Get Lost ... in Your Writing

by Gary Fearon, Creative Director, Southern Writers Magazine

In the March/April issue of Southern Writers, our popular feature "Magnolia Corner" asks the question:

Who do you trust to read your first draft?

The answers we received from Karen White, Cindy Woodsmall, Marji Laine, Joy Ross Davis, Randy Ingermanson, Stephanie Bennett, Bryan E. Powell, Hope Denney, E.E. Kennedy and Connie Chastain are as diverse as the genres they write in.

One thing they have in common is a degree of bravery.  It takes some fortitude to fork over your hard-fought words for their first reading.

An even more important trait they share is that of choosing those readers with care.  By making a discriminating selection, they are assured of getting constructive feedback which will be valuable for their first rewrite.

Getting to the end of a first draft is usually a mix of satisfying and scary, excitement and dread.  But your book has made it to the page from start to finish, and hopefully the rewrite can be met with the same enthusiasm.

But what if you're having trouble even getting to the end of the first draft?

The reasons are multitudinous, and here are some of the more common culprits:

• The story stalls midway through
• It's not as easy as you hoped
• It's not as perfect as you envisioned
• You gave someone a sneak peek and lost that initial spark
• You gave someone a sneak peek and let a discouraging word sink in
• You're self-editing and stifling your creativity

Even the most experienced authors can become their own worst enemy midway through the first draft by listening to the negative voices of self-judgment.

That's when many authors find it helpful to try to separate themselves from their writing.  Often, this is attempted by putting the project aside indefinitely (not the recommended choice, because it may never get returned to).  A more advisable method is to become the conduit, rather than the creator.

Steven Pressfield, the author of The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks & Win Your Inner Creative Battles, is a champion of learning to listening to inspiration.  He writes:

“This is the other secret that real artists know and wannabe writers don’t. When we sit down each day and do our work, power concentrates around us. The Muse takes note of our dedication. She approves. We have earned favor in her sight. When we sit down and work, we become like a magnetized rod that attracts iron filings. Ideas come. Insights accrete.”

Remind me to look up "accrete".

Zen masters go on long journeys to find themselves.  In truth, they are really attempting to lose themselves.  Achieving the elevated state some call "no mind" may not sound easy to do when you're living with yourself 24/7, but in the creative arts it's well worth the effort (or better yet, just try letting go and not trying so hard).

By emptying yourself of the critical you, you make room for the inspiration and motivation that's trying to get back in.

When your creativity gets stuck, step outside yourself and stop, look and listen for what's just beyond you.  If you're lucky you'll get completely lost, and your story will bring you home.

The Risk a Writer Should Take

by Gary Fearon, Creative Director, Southern Writers Magazine

Whether or not you're familiar with the music of Jeff Beck, you've probably at least heard his name. After replacing Eric Clapton as a member of the 60s group The Yardibirds, he went on to become one of the most influential guitarists in rock music.  His prowess with a pick caused bands no less than Pink Floyd and The Rolling Stones to request his membership.

And yet, no one has ever heard Jeff Beck's finest performances, except Jeff Beck.  He explains that when the recording light comes on, the pressure of doing a perfect take inevitably gets in the way of ultimate artistry.  Playing in front of a live audience offers the same impediment, even for this very experienced player.  The best performances of his life tend to happen while sitting on a couch and noodling on his guitar, to no one but himself.

Without the pressure of perfection, an artist is free to try anything, and make as many mistakes as they want without consequence.  That freedom will often translate into magic.

Recently another songster said that to become a great songwriter, one should write a lot of bad songs.  The premise behind that, of course, is not to create inferior music, but to be willing to make mistakes, and to use each one as a learning tool.

Nobody likes to make mistakes, but if we adapt our belief system and recognize them as criticism-free teachers, the freedom of imperfection can be liberating.

Whether we're sitting at a piano writing a concerto or at a computer keyboard writing a novel, the same principles apply.  If we approach creativity with a strict set of rules, afraid to try new things and make mistakes, we are only strangling the muse.  Harboring that mentality, we will never achieve our best work.

Thanks to editing, a writer can make as many mistakes as it takes and go back and fix them.  Therefore, don't feel like the first draft has to be perfect.  If that was the case, there'd be no such thing as a second draft or a final draft.

Celebrate imperfection and let the magic come forth unimpaired.  Don't make the mistake of not making mistakes.  The more we make, the less likely we'll make them again.  As it has been said, making a mistake once is an accident.  Making it twice is a choice.