A Writer’s Journal: First day — trusting the muse?
I started a new book today. Writing a new book.
Here’s what I did.
I just opened a document and I started to write.
Who said, “Writing is easy. You just open a vein and bleed on the page” ?Something like that. It’s credited to many different authors. But I don’t share their feeling of pain.
I LOVE to write. Writing makes me feel good. Writing is my JOY.
Here is the hard part.
Letting go.
I have no idea what I’m writing about. But I have this image. It’s the image of a house. A cottage. That paints a better picture.
It’s a lovely little cottage. Balanced. Door in the middle, windows on both sides. I think it’s a white cottage, but maybe it’s natural wood.
Gables? Maybe. Shutters? Probably.
Red roses all around. Low white picket fence.
I kept writing about this place. And trusting that the story would come.
And it did.
The story is evolving.
I don’t like to write this way. But I am. I know this is the way for this story. The story is already there. I just need to be the conduit. To get the words down. To share with the world. Or with those people who need to read it.
The story is already there. But it is for me only to write. I am the unique person to write this tale.
It is a story of trust. Of redemption. Of love.
Already, it has emerged as a story of a relationship between a woman and a young man.
What’s at stake? Can the woman be? Can the young man learn to trust?
How does a writer write?
As Annie Lamott said, “Bird by bird.”
You write a book word by word.
The writer needs to be open to ideas.
There are pantsers and planners. Those who plan and plot out the story.
I cannot wait to see where this story goes.
I cannot wait to see what turns up.
I cannot wait to see who I will meet on the pages of this book.
I remember Steven Pressfield talking about his book The Legend of Bagger Vance.
He told his publisher what his idea was for his next novel. And while the concept was not immediately embraced, this novel turned out to be GREAT.
It was made into a major motion picture starring Matt Damon, Charlize Therone, Will Smith and many others.
Mike Birbiglia even references it in his legendary story about getting ‘T-boned — the culinary term’ when his rental car was hit by a driver who had had “a sip of beer.” (Mike is an amazing story teller. If you don’t know this story, please take the time to watch.)
Like Dory said in ‘Finding Nemo,’ Just Keep Swimming.
