This post is going to be a little rambling, as sometimes my posts are. I have not had silence for weeks and maybe months and most people in their daily lives do not have a lot of silence. I think writers need more silent times than other people. These are the times when we are thinking, creating, dreaming and hearing the voices of our characters or seeing our characters lounging on their couches, or arguing with their partners, or crying or laughing, basically, and weirdly, they are living.
I love this quote from Kate Eltham from the QWC (I am loving what she writes on the covering letter every month, I never used to read them and now I always read her musings.) which says:
"... writers who understand. They understand that I'm staring vacantly out the window because I'm thinking about my story, and not because I am a bit funny in the head. They understand that it is normal to have conversations (out loud) with my characters when I'm driving to work. They understand because they, too, are writers." (July QWC Newsletter).
Hemingway talks about listening to Gertrude Stein rant and rave about other authors and writing, even though he didn't agree with her. He just listened anyway. Listening is a lost art, I think. People exchanging ideas and politely listening until others have finished.
An inheritance that I hate the most from television, videos, games, music, modern culture is the way we don't listen to each other anymore. It's like our attention span is zero! That is what I notice about the current situation. However, there are people who listen well and these people are less exhausting to be around. I like to hear about other people's lives and stories. We will not learn anything if we lose this art altogether. It will just be about our own opinions and views on the world and there is not exchange of relationship or ideas. There is nothing interchanged between the people in conversation unless they both listen at some point to one another.
I had a great trip to Brisbane on Monday, in which I met with my friend Jenni Messina. We chatted about writing our novels, our occasional impatience with the process and our writing styles. It was wonderful to be with another person who feels the same as me and listen to her experiences and finding they were similar to mine. This is always good.
As a side point: I was extremely chuffed by Veny's comment about my chapter from my novel that it was: "extremely evocative."
4 comments:
Hi Suzanne, your posts are always interesting. Self-doubt is a bit of a crippler, but it does go away again with the next bit of writing that swims uninvited into ones head. I'm always surprised at how quickly I lose interest in a story once I've written it, especially with all the agonising that goes with actually doing the writing. Nothing for it except to keep moving forward. Keep it up, regards Barbara
Thanks Barbara. I love it that you read my blogging and comment too. It is nice to hear from you. My novel is getting back off the ground, so I am getting excited about that. Thanks again, by the way are you able to come to the maleny writers festival (sept 28-30)?
Hi Suzanne, no I'm heading off to North America on the 28th Sept, but next year if it's on I'll definitely be there.My travel blog is ready to go (of course), I'll send you an email alert once I'm happily showing off on a global scale. I'm really looking forward to my next adventures (last year I went to Russia and had heaps of fun blogging, in fact I hardly had time to be a tourist, the blog took on a life force of its own). You sound pretty happy with your unfolding work, so that's good. regards Barbara
Hi Barbara
I am fascinated to know where you are going. What is your blog address? Is it the same as the writing one?
Yes, I am happier with my novel right now. It is moving forward.
I can't wait to read about your travels and be very jealous.
all the best.
suzanne
Post a Comment