The hazards of biography

After reading a few biographies of well-known writers that left me liking the subjects less than I did beforehand, I began to ask myself whether it's possible for this not to happen. Generally we come to know writers through their work; we see the polished product. In a sense, we're seeing the best the writer has to offer. But any biography will acquaint us with the writer's flaws, sins, and worst moments as well. This is even true of writers who write memoir. After all, memoir is not autobiography, and what's included in a memoir is carefully chosen--not so much to make the writer look good, but to show us the world through that writer's perspective. Seeing the writer through a different perspective may be jarring.

But then, I don't need to like a writer to enjoy his or her work. There are several writers who sound, quite frankly, like pains in the neck IRL, but whose books still move me and entertain me. And who's perfect, anyway?

Surprise

At YA Outside the Lines, we've been blogging all month about endings. My contribution is about surprise twist endings. Which I love in fiction, if not so much in life.

It can be difficult to bring off a surprise twist without its feeling gimmicky; another danger is the reader feeling betrayed by the misdirection. But it can be satisfying if we think we are plodding toward a predictable resolution, only to find ourselves transported somewhere else. Every now and then, a surprise is a delight.

Talent, persistence, and luck

"The other day I had a letter that asked me to what I attribute my success. Of course, I do not have 'success' in the ordinary definition of that word, but I answered, 'A talent, persistence, and luck.'"
--May Sarton, At Seventy

Sarton was able to support herself with her writing, in a lifestyle that included a beautiful house on the Maine coast. She gave poetry readings to packed houses, and people waited in long lines at her book signings. Even though she often wrote of feeling short-changed by critics, she actually achieved a measure of success that few writers attain.

I don't have her level of success, but from what I've seen of others' careers, I would agree with her choice of the three ingredients. I've heard a few established writers say that persistence was the number one factor they saw in writers who "made it," that simple perseverence was more important than talent in the long run. And in recent years, I've come to appreciate the significant role that luck plays in writing success, as well as in life generally. Talent alone doesn't go far enough; it needs healthy doses of the other two.

Of the three, persistence is the only one over which we have any control. So we keep on typing, and thinking, and reading, and revising.

Home is

"Home is the cats, my books, and my work never done."
--Patti Smith, M Train

My version would be slightly adjusted:
"Home is my husband, the cat, my books, and my work never done."

The fact that the work is never done is actually a blessing, even though I have to stop and remind myself of that every now and then.

Digging through the toolbox

One of the advantages of having been at this writing game for so long is that I have a vast array of tools in my toolbox. Some of them get shoved to the back, covered up, or slide between the cracks. But eventually I remember they're in there.

Today I had a high-level, big-picture writing problem to approach. After staring blankly and apprehensively at the screen for a bit, I decided to brainstorm and plan in longhand. I routinely do my drafting and revising on the computer nowadays, but for some reason this task needed the concreteness and simplicity of pen on paper. Then I sat down to the electronic manuscript with a (handwritten) list of specific edits to make to this draft. For some reason, this worked on this particular day with this particular problem.

Another example of living my motto, "Whatever works." If one approach doesn't work, there are plenty more to try.

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Some light humor at a time of year when the nights are long and the days are cold.

Out-of-office messages:

"I am out of the office for the next week. If you have any questions in my absence, please look deep inside your soul for the answers."

"I am currently on vacation and am not giving this place a thought while I frolic in the sun and surf. I will answer your message when I drag myself, weeping, back to the office in two weeks."

"I am away. Whatever you are contacting me about, no, I didn't get to it before I left. Probably won't get to it when I come back, either."

"I am out searching for the meaning of life. If I don't find it, I'll be back at my desk in a week."

(These were inspired by a humorous out-of-office message I saw recently.)

The questions we need to answer

"I have never written a book that was not born out of a question I needed to answer for myself. Perhaps it is the need to remake order out of chaos over and over again. For art is order, but it is made out of the chaos of life."
--May Sarton, At Seventy: A Journal