Carolyn Chute on Writing
"Writing is like meditation or going into an ESP trance, or prayer. Like dreaming. You are tapping into your unconscious. To be fully conscious and alert, with life banging and popping and cuckooing all around, you are not going to find your way to your subconscious, which is a place of complete submission." Carolyn Chute.
Um. Okay.
The rest of the devotional goes on to tell how Ms. Chute lives secluded away in rural Maine, a sign by her driveway reading: "Woa. Visitors Turn Back." If you ignore the sign, you may run across a pen of Scottish terriers (whatever) and an AK-47 ("woa" indeed).
I get the need for quiet when writing - for some. Others write better in coffee shops or their favorite restaurant or diner. Seclusion - contrary to what Chute says and Peters echoes - is not always as necessary as some make it seem. What's important is for each of us to find where that spot is that we can get to on a regular basis and write consistently.
As other times, I struggle with the idea of complete seclusion to the extent that I live far away from people and discourage visitors. That is a very dangerous place to be, as the human mind is capable of convincing itself of terrifying things. That's why people need to be around other people, and writers need to be around other writers.
The catch - for writers at least - is that you don't need to be around just any writers; you owe it to yourself and to your work to be around writers who can get what you're trying to do and help you and encourage you in getting there.
So yes, during the act of writing, do whatever you need to for the ideas and creativity and productivity to flow; but after that, run toward people (not literally, you'll scare them off) and GET INVOLVED. It's a great feeling and experience to be around people in the same niche as yourself.
Um. Okay.
The rest of the devotional goes on to tell how Ms. Chute lives secluded away in rural Maine, a sign by her driveway reading: "Woa. Visitors Turn Back." If you ignore the sign, you may run across a pen of Scottish terriers (whatever) and an AK-47 ("woa" indeed).
I get the need for quiet when writing - for some. Others write better in coffee shops or their favorite restaurant or diner. Seclusion - contrary to what Chute says and Peters echoes - is not always as necessary as some make it seem. What's important is for each of us to find where that spot is that we can get to on a regular basis and write consistently.
As other times, I struggle with the idea of complete seclusion to the extent that I live far away from people and discourage visitors. That is a very dangerous place to be, as the human mind is capable of convincing itself of terrifying things. That's why people need to be around other people, and writers need to be around other writers.
The catch - for writers at least - is that you don't need to be around just any writers; you owe it to yourself and to your work to be around writers who can get what you're trying to do and help you and encourage you in getting there.
So yes, during the act of writing, do whatever you need to for the ideas and creativity and productivity to flow; but after that, run toward people (not literally, you'll scare them off) and GET INVOLVED. It's a great feeling and experience to be around people in the same niche as yourself.
Comments
Post a Comment