After so much pacing and talking to myself and rearranging files, ideas
and chapters, I finally have 3 stories that all hang together and still
have their own tale to tell. I'm now ready to really focus on the
writing itself.
It is strange how much of a writer's work is spent in thought with no visible signs of productive activity. When I was a flutist and musician, my day was consumed by practice and honing. When I sat at the piano to compose, I would fiddle with motifs and musical concepts and listen as they came together. In metal art, a concept is hammered into the silver and there, through a thousand blows, the idea is formed, raised and revealed.
Writing is words and words are a direct expression of thought. For the abstract writer to shape those words, we must first shape the thoughts in our minds. While putting those words to paper in a creative and well constructed way can be a difficult task in itself, just forming complex stories in my mind takes a lot of concentration and real work, too.
I've been here in this ivory tower for 9 days now and have been sweating day and night to form and build this story. I take breaks to teach 3 students, I've spent maybe 90 minutes a day with online TV and spent time getting to know the library director. The remainder of my day and restless nights is spent in pursuit of coherent fiction. When I exercise, cook, stare at my page, rework a scene, I'm chasing down ideas, plot and character.
Is it worth it? What becomes of it when it's done? Does it end in a drawer along with the others that amounted to zilch? Get published and read by a small but content cadre of readers. Maybe it goes on to rip a new one on the bestseller list. I guess that's not the point for the creative thinker. We do what we do because we're driven to do it, regardless of any potential use. Kind of like the theoretical physicist who makes a breakthrough in scientific comprehension. Someone else will find a use whether a bomb, a heat source or delicious cheese dip.
All I can be sure of is that if it stays in my head, I'll go mad.
It is strange how much of a writer's work is spent in thought with no visible signs of productive activity. When I was a flutist and musician, my day was consumed by practice and honing. When I sat at the piano to compose, I would fiddle with motifs and musical concepts and listen as they came together. In metal art, a concept is hammered into the silver and there, through a thousand blows, the idea is formed, raised and revealed.
Writing is words and words are a direct expression of thought. For the abstract writer to shape those words, we must first shape the thoughts in our minds. While putting those words to paper in a creative and well constructed way can be a difficult task in itself, just forming complex stories in my mind takes a lot of concentration and real work, too.
I've been here in this ivory tower for 9 days now and have been sweating day and night to form and build this story. I take breaks to teach 3 students, I've spent maybe 90 minutes a day with online TV and spent time getting to know the library director. The remainder of my day and restless nights is spent in pursuit of coherent fiction. When I exercise, cook, stare at my page, rework a scene, I'm chasing down ideas, plot and character.
Is it worth it? What becomes of it when it's done? Does it end in a drawer along with the others that amounted to zilch? Get published and read by a small but content cadre of readers. Maybe it goes on to rip a new one on the bestseller list. I guess that's not the point for the creative thinker. We do what we do because we're driven to do it, regardless of any potential use. Kind of like the theoretical physicist who makes a breakthrough in scientific comprehension. Someone else will find a use whether a bomb, a heat source or delicious cheese dip.
All I can be sure of is that if it stays in my head, I'll go mad.
No comments:
Post a Comment