SHARING OUR WRITING/ART

“SPEND IT ALL”

“One of the things I know about writing is this: spend it all, shoot it, play it, lose it, all, right away, every time. Do not hoard what seems good for a later place in the book or for another book; give it, give it all, give it now. The impulse to save something good for a better place later is the signal to spend it now. Something more will arise for later, something better. These things fill from behind, from beneath, like well water. Similarly, the impulse to keep to yourself what you have learned is not only shameful, it is destructive. Anything you do not give freely and abundantly becomes lost to you. You open your safe and find ashes.”

This Annie Dillard quote resonates with me. I love the instruction to “spend it all” in the writing. To give the reader the best you have and not hold back.

I tell the writers I work with that no writing is ever wasted. That every sentence, every word we write, improves our skill and makes us better writers.

Art is messy and writing is art.

GIVING FREELY

I also love the statement, “Anything you do not give freely and abundantly becomes lost to you.”

This is also why I write with such passion and why I teach and share what I have learned along the way. In many ways, I am constantly giving what I know, sharing it with others. I teach writing workshops, participate in book festivals and conventions, and sit on author panels. I speak to writers’ groups and book clubs and support and mentor other writers. I volunteer and provide support for writing events and conferences.

Even as a basic introvert, I enjoy talking with people about books and writing, the craft and the process and the business of publishing. I don’t do this purely out of selflessness. There is always the hope that someone who hears me speak will decide to become one of my readers or one of my clients. But more than that, I always learn something new, or am reminded of things I have forgotten I knew. Sometimes, I find new ways to apply what I have learned. Other times, a new idea for a story will strike, or a problem I have been struggling with will resolve itself and my own writing will flow easier and more readily.

Dillard was speaking of the writing, the words on the page, the stories we share. But this attitude can apply to anything we have a passion for.

Share what you know, and your writing (art, skill, knowledge) will grow. 😀

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