We all struggle as writers and creative types. From the influences beyond and within, we each seek to become what we are meant to be. Last week a few of my clients were discussing this very thing when recently crowned National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature and Newbery Award Winner, Kate DiCamillo shared this post on Facebook:
One of my favorite bits from the book Art and Fear (by David Bayles and Ted Orland) is about a class of pottery students. Half the class is told that they are going to be graded on the quantity of their work (that is, the more pots they make, the better their grade), and half the class is told that they will be judged on the quality of their work.
Quality vs. quantity.
Simple, right?
And it is simple, because it turns out that the students who ended up making the best pieces were also the ones who made the most pieces.
“It seems that while the ‘quantity’ group was busily churning out piles of work—and learning from their mistakes—the ‘quality’ group had sat theorizing about perfection, and in the end had little more to show for their efforts than grandiose theories and a pile of dead clay.”
I am working on a novel, so these words are a good reminder for me.
How does the book get written?
How does the story get told?
I have to roll up my sleeves and put my hands in the clay.
I have to be willing to make mistakes.
I have to work.
Interesting right? Within the first few words Kate shares I was positive the quality candidates would win out over the quantity ones. Our natural tendency, especially those perfectionists among us, is to make our work perfect beyond what we ever thought possible. Now, I’m not saying you shouldn’t be fine tuning and editing your work, but there is certainly something to writing for the sake of writing.
I’ve recently been reading through Beth Kephart’s book Handling the Truth: On the Writing of Memoir. Now, I’m not a memoir writer, but well-written craft books of any genre can always lend greatness to our own work. One thing Beth mentioned (among many treasures) was her need to get up early, before anyone else in her home stirred to simply read.
Personally I’m a huge advocate of writers reading, it’s a necessity not a luxury. This ritual of reading and delving into another’s work is just as important as writing anew each day. Pulling out your notebook and pencil or your laptop (but keep the internet closed) and write for the pure enjoyment of writing. Remind yourself of the reasons you love your craft and why you want to push through on those days when nothing seems to be coming together.
We all have days when we question why we continue down a path filled with potholes and obstacles to overcome, but when we remember why we also understand better how to overcome, how to rise to our challenges. Most importantly we feel a purpose and importance in what we do.
Now, go get writing!
