Librodidact

427 words | 3 min read

The first line of Janet Burroway’s book, Writing Fiction: A Guide to Narrative Craft, poses a question for the ages. “You want to write. Why is it so hard?” My favorite answer makes an appeareance a few paragraphs later: “The idea, whatever it is, seems so luminous, whole, and fragile, that to begin to write about that idea is to commit it to rubble.”

If you profess the vice of writing, you’ll have heard your share of “Oh, you know what would make a great story?” Most writers’ eyes glaze over at this statement. Try it on the next one you spot in the wild. Much like a fainting goat, they’ll freeze, nodding and smiling while hoping that they’ll die, you’ll die, or a rogue sinkhole will open and end the conversation.

Because they know the truth.

An idea in your head is scintillating, an epic to transcend the ages with its larger-than-life characters, astonishing humor, and gripping dialogue. But the moment the idea hits the page–pfft. The puffed confection of your vision is punctured, destroyed by the ugly reality of writing. You’re left holding a wilted, pathetic thing to throw at submission portals with the despair of a jealous lover.

In Chapter 1 of Writing Fiction, Janet offers direct, concrete advice on how to approach our craft. She recommends techniques on keeping a journal, freewriting, using writing prompts, analogue v. digital composition, choosing a subject, and reading as a writer. I mined more practical wisdom from this single chapter than most books, and I can’t recommend it enough. Get a copy for yourself!

The biggest revelation in this reading was a simple idea. You want to write? Janet says:

“Allow yourself to do the thing you really want to do.”

Say it with me: I allow myself.

Doesn’t it make you breathe a little easier? Your shoulders drop and your eyes soften? Writing’s not something you earn. It’s a joy, a practice you’re allowed to have, regardless of who you are, how far along you are in your career, or how many publications you have under your belt. You’re allowed to write. You need to write.

It brings to mind a quote from Dog Man and Cat Kid by Dav Pilkey, a gem of a kid’s graphic novel. The protagonist struggles with his dark origins, and even though he wants to be good, he doesn’t know how. His solution in the face of opposition is simple: Wanna be your true self?

Thou mayest. ❤️

☼