I just read this article about John Grisham on CNN.com. As someone who just finished an M.F.A. and is pushing forward on making a writing career that one day will sustain me, I enjoyed this profile. Of course, I've been a Grisham fan for a while. What I love about him is that he is a great storyteller; his writing (as he himself notes here) is far from literary, but it holds your attention. He's found a successful formula and it works.
I also admire Grisham because he has stepped away from his legal thrillers and experimented in some other areas, trying out writing he wants to do not knowing if it will necessarily sell. I suppose at this point with the success he's had, he can afford to do this. But I can only think that the first time he attempted this was a bit of a risk, and that he had people telling him "stick with what works" instead of supporting his desires to try new things.
What really stood out to me in this article is when he talks about the discipline he applied when writing his first novel: an alarm clock that went off at 5 a.m. I commitment to be at his desk, writing, by 5:30 a.m. A page a day, whether it took 10 minutes or an hour.
This isn't the first time I've read about Grisham's discipline and his method for completing his first novel. But it's what I keep finding that I have to repeatedly harp on myself about. Writing is about discipline. A little at a time. Slow and steady. Bird by bird. We've heard it, we've read it, we've preached it ourselves. But to put it into practice everyday doesn't get any easier the longer we do this.
Next week is winter break. I plan to spend it with my family, and then get down to business. It's been an inspiring couple of months "free form" exploring many possibilities, researching writing opportunities, submitting essays to magazines....but after the vacation week, it will be time to reinstate some discipline and WRITE! Everyday, same time, same place...bird by bird, one page at a time.
Please keep sharing your writing adventures here! I'd especially love to hear from some of the other graduates who haven't yet posted -- what are you up to? How are you doing?
Keep writing-
Anne
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3 comments:
Good post Anne! Yup, poco a poco as they say down here in PR. Little by little.
Thanks for the reminder!
Thanks for the reminder, Anne. I haven't written much at all these past two months. I don't know if it's post-MFA stress relief or fear or plain laziness. But here we go: if you can set yourself a goal, I can too. Start small and re-create the habit: that's what I'll do. Kir
Kir- Funny, I've thought a lot about this writing process post graduation and have had the same list. I think writing is like any exercise program. There are days you can't stop, there are days you never want to begin, and if you stay away too long it's hard to get back on track. But steady, forward...that's where you see improvement, that's where you accomplish. But even Olympians have down times and burnout -- you got to just ease back in and it will soon enough be like you've never stopped.
Anne
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