Mary Smathers
I have a two part answer for this question. One answer is about the inspiration. And the other answer is about the practical, actually sitting down to write part of the process.
For fiction, I think you need to be inspired. I am highly motivated by people I know who do great things or people I met or heard about who dealt with incredible hardship and persevered. You have to feel strongly about something in order to tell a story, I think. So passion, compassion or anger or awe—those are great, strong emotions to have within you when you write.
Sometimes when I read my own stories out loud as an editing technique, I cry. When I read the part about Connie, who struggles with constant money problems in The Great Stagnation, being recognized by her entire community for the dignity and competence with which she does her job, year after year, I cry. I love my characters deeply. I admire them and their struggles. I applaud their achievements, no matter how little. So my work comes from a place of strong emotion. You have to really care. You have to find beauty in the smallest things and be determined to represent that to your audience.
I hope others admire Connie and think about what people like her endure and maybe have greater compassion toward a Connie in their life in the future. To me, Connie is a hero. She comes to work everyday with dignity and pride and determination to help others, despite her own struggles. And with a spirit of grace. She finds artistry in what to many people is a very mundane, unimportant, undervalued job. She never complains, never blames others, even though there are many things beyond Connie’s control which make her economic struggles just not right. But such is the way for many. I have met many people like her through my life and work and I have always admired such people.
The second part of getting ready to write has to be very practical. Don’t read your email, surf the internet for travel deals, cruise facebook, try to write and then go back to email. My content editor, Rachel Howard, gave me great advice on this. She said if you are doing your to do list and emails, then go garden or something different before you start writing. She also recommended reading some really wonderful writing you love for at least 20 minutes before you begin writing. Great advice. It helps your brain set the stage for going into a place of writing with calm, beauty and inspiration. Read before you write.
And give it focused, dedicated time. Don’t just try to fit it in with all your other menial tasks. If you value writing, you have to make a place for it in your day, in your life.
For fiction, I think you need to be inspired. I am highly motivated by people I know who do great things or people I met or heard about who dealt with incredible hardship and persevered. You have to feel strongly about something in order to tell a story, I think. So passion, compassion or anger or awe—those are great, strong emotions to have within you when you write.
Sometimes when I read my own stories out loud as an editing technique, I cry. When I read the part about Connie, who struggles with constant money problems in The Great Stagnation, being recognized by her entire community for the dignity and competence with which she does her job, year after year, I cry. I love my characters deeply. I admire them and their struggles. I applaud their achievements, no matter how little. So my work comes from a place of strong emotion. You have to really care. You have to find beauty in the smallest things and be determined to represent that to your audience.
I hope others admire Connie and think about what people like her endure and maybe have greater compassion toward a Connie in their life in the future. To me, Connie is a hero. She comes to work everyday with dignity and pride and determination to help others, despite her own struggles. And with a spirit of grace. She finds artistry in what to many people is a very mundane, unimportant, undervalued job. She never complains, never blames others, even though there are many things beyond Connie’s control which make her economic struggles just not right. But such is the way for many. I have met many people like her through my life and work and I have always admired such people.
The second part of getting ready to write has to be very practical. Don’t read your email, surf the internet for travel deals, cruise facebook, try to write and then go back to email. My content editor, Rachel Howard, gave me great advice on this. She said if you are doing your to do list and emails, then go garden or something different before you start writing. She also recommended reading some really wonderful writing you love for at least 20 minutes before you begin writing. Great advice. It helps your brain set the stage for going into a place of writing with calm, beauty and inspiration. Read before you write.
And give it focused, dedicated time. Don’t just try to fit it in with all your other menial tasks. If you value writing, you have to make a place for it in your day, in your life.
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