Am wondering if any of you have had this experience or if I was just incredibly lucky (this time).
I’d written a story, believed what I had to that point was engaging, that, in particular I’d done a good job creating the world of the story, but the ending eluded me. I sat with it for several weeks, had a couple of friends read it who tho…
Am wondering if any of you have had this experience or if I was just incredibly lucky (this time).
I’d written a story, believed what I had to that point was engaging, that, in particular I’d done a good job creating the world of the story, but the ending eluded me. I sat with it for several weeks, had a couple of friends read it who thought it was fine the way it was (I knew it wasn’t, knew it wasn’t a story), and then, one day, sat down and, to the best of my recollection, because it was kind of a blur how this happened, had the characters continue with what had been the final scene, and it came to me. And I knew it was EXACTLY the right ending, that there could have been no other ending (for it to be the story I knew it was meant to be) and yet knew it would surprise the reader.
Never been so sure of anything in my life. Had my mentor Jim Krusoe take a look at it, tweaked a very few things, and sent it out. Plenty of rejections of course, but those didn’t sting like usual because I KNEW it would hit and it did. Got accepted and then, before I had a chance to pull it from other places I’d sent it, got two more requests to publish it (of course I went with the first). Will I ever have that certainty again? How did that ending come to me? I wish I knew. All I can do is be grateful.
Yep, Erica, it's happened to me, too. That, I believe, would be the "gut way". I'm convinced that stepping away from it might have been the best thing you could have done, that while you were away the back of your brain was sorting it out, then delivered when it was ready.
Yes, Rosanne. I re-read George's post and realized what happened was kind of a combination of Ways 4 -7, bits and pieces of each. But it felt so unintentional, which leaves me feeling so vulnerable to the process.
"Vulnerable" is at least part of why we write, yes? Besides, we have so little control over much of anything in life, why should we have any control over this? Ha.
I wonder at how closely akin the elation you've experienced is to that felt by Dickens in getting 'A Christmas Carole' done in good time for hitting any and all good booksellers everywhere?
Or that elation felt by the each of our Story Club authors (i.e. Saunders, Hemmingway, Lu Hsun, Berriault, Babel, Olsen) when the stories which we have encountered, placed in their respective closed reading frames, were notified as 'accepted for publication'?
Pretty much same same for you Erica, I'm thinking, well done 👍. Let the ⚡ strike, soon, again!
Thank you, Rob! Before I pulled the piece from other sites, I heard from Massachusetts Review that although the piece was not quite right for them, they were impressed with the writing and requested I send them more work. Ha ha, I thought, as if I had a bag of these! Will I ever produce another? I can only hope and will keep trying.
Great discovery. You entered the zone. It's not just with writers: performers and athletes also report it. What all have in common is that they have repeated the moment of performance so many times the conscious awareness drops and they are welcomed into the zone. As writers, that mean many, many visits to a piece. Writing is hard work, like making the Olympics or something.
So true, Ron, and I know that feeling as both a performer and athlete. As a ballet dancer I performed for years including under Antony Tudor when he guest taught at UC Irvine, and then, my dancing career behind me, I became a runner and won many 5K races. (And now I have the bilateral hip replacements to show for it all...) But those were so centered in physicality, with my brain nearly disengaged. It's a new thing to find myself in the cerebral zone. A new frontier!
Hi Erica. Congratulations on the story! I love Jim Krusoe! He was my advisor or whatever we called it (mentor?) at Antioch a long time ago. Just such a great guy.
Am wondering if any of you have had this experience or if I was just incredibly lucky (this time).
I’d written a story, believed what I had to that point was engaging, that, in particular I’d done a good job creating the world of the story, but the ending eluded me. I sat with it for several weeks, had a couple of friends read it who thought it was fine the way it was (I knew it wasn’t, knew it wasn’t a story), and then, one day, sat down and, to the best of my recollection, because it was kind of a blur how this happened, had the characters continue with what had been the final scene, and it came to me. And I knew it was EXACTLY the right ending, that there could have been no other ending (for it to be the story I knew it was meant to be) and yet knew it would surprise the reader.
Never been so sure of anything in my life. Had my mentor Jim Krusoe take a look at it, tweaked a very few things, and sent it out. Plenty of rejections of course, but those didn’t sting like usual because I KNEW it would hit and it did. Got accepted and then, before I had a chance to pull it from other places I’d sent it, got two more requests to publish it (of course I went with the first). Will I ever have that certainty again? How did that ending come to me? I wish I knew. All I can do is be grateful.
"It was kind of a blur how this happened." So familiar.
Yep, Erica, it's happened to me, too. That, I believe, would be the "gut way". I'm convinced that stepping away from it might have been the best thing you could have done, that while you were away the back of your brain was sorting it out, then delivered when it was ready.
Yes, Rosanne. I re-read George's post and realized what happened was kind of a combination of Ways 4 -7, bits and pieces of each. But it felt so unintentional, which leaves me feeling so vulnerable to the process.
"Vulnerable" is at least part of why we write, yes? Besides, we have so little control over much of anything in life, why should we have any control over this? Ha.
I wonder at how closely akin the elation you've experienced is to that felt by Dickens in getting 'A Christmas Carole' done in good time for hitting any and all good booksellers everywhere?
Or that elation felt by the each of our Story Club authors (i.e. Saunders, Hemmingway, Lu Hsun, Berriault, Babel, Olsen) when the stories which we have encountered, placed in their respective closed reading frames, were notified as 'accepted for publication'?
Pretty much same same for you Erica, I'm thinking, well done 👍. Let the ⚡ strike, soon, again!
Thank you, Rob! Before I pulled the piece from other sites, I heard from Massachusetts Review that although the piece was not quite right for them, they were impressed with the writing and requested I send them more work. Ha ha, I thought, as if I had a bag of these! Will I ever produce another? I can only hope and will keep trying.
Great discovery. You entered the zone. It's not just with writers: performers and athletes also report it. What all have in common is that they have repeated the moment of performance so many times the conscious awareness drops and they are welcomed into the zone. As writers, that mean many, many visits to a piece. Writing is hard work, like making the Olympics or something.
So true, Ron, and I know that feeling as both a performer and athlete. As a ballet dancer I performed for years including under Antony Tudor when he guest taught at UC Irvine, and then, my dancing career behind me, I became a runner and won many 5K races. (And now I have the bilateral hip replacements to show for it all...) But those were so centered in physicality, with my brain nearly disengaged. It's a new thing to find myself in the cerebral zone. A new frontier!
Hi Erica. Congratulations on the story! I love Jim Krusoe! He was my advisor or whatever we called it (mentor?) at Antioch a long time ago. Just such a great guy.
Lucky you!! Yes, a lovely, lovely man.