A Few Quotes That Shaped The Way I Think About Writing (And Life)
This edition of Fiction Notes goes as follows...
(Notice and wonder by Visual Thinkery ; aka the wonderful Bryan Mathers ; licensed under CC-BY-ND)
I've always read a lot—as a kid, I spent hours past my bedtime reading (and re-reading, 'cause I always had a tendency to obsess over specific books until I got tired of them). But only recently did I start actually taking notes on what I read. It's a habit that (kinda) started when I went to college, out of necessity, and that slowly took over my reading routine. Today, I take notes on everything I read. I carry a pencil wherever I go, and use one as a bookmarker for all the books I'm presently reading. It's a useful habit. It's allowed me to build what I like to call my Fiction Encyclopedia and has maximized the amount of learning I get off each book (until I invariably re-read it.)
Anyways... This is a long way of saying that, throughout my years taking notes while reading books, there are a few quotes that have stuck with me. Some short, some longer. I re-read them constantly, find solace and instruction in them when I most need it. And today I want to share a few of them.
Here are a few quotes that shaped the way I think about writing (and life):
On Finishing (and Starting) Projects
The road to hell is paved with works in progress. — Philip Roth
This little snippet I live by. Although there are real reasons to work on a project for a very long time until it's "done", I think most people should avoid this strategy until much later in their career (and life.)
I've written before about how hard writing is, and how people confuse 'writer's block' with plain-old fear. This is the same. A "work in progress" or "I won't stop working on this until it's perfect" is (in most cases) a very elegant way of saying "I'm afraid of failure, and of not meeting other people's expectations of me." So... yeah.
There is no such thing as a 'perfect' book (or story, or poem, or song, etc.) The only way to get better, or closer to 'perfect' is to actually finish projects. I'm convinced that 85% of people who have tried and failed to become working artists is because they never finish their projects.
On a similar fear-related vein, but this time on the idea of starting projects, I find this quote by W. H. Murray particularly thought-provoking:
Until one is committed, there is hesitance, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favour all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. I have learned a deep respect for one of Goethe’s couplets: “Whatever you can do or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.” Begin it now.
On Emotional Payoffs
No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader. No surprise in the writer, no surprise in the reader. — Robert Frost
I would extend Robert Frost's words to include not just surprise and tears, but also joy. I've been thinking about the idea of joy in writing a lot recently. I find it easy to get lost in the minutia of every-day writing, to seek constant growth and improvement and for 'things to make sense' but... I don't know. I think child-like joy, the kind that makes you first enjoy books, the fuel that drives you to want to write in the first place, should not be forgotten. Not just because it will make for better writing, but because... well, isn't to have fun the whole point? At least it is for me.
On Editing
Now, on a more craft-centric note... Since I'm not currently in the editing phase of any of my projects, I haven't talked yet about editing in this newsletter. (When you start getting newsletters on this topic, you'll know that I'm happily past the first-draft stage of one of my projects) But I figured I'll share some of the best bits of advice I've read over the years.
From Ryan Holidays' Perennial Seller:
As one agent I work with put it to me, “Spend three times longer revising your manuscript than you think you need.”
And from Susan P. Bell's The Artful Edit:
Imagine: you read your draft, and as you move along, you have an uneasy sensation that it doesn't sound like anything else you've read. This may be because it is not working. But another possibility must be considered: your writing may sound strange to you because it is truly yours and no one else's; its strangeness is an indication of honesty. In this case, you have hit your stride. The awkward will become familiar as you commit to it, trust it, exploit it.
On Originality and Authenticity
“What the really great artists do is they're entirely themselves. They're entirely themselves, they've got their own vision, they have their own way of fracturing reality, and if it's authentic and true, you will feel it in your nerve endings.” — David Foster Wallace
Another thing that has been on my mind a lot lately. Though I've never read David Foster Wallace except for a few of his essays, I've been long fascinated with him as a person and thinker. If you don't know who that is, there's a great movie called The End of The Tour that you should watch. He also has done loads of interviews, all illuminating, that I recommend you check out. This quote is my favorite of his (and he has many.)
Also—as an add-on to David Foster Wallace's words, I think it important to remember:
Some writers confuse authenticity, which they ought always to aim at, with originality, which they should never bother about. — W. H. Auden
On The Rules Of Writing
There are three rules for writing a novel. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are. — W. Somerset Maugham
This, I think, is crucial.
While there are (some) guidelines, and there is useful advice, and even a few tricks one can learn to improve as a writer, there are no rules. I get angry every time I encounter someone touting to have the '5 rules to writing a best-selling novel' or 'the secret formula that will make you finally write that novel you've always dreamed about'. AGHH. Angry. I get angry. Why? Writing anything is hard. Writing a novel is even harder, and it's only understandable for people to try and find the 'formula' that will make it easy. And so, as in all areas of life, grifters ensue... They sell false hope to struggling writers (keyword: 'sell') and actually hurt them on their way to becoming professional writers. I said this last week, and I'll say it again: how come the people claiming to have the 'secret' or 'perfect formula' ALMOST NEVER wrote and published an actual novel?
Note: I wanted to say 'never' because I haven't come across a single one but, just to be sure...
A Bit of Prose That Inspires Me.
Now that I'm done ranting... I'm going to leave you with something different. I've admired Patrick Rothfuss' prose since the first time I read The Name of The Wind. At the time, I knew enough about writing to know how good his writing was and to understand how he was doing what he was doing on the page. I even had hopes about someday writing a book at the level of The Name of The Wind—I still do. But... then I read his novella The Slow Regard of Silent Things and came across a tiny little paragraph that shook me to my bones. This, I know for a fact I'll never be able to top.
Step after step she forced her way backward into Scaperling. She did not dare to let the way to Black Door out of sight. She did not dare let it behind her, all unseen. Unseemly. All unseamed.
Hey there! I hope you enjoyed this edition of Fiction Notes.
If you’re new to the newsletter/blog, have thoughts (happy or not so happy) on what you just read you’d like to share, or just want to say hi—Make sure to hit reply! (or comment below, or shoot me an email, depending on where you’re reading this.)
If you want to hear more from me, you can always find me on Twitter @mat_sans.
If someone forwarded you this post (or you found it through other means) make sure to subscribe! Or don’t. No pressure.