tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20796627.post1620560641575691776..comments2024-03-17T02:12:53.713-05:00Comments on POD People: Thoughts on the Craft Expanded Redux-- cannegardnerveingloryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03709708573358649383noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20796627.post-83318489881248155412009-03-11T15:07:00.000-05:002009-03-11T15:07:00.000-05:00Yes, his messages are certainly potent ones. I fel...Yes, his messages are certainly potent ones. I fell prey to goal setting early on as well. Word count has never been an issue for me, since I write only novellas, but self-imposed editing and publication deadlines ended up making me insane. Fortunately, someone said, "Breathe...the work just is what it is, it will be as long as it has to be, and it will end when it wants to." Wise words. <BR/><BR/>The business of writing will certainly be the demise of its mystery and majesty. <BR/><BR/>On the subject of creative deconstruction and destruction, my next quote by Mario De Sa-Carneiro will address the subject of bleeding on the page. Look for that next week.Cheryl Anne Gardnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12564041914501542048noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20796627.post-55557743667832921922009-03-11T13:47:00.000-05:002009-03-11T13:47:00.000-05:00It is often said that Miller's non-fictional musin...It is often said that Miller's non-fictional musings are more powerful than his autobiographical fiction (self labeled as such). 'On Writing' is a compilation of both, but the author deliberately chooses to select pieces which closely relate to writing. Whether it is his self discovery of a failure, such as in the one you mention here, or whether it is a more obscure piece dealing with the reason behind writing, Miller's message shines through and, indeed, offers a lot to be learned from. <BR/><BR/>Although I, myself, have never suffered from such delusion as to having to write 5k words per day, I too fell early in to the trap of setting goals. Fortunately, this phase is gone now. It never happened when writing longer works but only when writing short pieces. Short story submission guidelines are mostly flexible, offering some leeway in the terms of a word count, still, I found myself either prolonging certain pieces or shortening others to fit within the margins. It was not a good idea and none of those works exist today. The lesson learned: The creative aspect and the business aspect of art should not be allowed to collide, sending the creator into an early grave in an explosion that barely registers with even those close to you, but, should remain separate so the original intention behind a piece reigns free and unrestricted, just as the artist must be if we expect of him/her to bleed for our pleasure.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com