Virginia Woolf was right in a lot of ways. A room of one's own is a very necessary thing if one is trying to write. At home, I have a study and lots of quiet time.* But if I stay home day after day, I start to go a little mental/crazy in the head. I've been staking out a corner of the library the past couple of weeks. I work there in the afternoons and I've gotten some good writing in. Here's a corner of my own:
It is on the top floor with a nice view and some good leaves to look at. Once in a while I even see Josh walking around doing his electrical stuff.
One of my favourite parts might be the hibiscus. The best days are when it has a flower blooming.
For a hilarious essay on what it's like to live with a poet, read this article from Poetry magazine. For those who write in multiple genres, is the writing process very different for each one? I mostly write poetry and it is a slow process of assembling images and metaphors. I can't imagine banging out a dozen or so pages in just a few hours.
* edit: "lots of quiet time" = it's very quiet at home during the day. It doesn't mean that I have all this free time on my hands (esp. during the school year).
2 comments:
That's a great article. It's exaggerated, but true, I think. To some extent fiction, esp. long fiction is "like throwing paint at a wall," as John Gardner said. Fiction must be easier, because it's easier to explain where it came from, I think. What? Mind you it's easier to write a bad poem than a bad novel, I think, but a good poem might be harder than a good novel? This could go on forever.
I want a Poet.
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