Ah, the joys of air travel. It was a wonderful weekend in New York, a real reunion, full of family members I haven’t seen in months and even some I haven’t seen in years. I’m so glad I went, and my still reduced stamina wouldn’t have given me much trouble if not for the return flight home. We awoke early in order to get the 8 am flight only to find out at 10 am that it had to be cancelled due to technical problems. So, eleven hours later, we boarded the dreaded overnight flight. One movie (Woody Allen’s latest, “Vicki Cristina Barcelona”), one meal, 3 hours of lying there awake with my eyes closed, 2 hours of Heathrow nonsense and London traffic before I was nearly crawling on my hands and knees up the stairs to my bed for a couple of hours sleep. And now here I am, attempting to compose a semi-coherent blog post. As the members of the old Mickey Mouse Club used to say (now I’m really showing my age), “Why? Because we love you.”
In my delirium, I did a lot of thinking. First, I decided that I must, for my own sanity, stop spending so much of my time and energy thinking about how I’m going to sell my work, publicize my novel, produce my play, submit my poetry etc etc. 2008 was a very big year for me, but in some ways it now feels as if I tried to squeeze an entire career’s-worth of accomplishments into twelve months. It’s time to stop forcing, to start trusting, and get back to the joy of the work. (In a few months, somebody out there please remind me that I made this decision….) And I started to think about how I was going to proceed with writing novel 2 now that I can feel myself getting ready to get back to work. The first draft of everything except the last chapter is written and I had assumed I would just persevere to the end and then go back to the beginning and do the first big batch of edits/additions/deletions. But I think I’m going to do something very unusual for me. I think I might leave that last chapter unwritten for a while and go back to page one now. Somehow that feels right, and maybe it will yield some surprises for the end. The idea of working in this new way is getting me excited about the book again, which is a good thing because I’m already finding myself casting my eye around for ideas for novel 3. Too soon, too soon.
All this wondering and thinking then reminded me of one of my favourite writers, someone I’ve learned so much from and have so much respect for — Anthony Trollope. Yes, I know, he’s just an old Victorian with an overgrown beard who cared too much about fox hunting and was
A-type compulsive to beat the band. And yet, I love him. I love his novels. I love his voice, his characters (especially his women), his humour and his audacity. And I remembered that this summer I finally got a chance to read his Autobiography, and the entire time I was reading it I was thinking about how I wanted to put some of his pearls of wisdom into a blog. So here they are:
*About his mother, Fanny Trollope: She continued writing up to 1856, when she was seventy-six years old — and had at that time produced 114 volumes of which the first was not written till she was fifty. Her career offers great encouragement to those who have not begun early in life but are still ambitious to do something before they depart hence.
* …I took in good part [the publisher] Mr. Colburn’s assurance that he could not encourage me in the [writing] career I had commenced. I would have bet twenty to o
ne against my own success. But, by continuing, I could lose only pen and paper, and if the one chance in twenty did turn up in my favour, then how much might I win!
* About an early work, “La Vendee”: I had, however, received £20. Alas, alas, years were to roll by before I should earn by my pen another shilling.
* My novels, whether good or bad, have been as good as I could make them. Had I taken three months of idleness between each they would have been no better. Feeling convinced of this I finished ‘Doctor Thorne’ on one day, and began ‘The Bertrams’ on the next.
* More than nine-tenths of my literary work has been done in the last twenty years, and during twelve of those years I followed another profession. I have never been a slave to this work, giving due time if not more than due time to the amusements I have loved. But
I have been constant — and constancy in labour will conquer all difficulties.
There’s much more, but this is probably enough for now. All I can say is, “Thanks, Uncle Anthony.”
Sue, I will keep reminded you not to think about all those things if you keep reminding me too. I really like the Trollope quotes, especially “Had I taken three months of idleness between each they would have been no better. Feeling convinced of this I finished ‘Doctor Thorne’ on one day, and began ‘The Bertrams’ on the next.” Very inspirational – personally, I would have taken than to mean I could afford the three months of idleness! Welcome home.
An interesting read. With ‘her’ transmuted to ‘his’, I shall draw comfort and encouragement from: ‘Her career offers great encouragement to those who have not begun early in life but are still ambitious to do something before they depart hence.’
As the members of the old Mickey Mouse Club used to say (now I’m really showing my age), “Why? Because we love you.”
Loved the Trollope quote which was most comforting – but the bit above warmed my heart – When Annette Funicello made her first entrance in ‘The Sopranos’ I waved my arms about and sang ‘Who’s the leader of the club/that’s made for youi and me…’ which led to a long boring explanation to my loved ones, who were not Mousequeteers.
I rather like the idea of not doing the last chapter… until later. If it feels right, do it.
I’m relieved and interested to hear of his mother and her late starting …
Interesting how different people work. I always take breaks if I’m writing something, maybe four or five breaks during 80,000 words, where I go back to the beginning and edit/correct the book up to whatever point I’m at. I do this if I’m stuck, or I’ve lost momentum and I find that not only do I (hopefully) pick up where the weak points are and correct any continuity as I go, but I also (hopefully) get caught up in the story again and, as you said, get the enthusiasm running again. So by the time I get to finish the last chapter, I’ve probably edited parts of the story several times.
I’m cheered by the fact that Trollope wrote whilst working another profession, makes me feel better! I wonder whether he edited as he went or not…
Love those Trollope quotes. And need to pay heed to them.
Glad you’re back safe and sound. Right – write, don’t think:-)
Tania: I’ll rely on your reminder
Patteran: Thanks, and good to see you here.
Kate: I didn’t know Annette Funicello was on Sopranos! I just started watching the dvd’s, and now I’m even more excited!
JJ: I make it a point to collect quotations about “late starters”, some of which are pinned to my wall as inspiration that there’s still time 🙂
Joe:That’s how I wrote Tangled Roots, the way you do, but I thought I’d try to plow right through with this one. But I guess the point is just to do what works, eh?
Lane: Hi, and I just realized I haven’t linked you. Shame on me. Am off to remedy that now!
I’ve always liked Trollope’s bit about the daily count … “When I have commenced a new book, I have always prepared a diary, divided into weeks, and carried it on for the period which I have allowed myself for the completion of the work. In this I have entered, day by day, the number of pages I have written, so that if at any time I have slipped into idleness for a day or two, the record of that idleness has been there, staring me in the face, and demanding of me increased labour, so that the deficiency might be supplied. According to the circumstances of the time,—whether my other business might be then heavy or light, or whether the book which I was writing was or was not wanted with speed,—I have allotted myself so many pages a week. The average number has been about 40. It has been placed as low as 20, and has risen to 112. And as a page is an ambiguous term, my page has been made to contain 250 words; and as words, if not watched, will have a tendency to straggle, I have had every word counted as I went.”
David – I love that quote, too, and almost put it into the blog, but decided it was too long. I’m so glad you took the trouble. Thanks!
So pleased you’ve started the year having found a way to move forward.
Exciting, innit?
Glad you’re home safely, Sue. And I think it’s great you’re going to focus on the joy of the work; it’s easy to get consumed by the “publicity machine” …