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Control
By Nancy Lindquist | July 13, 2007
My son told me last night that it would be awesome to be an author whose book was turned into a movie. I smiled and told him that authors, unless they write something like, Harry Potter, don’t have that much control over their movies.
How do you explain to an eight year old that once you sign away your book, it’s gone? That Hollywood can pretty much do as they will with it? Most authors are control freaks in a world where they do not have the control. Not even an illusion of control.
We write and ship our work out to those who judge it, many times by the first few sentences. They buy it, or more often do not. In the rare instances a contract is offered, the books is put through an ego smashing experience as it’s honed and re-worked in the editing process. Please do not get me wrong. In my case, all editing has been for the better of the story, but to say it’s painful, is an understatement.
Then, the book is released and reviews laud or loathe the child of your imagination. Readers have even more to say.
We tell one another that we enjoy this process, that it’s good for our books and our collective egos. I think most of us are lying to ourselves and I suspect that for others, as for me, every word changed, every negative comment, is a little pinprick in our ego-balloons. Sure, a pinprick is not going to cause too much damage and these egos seem to be self healing, but too many and… ouch!
When we write we control our work, our characters, their lives. Many authors say that they have no control, that the characters drive the story. I maintain that the authors are indeed the ones in control, but it might not be on a conscious level. I don’t for one second believe a writer is a faceless robot plopping out a story, like an automatic type-writing machine. Born in heads and hearts, each plot twist might be plotted prior to writing, plotted so deeply in brains that authors are not aware of it, but plotted nonetheless.
Giving our baby to others to judge is a pain-filled process that can bring joy, or sorrow. We pass the best we have on and rejection is a blow that some never really learn to get over.
Blasted this way and that by the whims of those who expect and should receive what they are looking for in a book, is difficult, at best, for the author. Kudos are few and far between.
So why in the name of all that is holy would anyone choose to be a writer? The incorrect assumption is that anyone elects to write. Writing is not a career choice. You don’t choose to be a writer, like you choose to be a dentist. You must be called. It has to ooze out of you. Words and the play of them one against the other have to delight you. Make you into a chuckling loon as a diabolical deed weaves itself in your head. Your humor must amuse you, the writer. You, more than anyone, must live and breathe and believe in your work. Without depth of belief, no other person can make you a writer. A writer is not selected, nor chosen. A writer is.
Slings, arrows and body blows don’t matter. Defeat does not matter. Days when you want to toss it all in, do not matter. You hate it, you swear you’re going to dump it and you get up the next day and do it again. Maybe a poem, or a short, but you do it. In time you send your work out of your control again. You must do this. The compulsion is too great. Loss of control pains, but need to share overwhelms you and the envelope leaves your hands, mouse clicks send and you once again, open yourself to the impossible joy of an acceptance letter, with hope in your heart.
July 13th, 2007 at 1:31 pm
I hear you Nancy. A writer can be taught grammer, spelling, etc. But I do not think creative writing can be taught. You either have it or you dont. And I know first hand how hard it is to turn a piece of writing over to someone else. Not on a grand scale by any means, but it’s like giving your baby up nonetheless. Cheers!!
July 14th, 2007 at 3:35 pm
Wow - this post gives so much insight into the process of writing and the emotions that go along with being a writer. Thanks for sharing! And thanks for stopping by my blog.
p.s. I hadn’t heard about Wordless Wednesday until now. There’s so much to this blogging stuff!
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