Dam good metaphor. (Sorry, I had to.)😂 I entirely relate to the initial stage of non-writing. Whenever I begin a new In Defense of, I spend a good three weeks wandering around with it in my head, holding it loosely, letting it go, returning to it with fresh eyes, exploring it through all my senses (and especially mixing those senses up with synesthesia—I think that’s my most favorite part. It’s so fun to experience a topic through a sense that makes no sense!)
Fun to hear some bts on Harmony House. There are so many pebbles in that Great Lake mind of yours, it’s fun to imagine which ones are surfacing now.
Knowing how sensual your writing is, I can totally see that being a big part of your process. I’m honestly not sure of the quality of the rocks and dredging up to assemble this new story. It’s still too early to tell thank you for stopping by, as always. ❤️
What an interesting peek behind the curtain of your process!
I’ve never written a novel, and am not sure it would ever be my thing, but I love to read. I love being caught up in a story so rich that I hate putting it down. This happened in your most recent book. I couldn’t bear to move slowly each week with one chapter, so I saved them up and listened to three or four in a row.. ahhhhhh. That was satisfying.
I love that your friend encouraged you to keep writing.
I’ve noticed with many artists (of all genres) that there is a struggle to know when the completion has arrived. I imagine it’s something you just sense? What helps you know when a chapter or a book is complete ?
It’s a great question which is why I posed it to everyone here. When is something done? Perhaps the single biggest advantage to writing in any known format is that there are some understood boundaries that you must adhere to. For Departures, I had a target of around 2000 words for each chapter so I got into a bit of a routine for knowing how to bend the arc to fit in that dimension each week. Fortunately, I have a wonderful partner, who is great at telling me when to stop and let it go too! Thanks for stopping by and leaving your thoughts, Teyani.
Thanks for expanding on what you said in your essay. I understand a little more now. With my daughter and her painting, she tells me that it’s sometimes hard to look at a piece people think is finished because she always sees more that she wants to do.
I had no idea that there were understood boundaries that you must adhere to! Wow!
I love this metaphor, Ben - I've got a couple of my own, and I just find them all so helpful. And I love the moment you're comparing yourself to other authors and feeling like your efforts are macaroni art - and then in the same breath mentioning you're starting your 6th novel. 😂 Whatever keeps us going, I guess, because that's the only sure-fire strategy!
It’s true. I feel like my writing is so simple and childish when I read other writers. It takes a healthy dose of magical thinking to get back on the horse.
Lovely analogy and metaphor, Ben, plus I really enjoy hearing it in the context of Harmony House.
Whilst I haven't written anything as expansive as you, I entirely relate to that initial stage of letting things drift by and being observant and open as to what they are and waiting for that magical moment of when something snags.
Ben, I like your dam metaphor. Your books are so dam good--heh, heh! For me, it feels like little ideas start sticking together making new connections in the mind. And you're right, more ideas come floating downstream when we can relax and receive them. They accrete and become a larger concept, and then--an obsession. Projects can start to insert themselves into my disordered dreams and I can fill notebooks talking to myself on paper, making mind maps and sketches, trying to flesh an idea out. My constraint is time, right now. I feel like whatever quantity of hours I have in a week, it's never enough. So, given this reality, I'm trying to work a little smaller. A little more quickly. Just trying to make something concentrated into little chunks that might be something interesting when assembled all together.
Thank you, Ann. It’s fascinating to hear how you approach your work. I can definitely identify with the challenge of no time. It does make you have to really focus your thought.
Dam good metaphor. (Sorry, I had to.)😂 I entirely relate to the initial stage of non-writing. Whenever I begin a new In Defense of, I spend a good three weeks wandering around with it in my head, holding it loosely, letting it go, returning to it with fresh eyes, exploring it through all my senses (and especially mixing those senses up with synesthesia—I think that’s my most favorite part. It’s so fun to experience a topic through a sense that makes no sense!)
Fun to hear some bts on Harmony House. There are so many pebbles in that Great Lake mind of yours, it’s fun to imagine which ones are surfacing now.
Knowing how sensual your writing is, I can totally see that being a big part of your process. I’m honestly not sure of the quality of the rocks and dredging up to assemble this new story. It’s still too early to tell thank you for stopping by, as always. ❤️
What an interesting peek behind the curtain of your process!
I’ve never written a novel, and am not sure it would ever be my thing, but I love to read. I love being caught up in a story so rich that I hate putting it down. This happened in your most recent book. I couldn’t bear to move slowly each week with one chapter, so I saved them up and listened to three or four in a row.. ahhhhhh. That was satisfying.
I love that your friend encouraged you to keep writing.
I’ve noticed with many artists (of all genres) that there is a struggle to know when the completion has arrived. I imagine it’s something you just sense? What helps you know when a chapter or a book is complete ?
It’s a great question which is why I posed it to everyone here. When is something done? Perhaps the single biggest advantage to writing in any known format is that there are some understood boundaries that you must adhere to. For Departures, I had a target of around 2000 words for each chapter so I got into a bit of a routine for knowing how to bend the arc to fit in that dimension each week. Fortunately, I have a wonderful partner, who is great at telling me when to stop and let it go too! Thanks for stopping by and leaving your thoughts, Teyani.
Thanks for expanding on what you said in your essay. I understand a little more now. With my daughter and her painting, she tells me that it’s sometimes hard to look at a piece people think is finished because she always sees more that she wants to do.
I had no idea that there were understood boundaries that you must adhere to! Wow!
Glad your partner is someone you can rely upon.
I love this metaphor, Ben - I've got a couple of my own, and I just find them all so helpful. And I love the moment you're comparing yourself to other authors and feeling like your efforts are macaroni art - and then in the same breath mentioning you're starting your 6th novel. 😂 Whatever keeps us going, I guess, because that's the only sure-fire strategy!
It’s true. I feel like my writing is so simple and childish when I read other writers. It takes a healthy dose of magical thinking to get back on the horse.
Lovely analogy and metaphor, Ben, plus I really enjoy hearing it in the context of Harmony House.
Whilst I haven't written anything as expansive as you, I entirely relate to that initial stage of letting things drift by and being observant and open as to what they are and waiting for that magical moment of when something snags.
Ben, I like your dam metaphor. Your books are so dam good--heh, heh! For me, it feels like little ideas start sticking together making new connections in the mind. And you're right, more ideas come floating downstream when we can relax and receive them. They accrete and become a larger concept, and then--an obsession. Projects can start to insert themselves into my disordered dreams and I can fill notebooks talking to myself on paper, making mind maps and sketches, trying to flesh an idea out. My constraint is time, right now. I feel like whatever quantity of hours I have in a week, it's never enough. So, given this reality, I'm trying to work a little smaller. A little more quickly. Just trying to make something concentrated into little chunks that might be something interesting when assembled all together.
Thank you, Ann. It’s fascinating to hear how you approach your work. I can definitely identify with the challenge of no time. It does make you have to really focus your thought.