Thinking about Writing or Writing About What I'm Thinking

I so admire people who have the kind of discipline I think writers should have. My friend Morgan Mussell is one of those. He reads – no, studies – a lot of writing books, as well as studying the business of writing, and shares his knowledge with those of us lucky enough to be in a critique group with him or readers of his wonderful blog, The First Gates. He’s an excellent, disciplined writer, as well and one of the best editors I’ve ever run across. Drop by his blog sometime and soak up a little of his very accessible knowledge. What amazes me is the discipline he brings to his writing. He works very hard at learning his craft and even writes synopses before he writes the books. I suspect he even outlines. He always knows where he’s going.

Another writing friend, Margaret Duarte, also shows amazing and resilient writing skills. She has completed four novels. FOUR! In addition, she was the first to receive a Creative Writing Certificate offered by UCDavis extension. She has been blogging five days a week for quite some time, and her blogs are interesting and useful. When I need to know how to do something new on my blog, I visit Margaret’s blog, Enter the Between and check her archives for the answers. She has also posted story samples and novel excerpts. Go there and have a taste of her wonderful work.

As inspiring as these people are, I return to Natalie Goldberg’s Writing Down the Bones for inspiration and to assuage my guilt.

Don’t worry about your talent or capability: that will grow as you practice. Katagiri Roshi said, “Capability is like a water table below the surface of the earth.” No one owns it, but you can tap it. You tap it with your effort and it will come through you. So just practice writing, and when you learn to trust your voice, direct it. If you want to write a novel, write a novel. If it’s essays you want or short stories, write them. In the process of writing them, you will learn how. You can have the confidence that you will gradually acquire the technique and craft you need.

I have studied writing off and on for years: taking creative writing courses at San Jose State, both undergraduate and graduate, taking the initial writing course from the Institute of Children’s Literature , which was surprisingly good. I’ve attended conferences, joined writing associations, taken many workshops, read some books, etc., etc. All those had some value, and I probably built little compartments of writing knowledge in my mind. Sometimes I find the doors cracked open, and I can re-visit them. Sometimes I can’t find my way back to some of that information to save my soul (which could probably use a little saving, by the way). It isn’t easy getting old.

But the one thing that has worked for me is putting my butt in the chair and writing, just like Natalie Goldberg said. I’m not terribly disciplined about any of it. I have a few sticky notes where other writers have pages and pages of outlines and synopses. I don’t outline because, to be perfectly honest, I have little idea, at least with my novels, what is going to happen. For picture books, articles, and other non-fiction I have a good idea and do storyboards and other planning, but not my novels. In fact, I don't even feel as if I'm in charge. I sit down with an inkling of an idea and characters walk into my head, fully formed and usually named, and tell me their stories. I write in fits and starts, sometimes madly writing long hours for days in a row, followed by little or nothing for a while so my batteries can re-charge. Or I might stop working on my novel for days or even weeks while I work on other things, all the while letting my story percolate through the soil of my mind and pick up nutrients. But I always get back to work and let my characters lead me along.

I’ve written two novels this way. The first, I started from a writing exercise in a text book, and it turned into a young adult novel named Family Matters. I had the good fortune of having two sophomore classes read and critique it. They liked it. A lot. I was at the school a couple weeks ago and some of the kids from those classes (now seniors) talked about the book, even naming the characters – two years after they read it. How cool is that? Anyway, I learned a lot about writing books by writing that first book. I hope it will be published someday and am now revising it to that end.

I read an article a while back that said the way to get your first book published is to write your second book. So I did. I had learned a lot writing the first one; mostly I learned to listen to my muse and trust my characters to tell me their stories. My second book is called The Incredible Journey of Freddy J. and I’m really proud of it. I’ve had it critiqued, revised it, had many beta readers, and gotten great feedback. One of my beta readers described it as being much like the serial stories that used to be shown at Saturday matinees in the theatres when we were young. I liked that. Since it is really written for young boys, it was good to hear that. That's the kind of thing kids like. Another beta reader was a thirteen-year-old boy (grandson of a friend) whom I've never met. All I know is he read it three times. THREE times. Amazing. I’ve arranged for some sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-grade students to read it and am awaiting their comments. I’m just beginning the agent hunt, so it may be a while before it’s out there, but that’s the nature of the business. Fingers crossed.

So even though I’m not the most organized person in the world, I know I can write and I know how to do it in a way that works for me…and makes real books, books that people like. Now, if I can just get the publishing world to listen…

If you already write, maybe you’ll leave a good tip for the rest of us. If you want to write, I say do it. Sit down with a pen and paper or in front of a blank computer screen or whatever works for you, and just do it. Natalie Goldberg would approve.

A Book for Writers and Lovers

I’m a bit late with my post, but have been busy with out-of-town visitors and getting some writing work done. I have my first sale (YAY!!). It’s small, but still, it’s a sale. I sold two children’s poems to High Five magazine (sister publication of Highlights), and I am thrilled. I’ve also been working on an article I hope to sell to Highlights and just put it into the mail yesterday, so back to your regularly scheduled blogging!

Some years ago, someone at a writer’s conference mentioned a book “every writer or aspiring writer should read” – Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within by Natalie Goldberg. I went on Amazon and ordered a used copy. When I received the book, it was a tiny thing – about the size of a cigarette pack. It is a Shambhala Pocket Classic. Never heard of them before. But I have to tell you, it’s been kind of a gift. Most of the time, I keep it in my purse. If I get stuck waiting on line in a store or, God forbid, the DMV or Post Office, I pull it out and read a few pages.

It seems no matter to what page I open, I find something useful or helpful or inspiring or affirming. Let me give you an example. I opened the book the other day and ran across this:

 Writers are great lovers. They fall in love with other writers. That’s how they learn to write. They take on a writer, read everything by him or her, read it over again until they understand how the writer moves, pauses, and sees. That’s what being a lover is: stepping out of yourself, stepping into someone else’s skin. Your ability to love another’s writing means those capabilities are awakened in you. It will only make you bigger; it won’t make you a copy cat.

I love that. It encourages me (and gives me permission) to take the time to read good writing, to immerse myself in it, to scoop it up slowly with a small spoon, and taste every word. I have met some writers over the years who have sucked me in completely with their extraordinary art and I have, indeed, immersed myself in all I could find by them and savored the works. This experience with writers really began for me quite early.

Laura Ingalls Wilder was likely the first. I must have been in second or third grade when I read Little House in the Big Woods, then found the rest and read right through them and read them again. I re-read them as an adult after my daughters were born and found them every bit as engaging as I did as a child. I re-read some and discussed them with my grandson as he read them. That says a lot about the writing.I always find her work inspiring.

Lucy Maude Montgomery followed close on Laura’s heels. The Avonlea series is simply heartbreakingly good. I revisited them more than once, savoring the strong movement of words across the page.

 The first writing lover for me as an adult was John Steinbeck. He has become a life-long love of mine. I believe I have read every piece of fiction Steinbeck wrote, most of them many times. My first encounter was when I was about twelve or thirteen. One of my best friends was a girl named Julie who had the most cool parents in the world and lived in an incredible house – modern and unlike any other house I’d been in. They had a large, circular living room. Floor-to-ceiling windows made up about half the walls, and most of the rest was a floor-to-ceiling book case filled with hardcover books. It had a ladder that ran on a track across the front. Yes. A rolling ladder, just like in those libraries in the homes of dukes and lords. One day while I visited, Julie’s step-dad climbed the little ladder and pulled a book from a high shelf. He handed it to me and said, “I think you’re ready for this. Let’s talk about it when you’re done reading it.” I was astonished to have an adult loan me a book, but more astonished to find he was interested in talking with me about it.

The book was Of Mice and Men. I would guess I have read it at least forty times. I taught it for many years and always told my students I considered it a perfect novel. It has everything in it I wanted to teach students about literature – great characters, incredible descriptive writing, literary allusion, imagery, foreshadowing, irony, strong symbolism – all packed into a great sweeping story. And the names. I could talk for hours about the names in this wonderful little book. This book, and especially how it came to me, truly changed my life. I proceeded to read every piece of fiction I could find by Steinbeck, even Cup of Gold and Burning Bright, which I don’t recommend, by the way. Every writer has experiments that shouldn’t see the light of day. And I don’t think Of Mice and Men is Steinbeck’s best, but it surely cannot be overlooked. The distinction of being his best, in my mind, belongs to East of Eden. If you haven’t read it, my goodness, what a treat you have in store.

I’ve gone through short-term love affairs with other writers but always return to Steinbeck. His short stories are little gems. My soon-to-be-son-in-law, Eric Baldwin, recently called me to discuss The Chrysanthemums, one of the short stories from Steinbeck’s collection published as The Long Valley. Now I have to tell you, Eric made a lot of points with me that day. Not only was he reading and appreciating my favorite author, but he gave me the gift of reminding me of that superb little story and to remind myself to spend some time with my first great love, gobbling up his words and drawing inspiration from his brilliance. You may also visit my writing lover. No jealousy here. I love to share him with others. Go ahead. Pick up some of his work. Steep yourself in it. Step out of yourself and into John Steinbeck’s skin. Fall in love with him if you like. Natalie Goldberg and I would approve.  

Who are your reading or writing lovers? How did you discover him or her? Inquiring minds want to know.