Tag: Reflections from Ann S. Epstein Writer

“Creativity and ego cannot go together” (Jeong Kwan, Buddhist monk and chef, profiled on Chef’s Table, February 17, 2017). Kwan is an inspiring figure. Being in her presence instills peace and trust. To the extent that she sees ego as synonymous with competition, as trying to win or “be the best in the world,” I agree with her. Yet ego can also be a desire to improve without comparison to others. Ego is the self-satisfaction one gets from doing something well. My ego is tied to my creative writing. When I labor over a sentence until I find just the right word or phrase, I’m pleased with my accomplishment. I don’t linger or gloat; I move onto the next sentence. But I don’t negate that momentary charge to my self-esteem. I consider that healthy ego. Unlike Kwan, however, I’m not a Buddhist. I haven’t shed my unhealthy ego. Read more of my thoughts about writing in REFLECTIONS.

“[I prefer] open-ended conclusions, in which there’s some resolution at hand, but it’s not tied up in a perfect literary bow. A well written-ending offers a sense of where the characters end up and where they might be headed beyond the final page” (Midge Raymond in “The Last Chapter” by Jack Smith, The Writer, December 2020). In my own writing, I want to “nail” my endings, but not “nail them down.” Ambiguity allows the reader’s imagination to continue working. The book ends but the story keeps spinning. Read more of my thoughts about writing in REFLECTIONS.

“When I’m writing, I often think of endings in fiction like the close of a piece of music. Am I imagining a noisy, rousing crescendo? A minor melancholy chord? A single note that slowly fades into silence? And then I try to use language to create that same effect” (Alix Ohlin in “The Last Chapter” by Jack Smith, The Writer, December 2020). For me, music, more than any other creative medium, can discharge tears or release joy. So when I write, I aim to inspire in readers the same intense emotional reactions evoked by music’s magical powers. Read more of my thoughts about writing in REFLECTIONS.