I have recently re-read and re-listened to one of my favorite authors – Stardust by Neil Gaiman. In my ongoing love of research and delivery into finding out more information, I ordered the book The Art of Neil Gaiman, the story of a writer by Hayley Campbell. I’m just beginning the book.
The forward is by Audrey Niffenegger, another favorite author. Audrey has written the amazing book The Time Traveler’s Wife. Audrey writes, “How do we find the thing we are meant to do? How do we become ourselves? These are enormous questions for every young artist, but they can only be answered retrospectively. We see the path only after we’ve been on it for quite a long time. We read a book, and we wonder how it was made. We wonder about the person who made it. We wonder if we could make something of ourselves.”
Wise words.
Writing. Writing is like going into a vortex or a wormhole to a little piece of heaven. I question writing all the time, but when deep in writing, it’s definitely magical. Alice Hoffman (another favorite author) quotes: “A Book is proof that humans are capable of working magic.” When I have finished a book, a bit of the magic wanes until the excitement of crafting and editing fills me to work and re-work and create a better piece. But, I do miss active writing. I have been writing stories since being able to craft sentences as a young child.
The unfortunate part of finishing a book is that other books crowd in and fill my brain. Words, sentences, paragraphs, and characters whirl in and out of my brain. They can be subtle, or they can bang away in loud voices. It’s a juggling act.
I tend to read more after I’ve finished a book. My brain needs to suck up other authors’ words via hard copy, ebooks, or audio. I try to fill my brain and heart with other words to fill the empty space within my soul from not actively writing. Filling my brain with the author’s words is a balm to that small, sore spot.
I am now working towards crafting and heading towards the wormhole that’s the little piece of heaven once again.
