"As the years pass writing will not become any easier, the daily effort will grow harder to endure, those powers of observation will become enfeebled; you will be judged, when you reach your forties, by performance and not by promise."
-Graham Greene, The Invisible Japanese Gentlemen
Tuesday, December 09, 2008
An Uncomfortable Truth
I haven't learned much in writing class, but there's been a steady parade of entertaining guests. Today's guest had just written a Times piece that made me laugh, but there was nothing funny about the close-to-home Graham Greene line he quoted at the end of his essay.
5 comments:
So, now we're expected to PERFORM?! I guess I shouldn't have dropped out of that acting class, back in '93...
Yeah, but you perform here all the time, and, as I've always said, the only way to learn to write is to write. Clearly you know this. What we both find frustrating is the lack of opportunity to perform. I'm ready for my close-up, Mr. deMille. What do you mean you're out of business?
I struggle to manage time in a way where I actually have any left over.
You did call me on my performing. I perform non-stop. I have a Marie-suit that I pull out all the time. I'm excellent at that role.
Yeah, well, findindg time, yes, that can be a problem. At the moment, I have lots of time, though, and not enough work to fill it.
I do hope that changes in the new year, and that you can get a structure for your time that works.
I quit the writing classes at CUNY. Not terribly useful, those. But I thought I'd structure those nights into writing time, and spend some of the savings on a place to go, a sort of writing office. One of these, but I have to go check them both out first.
Paragraph Workspace
Writers Room
I hope that a dedicated time outside of my normal work environments will help me be more productive.
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