invisible words

"The pages are still blank, but there is a miraculous feeling of the words being there, written in invisible ink and clamoring to become visible." Vladimir Nabokov (1899-1977)

There's a humility in this view point. And it seem to me to be the true one: the view of writer as the servant of the story--whose job is to discover as much as create. To listen and transcribe. The writer basically as scribe. 

It's about the story, not about you the writer.

Do you ever have the feeling that if you don't show up and get those words visible--QUICK--they might just give up on you and go somewhere else to someone who will?

That's motivation to keep showing up. Being available, there, to listen to whatever's happening that day. To whatever your characters are talking about. 

As one editor told me once "Put your characters in a room and listen to what they say."

It's like a show going on in your computer every day. Why would you want to miss that? 

kid with aspergers interviews his mom

This is animation set to a real interview: a 12-year old boy with Aspergers interviews his mom. What a great conversation. What thoughtful questions. What a mom!

Posted via email from s@lly l-j

progress

"The fatal metaphor of progress, which means leaving things behind us, has utterly obscured the real idea of growth, which means leaving things inside us." 

G K Chesteron

wow. what, I wonder, would he have to say to us today about what we're up to?

maybe that all this busy connecting on twitter, facebook etc--if not kept in check--is in danger of leaving us more disconnected?

that all this "socializing" leaves us less social?

that all these "conversations" leaves us less able to communicate?

that listening to all the chatter leaves us less able to hear anything?

that calling our thousands of connections "friends" devalues friendship which is one of the most rare and precious gifts we are given?

Posted via email from s@lly l-j