I often find myself returning to the "From the Editor" page of the 2009 Novel & Short Story Writer's Market. There, Alice Pope (the Managing Editor) writes: "Often when I finish a great novel, I'm a tad exhausted from the journey. The characters enchant, plots rivet, settings envelop me, and I'm always amazed at what the author has achieved. The ability and drive to write a novel is one of those things that I really admire but don't ever imagine myself taking on, kind of like running a marathon...."
She later goes on to include a line by author Helen Schulman: "You never write books by giving up.You write them by going the distance, again and again. You really need to be a long-distance runner."
I, myself, have always been a sprinter. These words, therefore, are a necessary reminder for me. They also provide encouragement...and even a bit of motivation. Perhaps I shall never writer "a great novel"; yet, this reminder of both what such a work would require as well as its impact on the reader encourages me to keep striving towards that end, rather I ever reach the goal or not.
No comments:
Post a Comment