AmbivaBlog: "It's that old double whammy of grandiosity and self-loathing that makes writing so unbearable."

This is the classic children's book, Goodenough Gismo, by Richmond I. Kelsey, published in 1948. Nearly unavailable in libraries and the collector's market, it is posted here with love as an "orphan work" so that it may be seen and appreciated -- and perhaps even republished, as it deserves to be. After you read this book, it won't surprise you to learn that Richmond Irwin Kelsey (1905-1987) was an accomplished artist, or that as Dick Kelsey, he was one of the great Disney art directors, breaking your heart with "Pinocchio," "Dumbo," and "Bambi."

Marie Winn reviewing Anne Lamott's Bird by Bird. Neither is new, but both are perennial. If you write, read it and wince. And howl.

Anne Lamott understands better than anyone that writers need help and that writing is a deeply unpleasant occupation. [...]

It's thrilling to know that all writers go through this [go to the link for a faithful depiction of "this"] in order to produce the smallest crummy thing. There may be one or two exceptions who just love to write, who sit down and can barely wait to start. But Anne Lamott tells you how to deal with the likes of them. Hate them, she advises. It's not only because she gratifies every writer's deepest and whiniest sense of self pity that I recommend this book to other writers, amateur or professional, without reservation. She also gives some useful tips for overcoming the problems she describes so poignantly. [...]

She writes so well, in fact, that it's hard to believe that she, too, has trouble with writing. That's what's so deeply comforting about this book.

That said, I have to admit that . . . blogging helps. Not only does it, like newspaper journalism, get you in the habit of daily production. It also pretty much blows all to hell the number-one bugaboo in Lamott's book and the biggest cause of stalled writerly production.

PERFECTIONISM.

Forget that. If the perfect is the enemy of the good, the blog is the enemy of the perfect. Just the very word, "blog," sounds so defiantly shapeless. Like gaining weight because food tastes good.

Comments

OMG, I'm one of those people Anne Lamott, one of my very favorite authors, tells you to hate. I love to write! You know that old saying, "Find work that you love and you'll never work another day in your life"? Writing is the work that I love; the work that I would rather be doing than anything else. Yes, I get tired, and somethings I feel blocked, but I always know that's temporary and never quit believing that writing is FUN. One of my goals in life is to help other people find the FUN and the flow in the writing process.

SARK is my soul sister, though we've never met. (If you don't know about SARK, google her and you'll see what I mean.)

Oh, what a shame, that Anne Lamott is going to have to hate a die hard fan!

Posted by: Ritergal | June 21, 2008 at 10:02 PM