By Tania Casselle and Sean Murphy, award-winning author, NEA Creative Writing Fellow and Zen teacher.
My husband Sean Murphy often tells writers in our Write to the Finish write a book course that one of the most exciting points in his writing life was during a camping trip, when he got the idea for his first novel The Hope Valley Hubcap King.
He says that this was soon followed by one of the most daunting points in his writing life — he had to actually write the book!
After borrowing a friend’s cabin for four months of blissfully undistracted work, all at once his creative inspiration came face to face with his boundless doubt, and he wasn’t at all sure which one would prevail.
We imagine many writers have experienced some version of this. First comes the thrill of a creative idea for a memoir, novel or other book — an idea so compelling that it keeps you awake at night — followed by by the realization of “Oh heavens – now I have to actually DO it. And can I?”
If you know that feeling, here are some thoughts from Sean to encourage you. He’s the award-winning author of four books, so he speaks from experience.
You’re in Good Company
“There’s simply no way to make that leap into a book-length piece without feeling daunted.” says Sean. “The only way to proceed is to trust that if you want to make the leap, then it’s in you to successfully do it.
“Every book author (if they have any sense of reality!) has gone through the same doubts, especially on a first book. However, walk into any library and see how many books are standing there on the shelves. You’ve got a lot of company. Those authors did it (and faced the same struggles) and they’re not an elevated species of human. They’re just like you.”
“Your intuition to write this book is leading you down a path that it believes you can travel successfully, if you’re willing to do so. And it IS essentially a question of willingness. Our creative drive is a pretty smart cookie, and she’s spitting this idea up into your consciousness for a reason. She has no reason to call us down a path that is a waste of time. What happens on that path is largely up to the gods and goddesses, but if you’re truly up for diving into a book manuscript, you can bet the process of discovery will be worth it, one way or another.”
Stumbling in the Dark is Part of the Process
You have be willing to stumble along sometimes without knowing where you’re going, and that’s not always comfortable. This is the point when many writers abandon the work. But both Sean and I have come to realize that’s part of the process as well. The entire conception of a book-length work can’t be held in the conscious mind at one time, so it’s inevitable that we’ll spend some hours groping in the dark. (We’ve both groped for days, weeks or even months!)
But if you learn to trust — and even enjoy — the process, it will at last come clear. And as terrific as the thrill of having that first idea is, nothing matches the deep satisfaction of achieving and bringing into form one of your life’s great dreams.
I have some other thoughts to add:
* We’re all so busy in our lives and we all have doubts about our ability to write a project that is meaningful to us. So, waiting for a time when life isn’t busy or a time when our doubts have miraculously disappeared is a sure way to leave the idea sitting for years till all the energy fizzles out.
* Don’t worry ahead of yourself, don’t fret about the problems that lie ahead. The original idea came to you, and that’s what you have to work with right now. There’s no way you can know what’s waiting down the line. So trust the initial impulse. You can only tackle the next step in front of you to realize the idea, and then let the path unfold. Just take the next step…
* We all reach a point where the writing gets hard or we don’t know what to do next. The temptation is to put it down and hope for inspiration. But too often the problem is still there months later. The only way out is through, so often it’s best to stay engaged, learn new craft elements that might solve the problem, or just keep tussling till a solution arises.
* There are times when the right thing to do is to take a breather so ideas can percolate, and times to keep plugging away even if resistance arises. Trust your gut instinct – which one is it?
* Inspiration requires commitment to manifest. That means investing time and energy. Unlike a short story or poem, it’s hard to juggle several creative projects and stay on track with a book-length work. So commit to the long project just for now, and know you can return to other projects once it is done.
These are just a few of the book manuscripts from participants in our Write to the Finish online course, sent to us for feedback at the end of the course. If Sean’s library image didn’t encourage you enough, take heart from these!
None of the writers had written a book before, none of them had any magic secret. Just by staying with the process and not being pushed off course by their doubts, they achieved the goal of writing a book.
If they can do it… you can too!
Tania Casselle is a writer for magazines, book publishers, and online media. She also coaches writers and leads online writing seminars including the successful Write to the Finish online course by phone and email for writers working on a book. She leads in-person writing workshops and retreats in beautiful places, usually teaching with her husband, the Hemingway award-winning author Sean Murphy. See more WriterMuscle posts or sign up to receive future Writer Muscle updates – down-to-earth advice from a seasoned writer.