YOU! Yup. That's the difference.
I think it's great you're thinking about this, especially before your thesis is done. Right, Kacie? Anticipation is such a great thing that (a) Carly Simon wrote a song about it and (b) a ketchup company used it as a long-running theme song! Anticipation.
You can replace it with another racier word, but I won't put it here. I'll tell you tomorrow night and see if I can make you spit out your latte.
Anticipation...
Thanks a lot, Janet! That goofy song has been in my head all morning! L. thinks it has something to do HIM!
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