You are pushing a story along--one that has a fun premise but doesn't seem to have a good route to neat end. Your back hurts, your eyes are tired. Surfing the Internet seems like a good idea. What is Sandra doing? How about Kieran?
And suddenly, there it is. The jolt that makes it worthwhile. The thing that makes me want to get up tomorrow and come back to this wretched desk, this humming machine when I could go see Hunger Games. Your fingers or your brain seemed to do it all alone. You are just a passenger on this journey.
10 comments:
The brain on overdrive.
Love it when that happens. Had some of that yesterday and today, and it's why I write.
If a non-writer (of fiction) can throw in a question here: does it drive you crazy when you're working hard trying to write something you think is worthwhile (and perhaps, able to sell) and you read of some "celebrity" who has just "written" a book, or better yet signed a contract to "write" a book for more money than 99% of all writers will make in their lifetime?
It makes me crazy and I'm not even out there competing for shelf space with the latest opus from Snooki or whoever. It just goes along with my wife's frequent remarks about how teachers have to justify their salaries and summer vacations to people when athletes, rappers and "reality show" stars make their salaries look like pocket change.
I thought of it today when I read a few headlines (I don't read the articles) about Gwyneth Paltrow defending her cookbook and insisting that she wrote it all herself.
Jeff M.
I'll tell you what drives me most crazy. When a celebrity writes a book for kids. Publishers will take them, parents will buy them, passing up books by real writers. And since I detest Paltrow, I expect no less. She squandered what little talent she had IMHO.
Seem being the operative word. The same mechanism presents itself as supernatural to many.
Detest Paltrow? She's rather a pretentious fool, but is she worth that much effort? (I guess she summered in Spain or some such, or perhaps was simply a more attentive student of the language than I have been.)
And, remember, some of our mutual friends are writing those "celebrity" books for them (the better ones, usually, I suspect).
She thinks she has actually earned all that's come her way and not by the fact of having Hollywood royalty and a good gene pool to back her.
Considering her father died rather youngish, maybe not the best gene pool (also, the pretentious foolishness, if that has any genetic root).
Patti, excellent point! It drives Jackie crazy that every celebrity from Madonna to (pick a celebrity here) whomever gets a children's book published, no matter how useless, based on who they are.
The only such celebrity whose books I've heard her say were worthwhile was Jamie Lee Curtis.
Jeff M.
PS - Gwynnie is OK but she's no Blythe Danner.
Yes, yes yes!! I love when that happens. Best feeling in the world if you're a writer :-):-).
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