Recently, a close writing friend told me he would forgive a writer for a messy plot if there was underlying passion and depth.
I agreed.
When you pick up your typical mass market paperback, you’re presented with a perfectly formulated product. It was written to appeal to a wide audience, easily digestible and mildly entertaining. These books often repeat themselves in endless series to keep readers buying indefinitely.
These kinds of books might help pass a few hours on the train, but will they change your life?
Probably not.
Why?
Often, it’s because the writer prioritized formula over feeling. They followed the market instead of sharing their soul. They didn’t bleed for it. And you can tell. You can feel that the heart of the writer is missing.
So how can you make your writing speak to readers on a deeper level? How can you make your stories the ones readers treasure and recommend to everyone they know?
Write for yourself, not to pander to every buyer out there. Think about the writers who changed your life. Imagine if they tried to fit themselves in an easily marketable box.
If you want to make your book unforgettable, write about the things that most deeply stir you, and you will stir them.
I recently read a book called F*ck Like a Goddess by Alexandra Roxo. Contrary to the title, the book is not really about sex, but about approaching life with the force of creation, to learn how to interact with your experience as a conscious, spiritual being as if it were your lover.
While it’s not my favorite book on self-actualization, I appreciated the premise.
Writing is an act of love, of observing and appreciating things others don’t notice in the world.
We artists immerse ourselves in the moment with all five senses. We savor everything there is to feel—blissful or painful. We do this willingly, with passion and adoration.
“If a writer falls in love with you, you can never die,” is a quote attributed to Mik Everett.
This is an extraordinary power.
Who or what will you use your artistic gift to immortalize today?
Let me know by replying. May the muse be with you!
In my last post, I talked about surviving criticism and disappointment. Today, we explore another way to grow from setbacks.
Case in point: I was so sure my WIP was a perfect fit for a certain small but prestigious publisher. This will be my big break!
Then I received the typical, canned auto-rejection.
At this point, I had barely submitted anything and was naive enough to believe that if you’re rejected by one or two publishers, you must be a hack.
The frustrating part of querying is that they never tell you exactly why it’s rejected. It may have nothing to do with your writing.
Maybe they just accepted a similar story. Maybe your story included elements that weren’t suited for their audience. Maybe the editor didn’t have their coffee yet. It’s like throwing darts in the dark.
But the next time I submitted the story:
About 6 months later, I got an acceptance from a cool indie publisher.
A year later, the story made it to the semifinals of two large competitions.
Last year, it was published with a cover by a wickedly talented designer and two blurbs from legendary writers.
NOTE: These posts are inspired by The Artist’s Way, a 12 Step Process to recovering your creativity by Julia Cameron. You can read all about it here.
Today we talk about one of my favorite sections of The Artist’s Way—Recovering a Sense of Connection.
My first novel, Oblivion Black, is the timeless story of an artist and his muse. It’s about tapping into the creative source and trusting that your work already exists, in complete form, waiting for you to become the person to create it.
Likewise, your actualized self, who is a masterpiece of creation, is also waiting for you at the end of your artistic journey. Our art runs in tandem with our growth as individuals.
At the time I was writing this novel, I thought I was stumbling into artistic revelations no one had ever thought of. Little did I know, it had all been said and done before by countless others throughout time (including the Artist’s Way).
This only proves that there is a common source we are all connected to that expresses itself through us through our many different artistic lenses.
Where did that come from?
Have you ever written something that completely surprised you? That is a sign that you are connected. You are now at the depth of being that your conscious brain does not have access too, which means it won’t step in your way and say, don’t go there, don’t do that.
This is why Hemingway said, “Write drunk. Edit sober.” Drugs and alcohol are chemically induced ways to bypass the stodgy, reasonable, cautious mind and free the boundless, fearless, artist to do what it knows it’s supposed to do.
Your turn
Fortunately, you can safely connect to your creative source without going into into a chemically-induced trance.
Here are some ways to tap into your unconscious and increase your receptivity to the collective well.
Morning pages/journaling
Yoga
Meditation
Breathing exercises
Self-awareness/mindfulness
Listening to music in the dark
Physical exertion (e.g. trigger a runner’s high)
Therapy/psychoanalysis
Tantra
Hypnosis
Dance
Chanting
Religious practice/service
Massage
Sauna or steam room
Divination practice
Sensory deprivation (float tanks)
Challenge: try something new this weekend
Clear your creative circuits. Pick one or more of the above activities that you haven’t tried before. See what happens!
Growth is uncomfortable. It’s messy. It hurts. Sometimes it feels like everything is falling apart. We are losing grip on who we are. The ground is caving beneath us.
This is a good sign. Nothing is worse for creativity than being stagnant.
Growing pains mean that you are changing. Transformation means inspiration.
Be patient with yourself. Don’t try to run away.
Wait to see what happens and who you will become through your experience.
May the muses be with you,
—Christa
*****
There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening, that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and will be lost.
MARTHA GRAHAM
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