Ann S. Epstein writes novels, short stories, memoir, essays, and poems. Please use the links or site menu to go to the HOME PAGE; learn about her NOVELS, SHORT STORIES, MEMOIR, ESSAYS, and POEMS; find interesting facts in BEHIND THE STORY; read REFLECTIONS on writing; check NEWS for updates on publications and related events; see REVIEWS; learn about her END-OF-LIFE DOULA credentials and services; and CONTACT US to send webmail.
Doing a cowardly or hesitant revision is like swiping a rug with a rag. It merely stirs up the dust, which then settles back down, slightly rearranged. A courageous or bold revision is taking the rug outside and beating it until the dirt falls away and the yarn, repaired and rewoven, shines. More thoughts about writing at REFLECTIONS.
“I don’t believe in bad ideas, just bad execution” (actor and writer Issa Rae). When it comes to my own writing, I believe in both. No idea is inherently bad, but it may be bad for me. How do I know? My interest soon fizzles; the well of characters and scenes dries up well short of a quarter-cupful. Or I park the thought in my idea folder, but months or years pass without it beckoning. I don’t delete it; it may eventually call. It is likely a good idea for someone else. But I accept that it’s a bad idea for me, for now, maybe forever. Bad execution, on the other hand, IS inherent to the creative process. Which is why we revise, seek feedback, and continue to polish the work until we do justice to an idea that takes hold of us and won’t quit. More thoughts about writing at REFLECTIONS.
“I have to have a thousand bad ideas before I can get to a good one” (writer and director Aaron Sorkin). Every creative person can attest to the truth of Sorkin’s pronouncement, although we hope for fewer missteps before we find our footing. The notion of wading through the bad to arrive at the good is one impetus behind the advice to write every day. If you write infrequently, it can take a long time for a good idea to emerge. Odds are, you’ll have given up before then. Worse, if you wait for inspiration to strike, you may never begin. But if you trust that a gem is buried in the mud, you’ll slog through until it shines. Save and polish it. Then slog on, bypassing more bad ideas and collecting good ones until the piece is complete. More thoughts about writing at REFLECTIONS.
Two sets of directors, casts, and crews, working from identical scripts, create different productions. Two authors, given the same set of words or writing prompts, create different stories. What distinguishes them? Setting (stage set or story location); lighting (illumination and shadow on the stage or on paper); costume and makeup (how actors or characters appear); props (stage items, story details), voice (POV, how actors or character speak); body and facial language (posture, gestures, movements, and expressions acted or described); and chemistry (between actors or characters). Connections change too. In live theater, the connection between actors and audience alters the production from one performance to the next. Likewise, how readers connect with what’s on the page gives rise to different books. More thoughts about writing at REFLECTIONS.
“Indifference to the sublime wonder of living is the root of sin” (Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, God in Search of Man: A Philosophy of Judaism). Heschel define wonder as “radical amazement.” Amazement leads us to ask “How can this be?” which in turn spurs us to seek knowledge, an explanation. This seeking is the practice of science. Contrary to the belief that science and religion are incompatible, however, is the observation that scientific discoveries do not end our sense of wonder, but instead increase our radical amazement that such phenomena exist. The best scientific writing conveys and inspires this sense of wonder. I write fiction, which is spurred by our sense of wonder about human nature. Fiction writers turn to imagination, not science, for explanations, but the motivation is the same. And whatever the answer — a story’s end — radical amazement remains. Nothing is fully explained, which is why the tales I like best, whether I’m writing or reading, are those with open endings. More thoughts about writing at REFLECTIONS.
“Before things return to normal (after the pandemic), I just want to live each day more harmoniously” (classical singer Julia Bullock). After a prolonged lockdown, the return to normal produces a disorienting mix of anticipation and anxiety. If singers hope to capture and carry forward a state of vocal harmony, perhaps the verbal equivalent for writers is the resonant unity of our words. More thoughts about writing at REFLECTIONS.
“I wish I’d given myself the comfort of knowing how long (the pandemic) was going to be. Here’s you in a year, relax. Stop refreshing The New York Times” (musician Phoebe Bridgers). Many years ago, when my house had no heat during a six-month remodeling project that dragged on for two years, I subconsciously drove my car faster on the instinct that a revved-up engine would get me warmer too. All I got was a speeding ticket. At the beginning of the pandemic, I felt that same urge to hurry up, as if my working faster would hasten the end of the lockdown. Eventually I accepted that the end was nowhere in sight. Now, as I reenter the world, I’m content to advance at a snail’s pace. More thoughts about writing at REFLECTIONS.
“I decided I was going to learn to draw (during the pandemic). I really sucked at it. It was hard on my self-esteem. I had to let the drawing go” (novelist Tayari Jones). Why, in times of stress, do creative people pile more on ourselves by undertaking new challenges? I admire Jones, who was able to drop the drawing. Many, myself included, find it hard to let go. What started as an adventure becomes self-inflicted punishment. Instead of either bidding adieu or simply finding pleasure in something regardless of our ability, we build a wall and persist in slamming our heads against it. Occasionally we break through, so we risk our self-esteem again. And again. More thoughts about writing at REFLECTIONS.
“My bad ideas (during the pandemic) were usually bad because they were not funny because I was depressed” (actor and writer Aidy Bryant). While I’m not primarily a humor writer, I occasionally write “funny” or quirky pieces. I don’t think I’ve written any during the pandemic. I can joke about COVID-19 to cheer someone up, or dash off a throw-away line in a letter or conversation, but sustained humor seems neither appropriate nor possible. Perhaps a sign that the pandemic is receding will be when laughter rebounds. More thoughts about writing at REFLECTIONS.
“If I were to write (during the pandemic) like I normally do, which is glorified complaining, it would be the same as every other person. I don’t know what new experience I can bring to it” (musician Phoebe Bridgers). Since my writing is timeless, rather than timely, and I don’t kvetch, I continue to write as always. For contemporary commentators, the best COVID-19 writing may have to wait until the pandemic has passed. It’s hard to see clearly when one is mired in misery. More thoughts about writing at REFLECTIONS.
