What a pair of shoes it is!
I've always been a great believer in that one of the best
ways to write well is to make sure you write a lot, and so - no pun
intended for those who've braved the likes of Can You Forgive Her -
thought Anthony Trollope. I stumbled across this little note of his
on his attitude to writing, and it's well worth reading and
digesting:
I had long since convinced myself that in such work as mine the great secret consisted in acknowledging myself to be bound to rules of labour similar to those which an artisan or a mechanic is forced to obey. A shoemaker when he has finished one pair of shoes does not sit down and contemplate his work in idle satisfaction. “There is my pair of shoes finished at last! What a pair of shoes it is!” The shoemaker who so indulged himself would be without wages half his time. It is the same with a professional writer of books. An author may of course want time to study a new subject. He will at any rate assure himself that there is some such good reason why he should pause. He does pause, and will be idle for a month or two while he tells himself how beautiful is that last pair of shoes which he has finished! Having thought much of all this, and having made up my mind that I could be really happy only when I was at work, I had now quite accustomed myself to begin a second pair as soon as the first was out of my hands.
I had long since convinced myself that in such work as mine the great secret consisted in acknowledging myself to be bound to rules of labour similar to those which an artisan or a mechanic is forced to obey. A shoemaker when he has finished one pair of shoes does not sit down and contemplate his work in idle satisfaction. “There is my pair of shoes finished at last! What a pair of shoes it is!” The shoemaker who so indulged himself would be without wages half his time. It is the same with a professional writer of books. An author may of course want time to study a new subject. He will at any rate assure himself that there is some such good reason why he should pause. He does pause, and will be idle for a month or two while he tells himself how beautiful is that last pair of shoes which he has finished! Having thought much of all this, and having made up my mind that I could be really happy only when I was at work, I had now quite accustomed myself to begin a second pair as soon as the first was out of my hands.
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4 Comments
Barb: I don't think Ms Lee wanted to write books, actually. I think she wanted to write To Kill a Mockingbird. Ditto Robert Pirsig and Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, and a few others. Does that make sense, do you think?
Caducean Whisks: Don't get me wrong - I think it's very important to allow yourself to be truly chuffed when you've achieved something you've been working hard for. Have a look at Jenson Button when he wins a grand prix. He's ecstatic every time, and that is partly a choice - not an automatic reaction. It's the general thrust of his work ethic that I'm lauding. If you're honest with yourself about what you desire, both things come naturally: if you really want to write books, you'll be really happy when you've finished one; and, if you really want to write books, you'll keep writing 'em.
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