Palitos de Fósforo

claro que não esqueci do meu livro. ele não me deixa esquecer, sempre fica martelando na cabeça “até você ter um filho ou uma idéia melhor que eu, eu sou o projeto da sua vida, sua imbecil”.

aí eu descobri alguns blogs de outras pessoas que contam seus processos criativos. e eles me inspiram e também não me deixam esquecer do meu livro. Tem um deles que é de um cara publicitário que conta sua saga em busca de uma editora para publicar sua obra. dia desses deixei um comentário por lá pedindo ajuda, e ele fez um post pra isso. Gostei bastante.

Ei-lo:

September 13, 2008

How long is long?

Yesterday, Franfran commented on this blog: I have an elementary problem: I can’t write my first book. I’m working on it for 7 years (SEVEN YEARS), and it’s just the beginning. Any tips for me in my despair?

Far be it from me to suggest I’m able to offer ‘tips’ to any aspiring writers (my lack of success kind of precludes me from doing that with any authority) but I thought it was an interesting dilemma.

How long does a book take?  How long should it take?  Are we saying from very first idea to final draft, or from first word on the page to last?

I went into the process of my own book in an earlier post, but from the initial idea to this point has been a minimum of four years.  I can’t remember exactly when the very first thought came into my mind, but there was a lot of gestation and crappy writing before I actually got anywhere, and it wasn’t until last year that I really took it by the scruff of the neck.  I don’t know for sure, but for a first-time author that feels about average.  I didn’t know what I was doing; I didn’t know how bad it was; I hadn’t developed any ways of working through problems; I was finding my feet.

For proper authors I’ll bet the time it takes to create a book varies enormously.  Barbara Cartland: five minutes.  JD Salinger: we’re still waiting.  They might have ten plots knocking around their heads simultaneously or carefully nurture a single story for decades.  This would appear to be another one of those fascinating grey areas that makes writing both maddening and satisfying.

From my point of view, the only ‘advice’ I could possibly give Franfran is that seven years is nothing if the book turns out right.  If someone could guarantee me that I’d have a really good book written in ten years’ time but nothing until then, I’d be delighted.  I’d also say the same thing I’ve said to several people who tell me they’ve got a great story that they haven’t written: the only person who can do this is you.  Once you accept that, it frees you from the yoke of the myriad excuses that are so easy to find. If you want to write a book there can be no excuses.  You either write it or you don’t.  It’s as simple as that.

That’s the fun bit of today’s post.  The dull bit is two more rejections (they’re reading/rejecting faster than they said they would): Darley Anderson and Coombs Moylett.  I might start sending a few more letters out.