Epiphanies on the Art and Craft of Writing by Susmita Paul

Often the first thoughts that come to the mind of a writer beginning to think of writing professionally are, to be precise, confusing in nature. 

You know you have got a couple of poems published here and there. You know your friends and family enjoy reading your stories. You know that idea of that novel that you mentioned to your best friend had had captured the imagination of your best friend. And, you love to write and weave words; so, you think, it is time to write professionally.

It is exactly at this point of time that you will begin to think about the response of the people to your work - that work which you have not written yet. You imagine people disagreeing with it. You imagine people hating it. You imagine checking out the Amazon rank of that book that you have not written yet, and, your book is at the bottom of the charts. Writing is the last thing on your mind right at this moment.

This is a situation that you just might encounter. Guess, Roddy Doyle encountered it, at least in the form of a distant thought, or else he couldn’t possibly have etched out rule number 9 in his list of rules for writing, as it appears in an article in The Guardian on February 2010:

“Do not search amazon.co.uk for the book you haven't written yet”

It is okay to be guilty of this sinful day-nightmaring; but, if you mean business, you better wake up and write.

When you wake up from this terrifying nightmare, you drop into a vortex of confusion.

For individual poems, short stories and creative non-fiction you want to get published, so you assume, the way to get it done is to write according to the submission guidelines of magazines and journals. You try doing it.

For book length manuscripts, you write and as soon as you have finished writing you mail it to a publisher.

In both the above mentioned scenarios, it is not unlikely that you will receive rejection notes. This is the crucial point in the life of a writer. After you have wrung out the tears of sadness from your pillow, read the piece, or the manuscript that you submitted. Does it have your individual flavour? Or, does it sound tailored to fit? Is it neatly edited? Or, is it filled with the sentences that look good, but you can do without?

After this you possibly will stop crying and cursing the world and will get back to writing.

In fact, this nerve-wracking, about-to-give-up-on-the-writing-career experience brings you to the foundation rock of your career as a writer. To use Leonard Chang’s phrasing:

'Expect rejection and difficulty, and know that you can work through it. Determination and stamina. You must brave forward, no matter what.'

This makes writing as difficult as living itself. So long the romantic notion of the writer.

Starting to write with a professional seriousness seems to be the ultimate oxymoron. But, it is true, as espoused by all the writers who have put down the to-dos and to- don’ts of writing. Inspiration is like the embryo of your poem, or short story, or novel. In order to see it in full maturity, a writer needs to nurture it. Nurturing seems to be an innocent term for a process that includes struggle, perspiration and frustration and that strenuous overture called editing.

It is only after you have finished writing that you begin the process of bringing that piece, or, that book together. This last stage is, in reality, the first stage of your book that will appear on amazon.co.uk. So, edit after you have written till there are no more words that you can throw out. You will be left with your finished manuscript, ready for publication. And, maybe, a smile too.

Postscript:
Zadie Smith mentions the need for a writer to resign to a certain “lifelong sadness that comes from never being satisfied.”  If it be so, acknowledge the thrill of it and brace up to face it all your way.

See you on the way.