Thank you for this reflection—especially because for me the answer has changed over the past twenty years. And that’s excellent. It’s all part of acknowledging “this is where I am now,” which helps me actually DO the work.
I stumbled across this from A.S. Byatt: 'T.S. Eliot once said about Tennyson that Tennyson had two of the qualities of a great poet. One of them was a great lyric gift, and the other was enormous output. And he obviously felt that if you were a genius, you actually wrote a lot. And I remember looking at Tennyson, and looking at Eliot — who didn’t write a lot — and thinking that Eliot was actually right…. And I remember thinking that if you’re going to be really good you’ve got to learn to write faster and in a less inhibited way. And trust your own gift. To trust that what you do is any good.'
I am trying so hard to get to the end of this book I've been working for over a decade! I don't mean "the end" in the plot, but the end of working on it. The draft is done, and I've been editing on a loop for a few years now ... and editing, and editing, and editing. It's my first book, obviously, and I'm having trouble figuring out when to let go. I think I just have to make this round of edits the best I can, and then say, I'm done ... time to throw it to the winds of fate and see if anyone likes it enough to publish it.
About something but not everything. Okay, that one hits me. Reading that it occurred to me that’s what I have a bad habit of doing, needing to include everything. Here’s the thing though: I’m a radio producer, and every time I have a guest in studio they say afterwards, “ Oh I had so much more to say,” or “I forgot to say this,” or “I didn’t get to say that.” And I am always the one telling them that you can never say everything and you will always forget something. Physician heal thyself! Thanks Jami.
Thank you for this reflection—especially because for me the answer has changed over the past twenty years. And that’s excellent. It’s all part of acknowledging “this is where I am now,” which helps me actually DO the work.
Jami. I always love reading you. Thank you for this reflection and all of them really.
Appreciate you Michelle!
I think this was my favorite dispatch from you re: writing life. Thanks!
Ah that's so nice to hear!
I stumbled across this from A.S. Byatt: 'T.S. Eliot once said about Tennyson that Tennyson had two of the qualities of a great poet. One of them was a great lyric gift, and the other was enormous output. And he obviously felt that if you were a genius, you actually wrote a lot. And I remember looking at Tennyson, and looking at Eliot — who didn’t write a lot — and thinking that Eliot was actually right…. And I remember thinking that if you’re going to be really good you’ve got to learn to write faster and in a less inhibited way. And trust your own gift. To trust that what you do is any good.'
(From here: https://web.archive.org/web/20201229080311/https://bradspurgeon.com/writing-on-writers-and-writing/long-lost-1991-interview-with-a-s-byatt-mainly-about-prolificity/)
Thank you for sharing this!
I am trying so hard to get to the end of this book I've been working for over a decade! I don't mean "the end" in the plot, but the end of working on it. The draft is done, and I've been editing on a loop for a few years now ... and editing, and editing, and editing. It's my first book, obviously, and I'm having trouble figuring out when to let go. I think I just have to make this round of edits the best I can, and then say, I'm done ... time to throw it to the winds of fate and see if anyone likes it enough to publish it.
About something but not everything. Okay, that one hits me. Reading that it occurred to me that’s what I have a bad habit of doing, needing to include everything. Here’s the thing though: I’m a radio producer, and every time I have a guest in studio they say afterwards, “ Oh I had so much more to say,” or “I forgot to say this,” or “I didn’t get to say that.” And I am always the one telling them that you can never say everything and you will always forget something. Physician heal thyself! Thanks Jami.
And also people are only listening for certain things!
Exactly!