But ultimately, it does get you to the finish line and you have enjoyed the scenery along the way. Today’s blog is about creativity, a subject about which--after 15 novels, 5 plays, two short stories, a handful of newspaper essays; countless speeches and some random pieces – I must admit I know absolutely nothing.
Once, over a very nice Mexican lunch with Ted and my editor (she had the mussels that I still wish I had ordered) I said I’d like to read a book about creativity. Dinah suggested that I edit one. I was too lazy to raise my hand for that project, but it wasn’t from lack of interest. Creativity in all its guises and with all its elusiveness, fascinates me.
The only real talk about creativity I’ve ever had was with Darrell Bell, a fine visual artist who owns a gallery in Saskatoon that I cannot recommend highly enough.
One of the continuing characters in my series is a 14 year old visual artist with real talent and potential. I’d asked Darrell whether he would ever have a show for a fourteen year old. After pondering the question for a few days, he said he wouldn’t because at fourteen, this young artist simply wouldn’t have enough to say to sustain an entire show. That answer led us into a discussion about creativity that lasted for hours. When it was over, I asked Darrell whether this kind of discussion was the norm for visual artists. He said, no—mostly they just talked about agents and galleries and money. I said it was pretty much the same for writers.
An interesting offshoot of the whole blog phenomenon is the insight it gives all of us into how some writers approach their work. Some writers seem to be obsessed by the volume of work they can produce in a day—they count words with the passion of a sinner whipping through the beads of the rosary. Some writers point with pride to the weight of their finished manuscripts as if they were selling off a piglet or birthing a baby. I’m not mocking these writers. My own habits would seem equally odd to them. When it comes to creative work, I’m with Frank Sinatra who when asked what he believed in, said. “Whatever gets me through the night.”
Well, as this blog title indicates, what gets me through a piece of writing is simply seeing my work as a job to be done. I love writing, but there are many things that I love--being with Ted and our kids and grandkids and dogs; being with friends, reading books, going out for dinner, staying home for dinner, going to the opera; doing readings; travelling; meeting new people. My point I guess is this: writing is a part of my life, but it isn’t my life.
I approach writing the same way I approached writing essays in college; fulfilling academic obligations for degrees, preparing lectures for my classes and marking papers. Every day, I simply sit down and do the job. When The Young and the Restless comes on, I stop and Ben and I play “Go Fish”.