One of the things I’ve always liked best about reading (and good movies, too!) is the philosophical wisdom to be found. Whether the sage is Yoda (“Try not. Do, or do not. There is no ‘try.'”) or an old Borderland saying (from the Wheel of Time, “Duty is heavier than a mountain. Death is lighter than a feather.”) there is something about these expressions that helps put our world into focus.
But what about the other side of the coin? Are George Lucas and the late Robert Jordan modern-day wise men, using their characters as surrogates? Perhaps, but I think there is more to it than that. What makes these sayings resonate with us is our acceptance of their truth. In fact, we already know them, though we may not have expressed them in that way. We all know that half-heartedly ‘trying’ will only get us so far, we have to make a real effort. We’ve all experienced times when the weight of responsibility seems overwhelming.
As writers, we try to put all sorts of intangibles into words and phrases that are relatable to others. We don’t have any more wisdom than anyone else, we just put it in words.
And finally some thoughts on NaNoWriMo. (If you don’t know what that is, and have any interest in writing, I’d suggest you check it out: nanowrimo.org ) I read a blog post from a professional writer recently proclaiming that if we prepare for the event, we’ll be more likely to have some workable material coming out of it. And that’s true, so far as it goes. But I look at this in a different manner. I see NaNoWriMo as 1) Giving us confidence that we can write a lot of material quickly 2) Giving us a chance to try out new ideas or characters that we’d never risk putting in our ‘serious’ work 3) Giving us a reminder that writing is FUN. Any attempt to come out of November with a novel that just needs a little polish will kill all 3 of these goals. No matter how you intend to approach it, though, I wish everyone the best of luck!
hdbailey 