In
Part 1 of my review of
Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott I relayed a bit of her wisdom on overcoming the negative emotions that so often plague writers. Another subject in Lamott's book that stood out to me is the necessity of having honest, passionate beliefs at the core of one's writing. Here is a sample of her thoughts on the subject:
"If you find that you start a number of stories or pieces that you don't ever bother finishing, that you lose interest or faith in them along the way, it may be that there is nothing at their center about which you care passionately. You need to put yourself at their center, you and what you believe to be true or right...
...you have to believe in your position, or nothing will be driving your work. If you don't believe in what you are saying, there is no point in saying it. You might as well call it a day and go bowling."
Lamott's words echo what I read years ago in Scott McCloud's
Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art. McCloud, if I remember correctly, said something to the effect that a comic book artist may have all the technical ability in the world, but if he doesn't have a story to tell (a purpose, a message, a passion) then he will not be able to achieve success. Both Lamott's and McCloud's statements cause me to search my soul, especially in light of my decreased activity here (have you noticed I haven't been posting as much?) Still, I believe I have passion in my heart for the
Spacemouse 9 project despite my snail's pace. Lamott's advice is helpful, but perhaps more research on self-motivation for writers would spur me to speed up production.
