Hi friends. I’m doing my first interview about my book this week, so I had to sit down and have a think about how I wanted to talk about it. When I talk about writing, that is, when I utter it out loud, to an interviewer, or in front of an audience in a lecture hall, or to a group of people on a zoom screen, it feels more set and defined, and my feelings are at a remove. I’m being more careful because I don’t trust myself entirely to say the right thing. I’m an inherently awkward person, deep at my core, so I build up a protective wall when I open my mouth and try to connect with the world on this topic that is most precious to me.
My favorite part is what I think of as getting into 5th gear. Up to now I've been grinding gears, getting words on the page, even the terrible ones, and showing up because that's how the writing gets done. Then, when I shift into 5th and the words are flowing, I'm cruising along at 70 MPH and feel like this high could be endless. I could create any world, any character, any imagination.
When I go back to something I wrote a long time ago and gave up on, thinking it was horrible and the pain of putting words on the page was too much, only to find that what I wrote is actually pretty good. Maybe even great? In other words, discovering again and again that I'm always happy to have put the words on the page, even when it feels like crap.
My favorite part is finding the ending of a story/essay/project. It always seems that what I think is going to be the end never really is. And sometimes, what I thought was a middle is the end, or what I thought was the end was actually three lines too far. But when I finally land on what needs to be that last line—there's a feeling that comes with it like nothing else. I'm not a gymnast but I like to think of the feeling as "sticking the landing."
Happy happy birthday to you, Jami. The best is yet to come 🎉
My favorite part of writing fiction is when my character says something I didn't expect and it sets me on a new direction that leads to a plot beat I didn't imagine. Magic!
The best part of writing is retreading and catching things that need rewriting and then doing so. It’s like flossing: I never regret it when I floss after not really thinking I need to!
When I have been trying and trying to get an idea or a feeling or a truth for a character across--or even just a complex description--and finally I figure out how to arrange and connect the words the right way: THAT is the best feeling. Fun, yes, and also deeply satisfying--something that felt impossible became possible.
One thing I like about writing is that moment where it goes from work to pleasure, where I've had to drag myself to my desk or the page, and then I just...fall into the work. Like wading into water it's cold, cold, then I dunk myself under and I'm good, I'm in it. Another is a pleasure of perspective--when I've written something before, and go back to it, and find, hey, that is pretty good. Or when I discover something I forgot I'd written, it's like a secret message from my past self.
Happy birthday!! And thanks so much for keeping us all going out here - you've been an inspiration.
Happy, happy birthday. I love your writing and your generosity. 50's is the best of decades. Enjoy it.
My favorite part is what I think of as getting into 5th gear. Up to now I've been grinding gears, getting words on the page, even the terrible ones, and showing up because that's how the writing gets done. Then, when I shift into 5th and the words are flowing, I'm cruising along at 70 MPH and feel like this high could be endless. I could create any world, any character, any imagination.
When I go back to something I wrote a long time ago and gave up on, thinking it was horrible and the pain of putting words on the page was too much, only to find that what I wrote is actually pretty good. Maybe even great? In other words, discovering again and again that I'm always happy to have put the words on the page, even when it feels like crap.
My favorite is when I find myself chuckling at something I wrote in the editing process.
My favorite part is finding the ending of a story/essay/project. It always seems that what I think is going to be the end never really is. And sometimes, what I thought was a middle is the end, or what I thought was the end was actually three lines too far. But when I finally land on what needs to be that last line—there's a feeling that comes with it like nothing else. I'm not a gymnast but I like to think of the feeling as "sticking the landing."
Happy happy birthday to you, Jami. The best is yet to come 🎉
My favorite part of writing fiction is when my character says something I didn't expect and it sets me on a new direction that leads to a plot beat I didn't imagine. Magic!
The best part of writing is retreading and catching things that need rewriting and then doing so. It’s like flossing: I never regret it when I floss after not really thinking I need to!
When I have been trying and trying to get an idea or a feeling or a truth for a character across--or even just a complex description--and finally I figure out how to arrange and connect the words the right way: THAT is the best feeling. Fun, yes, and also deeply satisfying--something that felt impossible became possible.
Happy 50th!!!
One thing I like about writing is that moment where it goes from work to pleasure, where I've had to drag myself to my desk or the page, and then I just...fall into the work. Like wading into water it's cold, cold, then I dunk myself under and I'm good, I'm in it. Another is a pleasure of perspective--when I've written something before, and go back to it, and find, hey, that is pretty good. Or when I discover something I forgot I'd written, it's like a secret message from my past self.
When I write a joke about something awful that happened to me, and it connects, that's as close as I expect to get to alchemy.
Happy birthday!