Putting Your Writing First
by Catherine Knutsson
So, there be the nuts and bolts.
But, what I wanted to write about specifically is something my Alexander teacher brought up all the time, something that’s a particular bugaboo of mine: end gaining. End gaining is a term used in Alexander to describe what a lot of us do: worrying so much about the goal that the process, which is where our focus should be, gets lost. Back in my singing days, end gaining, for me, meant obsessing about the roles I should learn and what voice type I was, when, in fact, I should have been devoting that energy to becoming a better singer. Learning a role is moot when you haven’t yet got the technique to perform said role.
For writers, this translates in a lot of ways: Worrying about market. Worrying about genre. Worrying about branding yourself. Worrying about sales. Rinse, and repeat.
I catch myself doing this all the time, and what’s amazing is how I can justify my end gaining: I’m researching. I’m studying. I’m learning about market. I MUST read my Goodreads reviews.
All of which, I’ve come to realize, really is an excuse for not dealing with what really needs to be dealt with: developing my craft. Staying in the moment. Putting one word after the next. Making my story the best story it can be.
The thing is, there’s a place and a time for everything. At some point, a writer needs to research agents, and editors, and publishers, and a writer needs to be aware of marketing, and how to write a query letter (which, I think, is a very important part of craft!), and creating an on-line presence and all the things we’re told we need to do. But, for me, I know that it’s easy to become so focussed on all that other stuff that I forget about what needs to be done right now: write. the. blinkity-blank. story.
Like anything else, learning not to end gain is a process. Slowly and surely, I’m getting better at it, because, as Anne Lamott says, the only way you get anywhere with any artistic pursuit is bird by bird, or, in the case of writers, word by word. Yes, it’s good to educate oneself about what happens when you get an agent, or get a deal, or have a book out in the world. Education is never amiss! But, sometimes what passes as education is merely a way to avoid getting the words down on the page. The words need to come first - before Twitter, before Facebook, before establishing an internet presence, before marketing and press and all that good stuff.
So, note to self: words first. The rest will come.
That's something I know, but I constantly need to be reminded. And you say it so eloquently. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteWords first. Words first. Words first. If I remind myself enough times, will I finally quit wandering off on research/marketing/networking tangents? *hopes*
ReplyDeleteThanks for this, Catherine -- a great reminder. Off I go to work on writing the blinkity-blank story. ;)
Well said! So important, and yet it's easy to let myself get sidetracked by the internet noise of "shoulds". Thank you for the reminder!
ReplyDeleteI'm guilty of getting sidetracked thinking about researching agents, etc. when I should be focusing on making sure my book is absolutely ready to send out. You're right that the words need to come first!
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