Earlier someone asked how to start a book, and you responded by saying you just start… I can understand this, but it seems to that I start, and start over again, but it never feels completely right just yet. I was just wondering if you’ve experience that, knowing a specific story has to be told by you, but can’t get it out just yet. What did u do about it? Another thing is that, I’ve often heard writers say, when they start writing they didn’t know where the story would end, sort of going with the story until the ending fits. Generally when you write, do you know how things end? Do you plan books, like what you want to say in a chapter?
Concerning your first question – how to keep on writing and finishing a book – I think you should look it from another angle. What is happening in your life that prevents you from finishing a project?
My dilema was always with the beginning of a book. Yet I think that in the same way that I had to solve some issues in my life before I embarked in my first book (I was 40 when I wrote The Pilgrimage), probably there are other issues in life that you need to face before being able to finish a book. You’re the only judge of that.
Concerning the second item : Concerning the second item : I don’t plan my books – when I set to write I have a general idea of the theme I want to tackle but I like being surprised whilst writing.It’s a process of self-discovery creating a story.
It seems as if my friend Yajna has asked something right from my heart. This has happened many times that I set out to write at length about a favorite topic of mine in hope that it may take the shape of a book but end up with a write up and find it so complete that doesn't feel like adding even a word.
The query was so beautifully tackled by Paulo that i couldn't help falling in love with his art again. Its so perfect.
Paulo, I want to make a confession. Inspired by your concept of “Warrior of Light” I have created a part of fiction and published it on my blog. All that just came after reading these 3 words,”Warrior of Light”. I haven't gone thru any of your write ups on this even. I need your nod before I complete it.
Anuj
http://anujshailgupt.wordpress.com/the-best-of-me/
I want to ask you you are interest in arabic culture what language you use to learn it?
Dearest Paulo and friends,
After Paulo answered my question i analysed my situation. It was comforting that Paulo too so long in a sense to write his book because i’m honestly not sure when or how things are going to fall into place for my writing.. Things are working slowly but i’ve learned not to put pressure on myself. Rather i should live a little more and let my words come in their own time. Its actually working hand in hand, and i think when i’m ready, whenever it may be i’ll feel somewhat more free. I’ve tried planning a book, like savita spoke about but that didn’t get me far at all, i’m just going to try my own style now. Just write. Over and over if thats what it takes, for it to feel perfect to me :) everyone’s comments were great here.. Thanks again Paulo :)
Thank you for being
Yajna
ps. Paulo, i just want to say that its great you’ve giving us opportunities to contact you for advice, honestly, i feel rather blessed but also comforted that person who is advising me, is pretty much the best in my eyes :)
Dear Nikki, in response to the question you raised, regarding the internet – whether it is an “inspiration” to write or a “distraction” – I think that, if you are writing, even if it is just a blog post, an email to a friend, or a private journal entry, that writing can be part of a process of personal discovery, and that is never a “waste” of time and effort. The rewards far outweigh the expenditure.
Secondly, I think there is a prevailing misperception about creative energy – a misperception held primarily by those who do no creative work at all – and that is the idea that creative energy exists within a person in limited quantities. In other words, if you use your creative juices to write blog entries, then there were be no creative energy left over for the more important things like creating “real art.” I don’t believe this, however. Creativity does not merely exist in finite quantities. It is not like a pond within us, from which we extract “creative juices” by the bucketfull, until one day we find that there is nothing left of it – the creativity within us gone, the pool is used up. No, it is more like a divine spring: once we’ve discovered it within ourselves, though we may lose it for a time, we will always find it again. And the funny thing – the more we dip from it, the more it pours fourth in ever increasing abundance. So, that paragraph, or even that one sentence, we write on the blog each day is a primer for whatever greater creative writing ventures we may wish to pursue throughout. The more one writes – on the web or otherwise – the easier the creative juices will flow when the time comes to sit down and create a “work of art.”
And, as you suggest, Nikki, yes, I do think the “internet inspires people” to write, who might not normally think of themselves as writers or as “creative.” The greatest thing about the internet is that it is an environment primarily free of consequences (at least it is possible to find “safe spaces” in which to express one’s ideas and opinions – places like this blog). It isn’t like a classroom, with “right” or “wrong” answers. And nobody is going to come along behind you – hopefully not – and brutally correct your gammer or tell you that you should have written it this way or that. This is great, because this absence of judgment and consequences, gives one a sense of freedom, a sense that, yes, it is okay to take risks, it is okay to open up and be creative.
We may not all be writers, just like we may not all be musicians, or painters…but one thing is certain, we are all human, and, I think, being human, we all share the potential to be creative and contribute creatively to our environment and our community. There is, in this sense, an artist (hidden or overt) within each and every one of us.
I, too, would love to hear more people’s views on the questions Nikki posed regarding the internet and its relationship to creativity and inspiration. Too bad it is now Sunday afternoon, and this conversation is likely coming to a close. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed reading everyone’s comments.
Love to you all!
Savita
I am not a .. writer, I am here just because I love Paulo Coelho and his philosophy, reflected in his books and because I feel happy being with you, beautiful Souls.It is the place that we do not expect anything material to ..gain and that we open our hearts and listen to the Song of Life. Thank you and I love you.
LOVE,
THELMA
I never thought of being a writer and yet everything appoints that way…You people are nice family.Thank you for all reasons,counted here.Now its the waiting time.Love
Thank you, Savita Vega, for sharing your writing experiences. It touched a very big nerve with me. I have found out in the past that as soon as I showed interest in something creative, such as, writing or painting, or sculpture, I was rushed off to the nearest place to ‘learn’ how to do it properly. What it succeeded in doing was to shut the desire down. Many years later I have allowed my creativity to surface again, but this time I do it for the pure joy, with no goal or aim, just for the journey, and if left to my own devices, I produce work which I enjoy immensly.
When I read this topic I remind myself to your blogpost “The Warrior must allow room for the Universe too”.
I need space when I write, my mind needs to breath.
I do agree that you have to solve some issues in your life before you can finish a book.
While I am writing my comment I do realise that I have to make an abruptly decision, there is no way back.(Thank you for your answer on my questions Paulo)
I have to leave my old self and close the door for an environment who wants me to keep in that state of mind.
Not easy when they stand close to you.
Love
Hildegarde
X
Dear Paulo and friends,
Thank you all for your thoughtful answers and comments to Yajna’s question. I’ve enjoyed reading them. I applaud your ability and willingness to share honestly. The connection between us is so clear – it makes me wonder about how our shared ideas go beyond this forum.
I can tell you that I am currently working on my first book and everything that I have read here has been relevant, helpful and most of all, inspiring. So, again, thank you.
Diane
i agree with Paul from Austria and what he says..i act the same way..if what i want to say is already written in the blog, then my heart and what she wanted to say, are heard…
I admire all of you that are writers…i think i could never be a story teller..a poem, or a musical piece, or a song with lyrics is easier for me to expose my soul, and discover myself…
writers they create a whole universe you can plunge in
musicians create the music of this universe… :)
Love and Graditude
Annie
Excellent question! It’s such a different process for everyone. Savita Vega, I enjoyed your comments too. Don’t you all find the internet inspires people who normally wouldn’t want to write to actually do so? Or do you think it’s more of a distraction?
Yes dear Thelma, I do not feel the urge to comment on all topics. If someone has posted a comment which covers what I would have said, I let it be. This Blog is not a competition to see who can post the best comment… this would present only a platform for egoists to show off. As I have said before though, I am often my quill is dry & my tongue still, but instead of worrying about this phenomenon nowadays, I just wait until the flow begins once more…
I have noticed that some bloggers stay away out of protest…? It is most important that we stay true to ourselves & our own beliefs, some cannot bear to hear the truth…
Love, and be watchful of our heart… & careful with our words, Paul
I wanted to say that like many here tonight, I love to write. What Paulo says: “… probably there are other issues in life that you need to face before being able to finish a book. You’re the only judge of that,” relates to me.
There are times in my life when things seem to be a bit overwhelming and as much as I want to bring a story to life, it seems like too big a task to do at the time. That’s when I change genre and work on something that is of simpler form, that is, perhaps a little less daunting, and that puts me directly in the moment…haiku.
There is so much that I find interesting about this form of writing. For one thing, large images are constructed within tiny poems of few words and the amount of “white space” surrounding the poem is designed with the reader in mind.
If you would be interested in reading some of my haiku, you can find it published at Simply Haiku, which is an online journal for haiku and other Japanese short form poetry. The web address is: http://www.simplyhaiku.com Once you are at this site, click on content and then on my name.
Nanci
“probably there are other issues in life that you need to face before being able to finish a book.”
Yes. Thank you for saying this Paulo. I have known the truth of it in my heart and it feels good to hear it echoed outside myself.
And thank you Savita, for sharing your experience here. I’ve often felt that I should get a “degree” to legitimize my writing in some way, but intuitively felt that nothing is needed to write but my own desire to write, the desire to take the journey of self-discovery. And that is enough. I really hate how “education” tends to suck the joy out of the creative process. Nothing like killing the muse before it even gets started.
tall penguin
Art, every form of art, is the way to communicate with our soul..
and our soul with others…
that is the reason artists are here …to express their soul..and unveil what is hidden..
Love and Graditude
Annie
“when I set to write I have a general idea of the theme I want to tackle but I like being surprised whilst writing”
That, I’m sure, is the fun of it.
Kathleen xx
There was a time when I used to write, just because it was something that I did naturally, like breathing, with no concern for the design of the end product, just as a way of fulfilling my desire to communicate. Then I went to school to “learn to write.” (And I’m not saying one shouldn’t get a degree in creative writing, I’m not even saying it was a “bad” experience for me; I’m just saying that this experience, for me, changed everything.) I took a class that taught me, from a writer’s perspective, how to “dissect” a book written by someone else, label all of its elements, and make a physical blueprint describing the book’s design. I took another class that taught me how to utilize these same tools to plan a novel of my own. We didn’t just do outlines of the novel we planned to write; we even went so far as to create story-boards, as we might if we were making a movie. We “mapped out” the book we planned to write, drawing diagrams and illustration to reveal the interior structure and how each segment or chapter would be related to the other, as well as to the plot as a whole. We named all the characters and described the roles they were to play. We named the “scenes,” listing all the characters that were to appear in each one, then wrote this information down on sticky notes (hundreds of little sticky notes), and drew lines between them to show how the scenes were linked. Then I took yet another class that showed us how to edit and re-write, usually one paragraph at a time. In other words, we didn’t write a whole novel, or even a complete chapter, and then go back to edit it. We wrote tediously small segments, then edited and re-wrote and edited and re-wrote these small fragments to the point of supposed “perfection.” In essence, we edited them to death, before they ever got the chance to come to life within the context of a complete story.
By the time I graduated with my “prized” degree, that initial impulse to communicate with other human beings via my writing, was lost. The burning desire to write had been beaten out of me. I was so burned out from this tedious process of planning that I refused to write a single word for over two years. In fact, if anyone would even mention writing to me, I would say, “I’ve changed my mind: I don’t want to be a writer – ever!” (A lot of anger comes to the surface when you feel you’ve been somehow robbed of something you love most dearly.)
It has only been very recently that I have been able to begin to look back at this experience objectively. It’s not that I don’t want to write again, ever – the desire is not dead within me. It had just become dormant for a time, because the way I was being taught to write – planning everything out in great detail, in advance – is not the way that I want to write or the way that I write best. I enjoyed the planning, even the sticky notes were fun, as I love just about anything that involves discussing literature; however, I could never take these plans and make the leap from blueprint to a finished work. This method of planning the whole thing in advance might work for some (obviously it does), but I’m not one who can “plan” a story or design the plot of a book before I write it. I prefer the approach that Paul from Austria describes: just sit down and let the words flow, intuitively “sensing out” the story as I go. This, I think, is the more organic (as opposed to mechanic) approach to writing – it is the method used by the oral story-tellers of old.
As you say, Paulo Coelho, to plan everything in advance takes all the surprise, all the fun, out of it. Now I realize, after reading your response to Yajna’s question, that there is one more very big difference between the two approaches: the planning approach is more “product oriented,” it assumes the finished book as the singular and ultimate goal of the writing project. The intuitive approach (if I may call it that), your approach of writing it as it comes to you, is more “process oriented” – that is, the writer’s “process” of self-discovery is just as much a goal of the project as the finished “product” of the book. For me, I don’t find the project of writing interesting enough if it doesn’t entail that surprise element of self-discovery.
Thanks so much for sharing with us, not just your books, but your thoughts on writing.
Sincerely,
Savita Vega
My dearest Paul from Austria, now I understand why sometimes you have answered without …having uttered the question!! It explains also the … silent times. Nothing happens without a reason.
LOVE,
THELMA
It seems as if my friend Yajna has asked something right from my heart. This has happened many times that I set out to write at length about a favorite topic of mine in hope that it may take the shape of a book but end up with a write up and find it so complete that doesn’t feel like adding even a word.
The query was so beautifully tackled by Paulo that i couldn’t help falling in love with his art again. Its so perfect.
Paulo, I want to make a confession. Inspired by your concept of “Warrior of Light” I have created a part of fiction and published it on my blog. All that just came after reading these 3 words,”Warrior of Light”. I haven’t gone thru any of your write ups on this even. I need your nod before I complete it.
Anuj
http://anujshailgupt.wordpress.com/the-best-of-me/
Last Wednesday I went to a lecture in honour of a poet, school-mate. For more than an hour the speakers were… talking and ..explaining his poems. At the end…. he simply recited a poem. That poem, in two minutes, gave us the essence of his Soul. So simple and clear. The artists just open and express their Souls through their Art. Arts and artists give us a …glimpse of their Light.
LOVE,
THELMA
Yes, good questions dear Yanja, and good answers dear Paulo… I can relate to this entirely and like Paulo, when I post something in this (Paulo’s) Blog I just start writing whatever comes into my head via intuition, before I click send, I of course proof read it and often my head says oooh that’s too hard or to far away from the message, and sometimes I just throw it in the bin (before that I cut it and save it, in case I change my mind ;) but the process just needs us to make that first step… the other foot (or finger) will follow…;)
Love, and just do it, Paul