The image of a writer is someone slavishly hovering over a keyboard, crafting words and phrases and paragraphs without ceasing. But is that the reality?
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The image of a writer is someone slavishly hovering over a keyboard, crafting words and phrases and paragraphs without ceasing. But is that the reality?
A friend of mine heard that I was a writer and he said he knew exactly how to be a successful writer. Unabashedly, I asked how it should be done. “I just need a glass of wine, some cheese and candlelight, and I’m sure to be a success,” he said.
Gosh!
The error of this viewpoint is obvious to any writer. However, would everyone agree when it comes to explaining how writing is actually done? Is there a formula for success?
Please let me introduce you to the “Back Burner.” I refer to those burners on the kitchen stove that are, well, in back. That’s where the cook likes to place the steeping pot. Foods and potions are set back there to simmer and brew before they are added to a culinary triumph.
Here is my analogy. An idea, image, or thought gels in the writer’s mind. The writer places it on paper. Later, other vignettes are added until, voila, the patchwork is complete. The chapter is done.
In fiction, the author collects information from real life observation. These become words in a story which evokes a world of images and memories in the mind of the reader.
In nonfiction, the author mixes ideas and ponders fertile adjacencies of thought. In research, the author sorts references and findings. And these thoughts, as well as the references, are a springboard leading the reader to related thoughts and the works of other writers.
In all cases, the work is not done at one time. Further, it is a mix of parts.
Less apparent is the role of imagination and dreams, and pretty much anything that originates in the right side of the brain. Here the writer or theorist is free to mix and match, compare and contrast, or simply abandon logic to complete the manuscript.
Can all this be done with wine and cheese under the faltering flame of a candle? Yes, but the writer’s job is truly less romantic. It’s hard work. It’s done in an attic garret or airport waiting lounge under fluorescent light. What really matters is the writer’s output, not its earthy context.
But, one question does remain. Where is the cheese?
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