I am not even close to being a genius, but I do have deep mule-ish tendencies. (Stout, stiff hind legs, and an iron forehead.) I think I can aspire to dumb determination.
Which is such a comfort.
Success usually has more to do with dumb determination than with genius. -- Joshua Prince-Ramus, as quoted in Making Ideas Happen.
Even though I know better, I still have days when I feel like I need perfect peace and quiet in order to work. Those are frustrating days, chasing ideal conditions that are never within reach.
When I accept the chaos, somehow that acceptance makes room for the work. Allowing the craziness. Leaning in to the insanity. Whenever I stop fighting it, I free up just enough energy to grab those five minutes and use them to get something done.
In and around. Sometimes that's what the process looks like.
How else, except amid chaos, to get anything done? -- Wendy Rawlings (from her essay in Rules of Thumb)
This comes from Eric Maisel's genius little book, A Writer's Paris. I have maybe read it a dozen times? My book-loving heart feels a thrill whenever I pick it up, because it's the perfect size, well-bound, and gorgeous. It's also packed with brilliant writing advice, and bonus, it feels like a trip to Paris. (Only cheaper.)
We could all do worse than to pick up this book and a croissant and some strong coffee, and then write all afternoon. Hmm. There's an idea.
I love the No matter what-ness of this quote. Regardless of where you are, regardless of the hang-ups. It is all too easy for me to focus on the difficulties, and magnify them until all I see is my inability to work.
How lovely (and freeing!) to flip it, and focus on writing right where I am.
In spite of being tired and confused, in spite of being in suburban Midwest (aka not Paris), in spite of not knowing--ever, it seems--what comes next.
Read MoreNo matter how prepared for silence I think I am, the first post of a blog always feels eerie. Kind of like I threw a party for myself, setting out the appetizers and making small talk with my shadow.
What makes it doubly eerie is that I'm plunging back into my daily writing practice after four months off. Blowing the dust off my files and story work. Remembering all the little daily tricks that work, as well as the mental traps that don't.
A lot of beginnings, all at once.
So instead of having a party of one here on the Internet, I thought I'd bring in a bunch of voices to keep me company. Courage in numbers, perhaps? It's a bit like turning on the stereo, cranking up the music before the guests arrive. (And maybe having a mini dance party as well.)
What will I be playing? Well, it's something of a mix tape.
Read More
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