I’ve been
focusing a lot in these recent blog posts on slow writing. The only time
Pratchett could have been considered slow in his writing was in his late
teens/early twenties when he not only worked full-time (mostly as a journalist)
but also, once married (quite early) he and his wife were into all manner of
hobbies, particularly in the gardening line. During this period he only wrote
three books, spread out over several years.
And then
suddenly, when he decided to make writing into a career (although he didn’t
quit full-time work for several years after that) his writing went from slow to
super-fast. He could turn out two adult books a year, and often wrote kids’
books as well. In the end he produced forty-one Discworld novels, and at least
thirty-five other books.
However, there
were innumerable editions of many of these books, plus adaptations as plays, TV
series, calendars, figurines – you name it. He kept an eye on almost everything
that was produced.
He
attended book-signings, sci-fi conferences and many other events. He wrote to set
office hours, and though he and Wilkins had time to ‘play’ within those hours,
he seldom took time off that wasn’t work related.
Should I,
or you, emulate Pratchett’s output? I know I can’t (I’m too old, for one thing,
and started too late) and I suspect few other people would work to the same
high energy level, even if they were full-time writers.
Does it
matter? Nope. We should work at the level where we produce good work. Forget
these writing books that push us more and more into producing two or three
books a year. Work to your own level, your own pace. If that includes times
when work just doesn’t get done, that’s okay. Life interrupts everyone. Aim to
get something done as often as you can, and be content. An unhappy writer doesn’t
produce good work.
No comments:
Post a Comment