Happy weekend, WriteByNighters,
The other day my therapist -- who I'm
clearly getting a lot of blog mileage out of lately -- asked me, "Why do you want to publish a book?"
I stared at her, my wheels spinning. I couldn't come up with anything that felt like an honest, non-jokey
answer. The silence went on for so long that she held a mirror below my nose to see if I was still breathing. (I wasn't.)
Finally I said, "I don't know. I can tell you why I want to write a book, but I'm
not sure I can tell you why I want to publish one."
That's right, we're bringing back the old process versus product discussion! Which is more important? Why? Can the two even be
separated?
My opinion has evolved over the years, and will likely continue to evolve. After all, "A mind that can change is a healthy mind." Or so says Dr. Joel Fleischman, fictional protagonist of 1990s
Emmy-winning TV show Northern Exposure.
"What a random reference!" Unless of course you've already read this week's blog post, where I use a segment of a Northern Exposure episode to illustrate process versus product.
The post basically boils down to this question:
Would you rather wake up one morning with a published book and no memory of having written it, or would you rather experience every moment of
the writing process but then throw your manuscript into a fire and watch it burn?
Your answer might surprise you.
And a hearty thank you for all of your blog comments and emails. Discussing these things with you is always among the highlights of my week.
