"The reflecting pool has a life of its own. So do my poems. When I am writing a world as I see it in that pool, I am writing what I see, and I have to account for the fact that anyone else looking in the pool brings in what they see too. They bring themselves, for one, and also sometimes a crazy old coot or two. A loon, perhaps. If you want to see yourself when I describe that loon, that's on you. And if the reflection you apprehend in my poem is such that you feel reproached, perhaps that is something you ought to address in your own heart. What I happen to see, and say, reflects me. I can't erase myself from what I see."
It's a scary thing being a writer. The world says, "Don't share, or I will judge you." But the writer says, "I see, therefore I must share."
People may see a little too much of me reflected a little too clearly in my writing...and it gives them power. If I let it.
Linking up with Thoughtful Spot Weekly Blog Hop, Crafty Spices, Pursuit of Functional Home, Kirsten Oliphant.
Above picture by © Tomas Castelazo, www.tomascastelazo.com
Hi Priscilla! I'm coming over from the FB site of (in)courage.
ReplyDeleteYou are so right about revealing yourself in your work. It can be so intimidating! But I like that you can relate to this speaker. She sounds like a very strong person, and we all need to be like that. And your statement 'if I let it' sort of says it all. We let in what we want. And exclude what we want too!
Nice to visit here :)
Ceil
Welcome Ceil! Thanks for stopping by. I love reading about other writers and learning from them. One thing I've been noticing is that they tend to have a bit of spunk. :)
DeletePowerful quote from The Writer's Chronicle. Thank you for sharing that. And yes, writing can be scary and people may judge but I loved your reminder that they only have power if we give it to them. Good stuff, Priscilla.
ReplyDeleteYeah, it is scary. I know some of the times I'm real and honest that frankly I'm not being the person that I want to be or ought to be. But...I think being a writer requires realness. ... I also have been learning slowly what to share where and with whom. All of my writing isn't for all audiences. Sometimes it's just for one or two. Other times, it's for more. And that's okay. :)
DeleteLove this quote, thanks for sharing
ReplyDeleteI have a little quote book that I've started keeping and I put this quote in next to others by T.S. Eliot and such. I thought it was pretty good, for both writers and readers. :)
DeleteHi, Priscilla. I've stopped by the Facebook (in)courage) site as well. I loved the quote and your comments. An old man once said to me "You must be independent of the opinions of others". I stored the thought away in a mental back pocket thinking it didn't apply to me. Of course, it did and it does. I don't think the old man was referring to valid criticism, but rather more like the e.e. cummings statement that I seem to remember goes something like this: "The hardest thing in the world is to be yourself when everyone else wants you to be something other."
DeleteSo true. :) Thanks for stopping by Jan. I really appreciate being able to learn from the wisdom of others. :)
DeleteI love that quote and the thought of people bringing in their own thing. For years anytime my mother read my fiction, if there was a mother, she was certain it was her and accused me of writing about her and making her look bad. (I guess my moms in fiction weren't perfect?) I kept trying to tell her that while I'm sure I brought some of my life into my words, they were NOT HER. They were characters. I think we all bring something in, and especially if it's someone we know, it's easy to read something like my Mom did into things. Great reflection!
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by! . . . I have often wondered what people will think of my writing, because I draw from my life and experiences, but I use my imagination and change things rather dramatically at times. Maybe we should put a disclaimer at the beginning of our pieces, "Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is purely accidental."
DeleteKiki I totally get this! In college I dated a guy and we were both into creative writing. We seriously had this whole relational subtext going on through the stories we wrote, and reading a screenplay of his was one factor that finally convinced me the way we viewed relationships was just too different. Haha!
DeleteI have also hurt my mom, and she doesn't accuse me of anything, but I can tell she reads into the characters.
Priscilla, I wish I could put that disclaimer on my stuff, but honestly for me it's not accidental! Which is why I don't circulate my fiction widely. But, this is a very interesting topic. Thanks for writing!
It's challenging being an writer, no? I'm also careful with some of my work. ... My goal is to challenge, inspire, etc., not hurt. If I'm wounding someone then I'm not achieving that, so I try to be careful too, even while giving myself a little room to make mistakes. After all, I'm human too. :)
DeleteWow, great stuff. You helped to clarify some things for me and also challenge me a bit! I am a pastor's wife and know that I must have discretion when I write. But sometimes, things need to be shared and this reminder that others might read things into it is not something that I can possibly control. I have been timid about sharing things at times, but want to write out of a different place- with wisdom and discretion, absolutely, but also courage to speak truth. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteAlthough, not quite the same, I've felt perhaps a similar reserve being a military officer's wife. Traditionally, a spouse's behavior could impact the soldier's career, sometimes substantially. Today, not so much. But still, there is pressure to be a certain way. ... It takes courage and wisdom to know what and how to share some things. ... I bungle it all of the time. But sometimes, I'll share something perhaps controversial, or more real than I have before, and I'll receive a response I hadn't expected. Blessings as you continue your writing! "hugs"
DeleteGreat quote, and I feel the same way! Sometimes it's scary to share so much of myself in my writing, but sometimes I decide it's worth it and take the leap (and sometimes I don't) :)
ReplyDeleteSame here, Rachel, same here. :)
DeleteIt's hard putting yourself out there for everyone to read. I've had friends think I was writing about them--but I was more writing about a composite of friends and my own life.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I've gotten in trouble for some things I've written too, especially opinions I've had on certain things. Sometimes it's hard to dare to voice an opinion of my own, but I want to hear others' views, so I try to give the same. I find others' perspectives fascinating, inspiring and often challenging. Watered down sentiments don't attract me. It's the stuff that has bite too it, whether I agree or disagree that truly engages me. I try to remember that when I write. ... Part of me realizes too that most good authors will have people who disagree with them. Not exactly a comforting thought, but a truth anyway.
DeleteThanks for sharing at the Thoughtful Spot Weekly Blog Hop!
ReplyDelete