I reaching a strange point in my writing journey: most of my ideas are best explored in a science fiction format, but I don't enjoy reading science fiction (lack of humor, humdrum prose, etc.). So I'm writing scripts for comic books. The 20-page, 6- issue arc is a structure that is very helpful for me. I can lay it out and say, Yes, 3 pages to introduce this character, 6 pp to heighten this conflict. And then the rest of the space, I can use how I want. Haven't sold one yet, but whatever.
The industry shares one characteristic with trad publishing: It's always on the verge of collapse. And its creators are MUCH less helpful than people like you and other prose writers -- years of weird chicanery have given creators a "pull the ladder up when you reach the treehouse" mentality. But I'm from Detroit. I'm stubborn. I will survive, and only use pipebombs as a last resort.
Thanks for this extremely interesting look into your writing process, Christine. Always inspiring. Since retiring from medicine, I find myself with many full days in a row to write and am having to struggle against the urge to procrastinate until late afternoon (although, I'm often very productive them). There's no magic forumla, that's for sure, but it's time to try early morning writing again, per your example.
It fascinates me that you have written ten full novels (plus significant partials) that remain unpublished. Maybe fascinates in a somewhat horrified way. If I found out a favorite author had multiple manuscripts stashed away, I would sure want at them. What do you think of the posthumous publication of works by well-known writers?
My husband and I are both writers. His job was writing, legal writing, explaining the law to non-lawyers, mainly. Not long before he retired, his salary climbed into six figures. Now that he’s retired, husband doesn’t write. I am at the opposite extreme. I am a poet. Poetry doesn’t make money. In fact, poets typically pay out — in reading fees, contest entry fees, classes — more than they ever garner. I have hella unpublished verbiage. I do publish regularly, though rarely in high prestige journals. I don’t keep office hours dedicated to writing, daily or otherwise, though for a poet I am generally considered prolific. Depending on poetry to pay a bill would be, in my case at any rate, madness. I cling to the notion (delusion?) that I am toiling in favor of a higher calling. I am free from the demands of the market. I guess? I pretend I am writing for the ages, that someone will care about my poems past my lifetime, but it is most likely my efforts will evaporate like the efforts of the vast majority of us when I am no longer around to keep them sweaty. A favorite author since childhood is L. Frank Baum. He wrote the Wizard of Oz. Baum was a King-Updike-esque professional in that he wrote a lot and made his living that way. I am currently reading some work he cranked out for newspapers. Long out of print, it is , sadly, bad writing. But there are enough people like me who fell head over heels for Baum’s good writing that, when we run out of it, will scrabble in the bin for a tad bit more, even if we end up disappointed.
This is terrific - I'm starting a...novel? book of short stories? linked stories? now and it's both exhilarating and terrifying to be diving into something new, after 8 years with the same set of characters. I love your dinner party metaphor! And the Enright quote. One of my favorite quotes, from Clarice Lispector: "I write and that way rid myself of me and then at last I can rest."
I reaching a strange point in my writing journey: most of my ideas are best explored in a science fiction format, but I don't enjoy reading science fiction (lack of humor, humdrum prose, etc.). So I'm writing scripts for comic books. The 20-page, 6- issue arc is a structure that is very helpful for me. I can lay it out and say, Yes, 3 pages to introduce this character, 6 pp to heighten this conflict. And then the rest of the space, I can use how I want. Haven't sold one yet, but whatever.
The industry shares one characteristic with trad publishing: It's always on the verge of collapse. And its creators are MUCH less helpful than people like you and other prose writers -- years of weird chicanery have given creators a "pull the ladder up when you reach the treehouse" mentality. But I'm from Detroit. I'm stubborn. I will survive, and only use pipebombs as a last resort.
Maybe it's thinking there are only so many seats in the boat, and they are not giving them up. A scarcity model.
Thanks for writing this, Christine. Summer/Fall 23 were pretty tough for me, so I just got around to reading this. So helpful . Thank you.
Thanks for this extremely interesting look into your writing process, Christine. Always inspiring. Since retiring from medicine, I find myself with many full days in a row to write and am having to struggle against the urge to procrastinate until late afternoon (although, I'm often very productive them). There's no magic forumla, that's for sure, but it's time to try early morning writing again, per your example.
It fascinates me that you have written ten full novels (plus significant partials) that remain unpublished. Maybe fascinates in a somewhat horrified way. If I found out a favorite author had multiple manuscripts stashed away, I would sure want at them. What do you think of the posthumous publication of works by well-known writers?
My husband and I are both writers. His job was writing, legal writing, explaining the law to non-lawyers, mainly. Not long before he retired, his salary climbed into six figures. Now that he’s retired, husband doesn’t write. I am at the opposite extreme. I am a poet. Poetry doesn’t make money. In fact, poets typically pay out — in reading fees, contest entry fees, classes — more than they ever garner. I have hella unpublished verbiage. I do publish regularly, though rarely in high prestige journals. I don’t keep office hours dedicated to writing, daily or otherwise, though for a poet I am generally considered prolific. Depending on poetry to pay a bill would be, in my case at any rate, madness. I cling to the notion (delusion?) that I am toiling in favor of a higher calling. I am free from the demands of the market. I guess? I pretend I am writing for the ages, that someone will care about my poems past my lifetime, but it is most likely my efforts will evaporate like the efforts of the vast majority of us when I am no longer around to keep them sweaty. A favorite author since childhood is L. Frank Baum. He wrote the Wizard of Oz. Baum was a King-Updike-esque professional in that he wrote a lot and made his living that way. I am currently reading some work he cranked out for newspapers. Long out of print, it is , sadly, bad writing. But there are enough people like me who fell head over heels for Baum’s good writing that, when we run out of it, will scrabble in the bin for a tad bit more, even if we end up disappointed.
How cool that you're using the book! I'd love to be a virtual guest. barbshoup@gmail.com
This is terrific - I'm starting a...novel? book of short stories? linked stories? now and it's both exhilarating and terrifying to be diving into something new, after 8 years with the same set of characters. I love your dinner party metaphor! And the Enright quote. One of my favorite quotes, from Clarice Lispector: "I write and that way rid myself of me and then at last I can rest."
Yes! Faith and lunacy. Great post
Another excellent installment of Bookish. Thanks so much for sharing your writing process for these three novels -- all of which I loved -- with us.
Excellent.