All good stuff - but there are a set of questions before all of this which is to consider: why do you write? who do you write for? and what kind of writer are you? These then lead to verification of WHAT you are writing. I think you need to know all those things first, otherwise you could just be planning for failure. See: https://iangouge.substack.com/p/there-is-no-right-way-to-write-5 and the previous four posts in the series which walk you through the process.
Those questions are important, of course, but I think one can be perfectly settled and solid on those broad - one might even say existential - questions, while needing something more day-to-day, in the business of getting going and keeping going.
Plus, some people (and some states of mind in other people) find the big existential questions almost impossible to bring into focus and/or turn into practicalities. I find they do better with closer, smaller-scale, practical questions: if they follow those it begins to reveal the larger ideas behind themselves. It's like characterisation: some writers start with the folorn childhood or the collapsing life and figure out how that plays out in voice and clothes; others, like Beryl Reid, start with the shoes, and therefore the walk, and figure everything out from there.
Thanks for responding, Emma. My comment was based on the experience of mentoring a few people who were struggling with what they were writing not because of process, but because they were trying to write the 'wrong' thing... I agree that it's 'horses for courses'; what you need depends where you are in your writing journey. In any event, I happen to think that it's useful to verify the 'why' & 'who' questions - and thus the 'what' - from time to time. Ian
Oh, I think they "why" and "who" are really valuable when - as you say - there's a more fundamental question going on, of whether someone's writing the right thing for them. Specially applies to e.g. people who are natural short fic writers, who feel they "ought" to be writing a novel, or natural-born children's writers trying to write for adults (not least but not only because people keep asking them when they're going to write a "real" book)...
These are gentle. I love the keep-it-small to stop it all from feeling to monumentally overwhelming. I don’t know the answers to the big “why do you write” type questions! I mean, some days I can come up with an answer that isn’t false, but I never know if it’s the unequivocal solid gold truth. Smaller questions, smaller goals are easier, knowable, progressive 😊
Yes, I think lots of us feel that way, at least some of the time, and day-to-day. And many a mickle makes a muckle, as my grandmother used to say: those smaller goals will add up to something anyway, and reveal themselves. I'm not sure it's a give that one needs to even have the big answers to the big questions. One can know why one breathes, without ever trying to tease out what life is really *for*!
All good stuff - but there are a set of questions before all of this which is to consider: why do you write? who do you write for? and what kind of writer are you? These then lead to verification of WHAT you are writing. I think you need to know all those things first, otherwise you could just be planning for failure. See: https://iangouge.substack.com/p/there-is-no-right-way-to-write-5 and the previous four posts in the series which walk you through the process.
Those questions are important, of course, but I think one can be perfectly settled and solid on those broad - one might even say existential - questions, while needing something more day-to-day, in the business of getting going and keeping going.
Plus, some people (and some states of mind in other people) find the big existential questions almost impossible to bring into focus and/or turn into practicalities. I find they do better with closer, smaller-scale, practical questions: if they follow those it begins to reveal the larger ideas behind themselves. It's like characterisation: some writers start with the folorn childhood or the collapsing life and figure out how that plays out in voice and clothes; others, like Beryl Reid, start with the shoes, and therefore the walk, and figure everything out from there.
Thanks for responding, Emma. My comment was based on the experience of mentoring a few people who were struggling with what they were writing not because of process, but because they were trying to write the 'wrong' thing... I agree that it's 'horses for courses'; what you need depends where you are in your writing journey. In any event, I happen to think that it's useful to verify the 'why' & 'who' questions - and thus the 'what' - from time to time. Ian
Oh, I think they "why" and "who" are really valuable when - as you say - there's a more fundamental question going on, of whether someone's writing the right thing for them. Specially applies to e.g. people who are natural short fic writers, who feel they "ought" to be writing a novel, or natural-born children's writers trying to write for adults (not least but not only because people keep asking them when they're going to write a "real" book)...
Beryl Reid! Brings back childhood memories 🙏
Thanks Emma, this is great!! Can't wait to go and grab my journal! Xxx💜
So glad it's useful, Claire. Enjoy the journalling.
My plan has always been to secure a top-class agent and publisher. Deluded, probably, but it's what gets me out of bed in the morning.
These are gentle. I love the keep-it-small to stop it all from feeling to monumentally overwhelming. I don’t know the answers to the big “why do you write” type questions! I mean, some days I can come up with an answer that isn’t false, but I never know if it’s the unequivocal solid gold truth. Smaller questions, smaller goals are easier, knowable, progressive 😊
Yes, I think lots of us feel that way, at least some of the time, and day-to-day. And many a mickle makes a muckle, as my grandmother used to say: those smaller goals will add up to something anyway, and reveal themselves. I'm not sure it's a give that one needs to even have the big answers to the big questions. One can know why one breathes, without ever trying to tease out what life is really *for*!