Author PEN kicks off a new series on Book Talk. Authors talking about writing! Penny will be back next week with more information on her recent book, Nero's Fiddle.
Keeping It Simple
Most people don’t
even think about the effort put into writing a novel. But they’re not really
supposed to.
They don’t know
about the hours of research that go into writing. Staying up until the wee
hours of the morning or getting up in the middle of the night to work on
dialogue. Rewriting a section of work because you realize the writing is
awkward or needs clarification.
Agonizing over
the correct word usage, the syntax of the dialogue, descriptions, proofreading,
editing, proofreading, editing and, again, proofreading and editing.
Visiting another
part of the country, or even areas outside the country, in order to get a feel
for the environment, location, people and architecture to lend authenticity to
the work in progress.
As an example, my
most recent work, Nero’s Fiddle, is a
result of two years of research regarding an Electromagnetic Pulse. What causes
it, how it works, the damage it can do: all of this was instrumental to the
writing.
Then there was
visiting Washington, DC itself; a small, compact area rich in history housing
some of the most wonderful and memorable monuments of our heritage.
When the reader
holds the finished product in her/his hand, he/she isn’t contemplating the
effort put into it. She/he just wants to know if the book was worth the
investment.
Most people think
the act of creativity is easy. They think brushstrokes appear magically upon a
canvas. They think words flow easily from a pen (or a keyboard). They don’t
realize the hours it took to write the tome or paint the masterpiece. They know
nothing of the suffering endured in the creation. They do not equate the
creation of creativity with that of giving birth.
Creative people
suffer in silence.
But this is how it
is supposed to be. Revealing the suffering of the artist won’t necessarily make
the work more appealing. On the contrary, the easier the creation appears to
the audience, the more the audience appreciates the creation. If the audience
realized the work that went into the creation, they probably wouldn’t find it
more appealing. As a matter of fact, they would probably find it discouraging.
The object is that
the reader read that book to its completion, or the viewer appreciates that art
until s/he reaches the point where they ask themselves, who is this person? Then, s/he will research to find out what other
work you have done.
A well-written
book or a beautiful painting keeps the creator of such in the background. You
want the audience to focus on the end result, not on what went into its creation.
If a reader forgets about you while s/he is reading, you’ve done your job and
you’ve done it well.
By all means,
continue to suffer in silence. But do keep a bottle of aspirin and Bourbon on
hand. For yourself, of course.
Author PEN
