A Book On Writing Sunday, March 11, 2007

In my writing career, I've had moments.....okay, weeks....of discouragement. Fear of failure. Fear of success. Depression when I see my sales numbers and frantic stress as I view my edits. What in the world can pull me out from under my own negative chatter?

Recently, a friend bought me a book that she said I "had to read". Whatever. Let's face it. It's not like I have a nice quiet corner to plant myself and read a book. She sent it on as a gift.

I'm very grateful to her.

Anne Lamott has written a book called "Bird by Bird" and it's lifted my writing spirits. She talks frankly about the writing experience and all it's lovely twists and turns. Her perspective has given me both hope and relief. I found myself nodding at this little gem.

"Then the book came out. I got some terrific reviews in important places, and a few bad one. There were a few booksigning parties, a few interviews and a number of important people claimed to love it. But overall it seemed that I was not in fact going to be taking early retirement. I had secretly believed that trumpets would blare, major reviewers would proclaim that not since "Moby Dick" had an American novel captured life in all of its dizzying complexity. And this is what I thought when my second book came out, and my third and my fourth and my fifth. And each time I was wrong." "Bird By Bird" by Anne Lamott p.xxv-xxvi

The truth is that I, too, had secretly hoped that I'd "wow" everyone with my releases. I didn't. It's a PROCESS. I'm still learning the craft. I'm humbled when another writer (Karen Erikson) reads and critiques my work and has a working knowledge of the English language that I don't yet have. I'm improving, but I have a long way to go.

The thing about "Bird By Bird" is that it gives me an insight into my own process. Up until now, Stephen King's book "On Writing" has been my favorite writing book. I've replaced it with this one.

What's your "inspirational" book that can pull you out of the writing doldrums or any doldrums?