“And so it is… Art is long and life is short, and success is very far off. And thus, doubtful of strength to travel so far, we talk a little about the aim – the aim of art which, like life itself, is inspiring, difficult – obscured by mists.” ~ Joseph ConradSo many of today’s magazines and books on writing focus on the process of writing, with the subtle message that if your words dazzle and sing you will be a success. Too often, they overlook the fact that a writer needs to have something to say, a message worth printing, a story worth telling. Even when this is so, there is no guarantee of success, for “the race is not always to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, but time and chance happen to them all.”
Nevertheless, we press on. We speak because we are impelled to speak, write because of an inner necessity. And at night, on our beds, we dream dreams.
Nevertheless, we press on. We speak because we are impelled to speak, write because of an inner necessity. And at night, on our beds, we dream dreams.
My story Terrorists Preying, like many of my stories, began as a dream. The dream became the story’s seed, and as I breathed on it the breath of life it grew. Gide once wrote that his best work was produced little by little, rather than in great bursts of energy like Asimov, who sprayed more than 300 books into existence.
They say writers would do best to write about what they know. Sometimes the struggle is in part to identify what we know and don't know. Where does knowledge and knowing come from? And where do you stop once you start asking questions like "Who am I?" and "Why am I here?" And how do you establish your significance as a person? Terrorists Preying is one man’s struggle with these issues, with these kinds of questions.
“The person who appreciates a great work of art has the feeling that the work grows in him as he becomes involved in a prolonged capturing of emerging marginal meanings. He feels that he, too, is creative, that he himself is adding to his experience and understanding. Moreover, he wants to confront the work of art many times. He is not easily tired of it, as he would be had he read a purely logical statement. He realizes that the work of art does not merely transmit information; it produces pleasure.” ~ Silvano Arieti
What you've just read here is from the introduction to my second self published booklet called Potpourri. The first included Lu Lee and the Magic Cat, The Young Messenger and An Introduction to the Story of Samson & Delilah. The second Potpourri was the longer Terrorists Preying.
They say writers would do best to write about what they know. Sometimes the struggle is in part to identify what we know and don't know. Where does knowledge and knowing come from? And where do you stop once you start asking questions like "Who am I?" and "Why am I here?" And how do you establish your significance as a person? Terrorists Preying is one man’s struggle with these issues, with these kinds of questions.“The person who appreciates a great work of art has the feeling that the work grows in him as he becomes involved in a prolonged capturing of emerging marginal meanings. He feels that he, too, is creative, that he himself is adding to his experience and understanding. Moreover, he wants to confront the work of art many times. He is not easily tired of it, as he would be had he read a purely logical statement. He realizes that the work of art does not merely transmit information; it produces pleasure.” ~ Silvano Arieti
What you've just read here is from the introduction to my second self published booklet called Potpourri. The first included Lu Lee and the Magic Cat, The Young Messenger and An Introduction to the Story of Samson & Delilah. The second Potpourri was the longer Terrorists Preying.
I love the Arieti quote. It explains why we never tire of the movies, poetry, art or music that we love. On my next Short Story Monday I will share the beginning of Terrorists Preying. I invested a lot of myself into that one.
And in the meantime, carpe diem. Seize the day!
No comments:
Post a Comment