Tayari's Blog: Writing After The Road

Posted by TayariJones on May 29, 2005 05:37 PM
Filed under The Writing Life

Today, I sat down to work on my new novel after three weeks on the road. This novel feel alive within me. I think about it when I lie down at night. I have to force myself to sleep and the only way I can do that is to remind myself that I have to sleep to do any decent writing in the morning. So, this is good. I don't quite know what to do with myself when I am not working on a project.

But when I finally sat down to write, I had to work hard to shut out the voices of the world and concentrate on my story, my characters, the page.

Book tour is great fun. I enjoy travel and I am always delighted to connect with readers. If you regularly read my blog, you'll know that.

But today, when I finally got myself my favorite fountain pen and a clean pad of paper, I kept thinking of everything that has been said to me after the last month or so. I thought that this was only supposed to happen on book #2. The sophomore jinx is said to be a direct result of the experience of publishing and promoting the first book. But here I am on my third novel, once again, working hard to shut out the critics, the friends, the world.

I wonder if this is just one of the challenges of being an artist. Before I ever published anything at all, I had to work to be honest with my story and not try and please my family, my friends.

Then, I started thinking about writers of creative non-fiction and memoir. I can't imagine how they are able to focus. I am trying to write an essay for an exciting collection about women in their thirties, but I can't even THINK about the assignment without worrying that I will hurt the people I love.

Okay, That's my only thought for the day.

The good news: I wrote two pretty good pages. I am very grateful.

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There are 2 comments on "Writing After The Road". If you'd like to leave a comment, click here to jump down to the comments entry form.

Comment #1, by Judy Dozier

Tayari,

I really appreciate your honest comments about the writing process both before publication and after. I look forward to your thoughts about the writing process and the challenges we all face putting those words on the page. And congratulations on getting two good pages out in the midst of all the competing conflicts and emotions.

Judy (Lake Forest College)

May 31, 2005 09:23 AM

Comment #2, by Claudia Sarden

Hello Tayari,
I have always been curious about you...from the first I saw you at a Howard University-sponsored event. You were a winning author from Golden's recognition of outstanding young writers. As I listened to you read, I admired your work tacitly, but never had the opportunity to read for myself anything you'd written, until right now. I've enjoyed reading this blog and will anticipate visiting this site again. Something inside me will encourage me to visit Charis and get one of your works. What I admire most is that you are a young, teaching writer, who is GETTING the work done. I must close the door to the world and sit down to my laptop. Being here, reading, gently motivates me. And I am yet honored that I had the opportunity of hearing and seeing you again, in my adopted hometown of Atlanta, where you spoke at the Existentialist Church connected with Charis.
Keep doing your thing! And I will pause in the relishing of life long enough to begin mine...
Cheers,
C. Sarden

June 12, 2005 12:53 PM

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