Did you all see this tweet from author Erin Morgenstern? When it popped up in my feed, I almost choked.
Erin Morgenstern authored one of my favorite novels, The Night Circus. I’ve read it multiple times and listened to the audio book twice, and not for a moment did I consider the novel slow. Forgive me for gushing, but this book is sublimely paced–a delicious read that is layered, magical, and terrifying at turns. {Also, it’s not a YA book so proceed with caution, teen writers.}
While Morgenstern’s intentional, measured unveiling of the circus and its players is precisely my cup of tea, I can acknowledge that we all have different tastes. It’s what makes art art. Interpretation and preference, differing opinions on beauty, the reader’s own baggage and exposure to ideas and stimuli. You and I aren’t going to love everything. In fact, you may love all the things I hate. And that’s okay.
But I’m around the book community a lot. I work with teens and adults alike. I watch my own kids pick up and discard various forms of entertainment. And you know what I’m hearing more and more often these days as an excuse for not finishing a book?
“It’s too slow.”
I’ve said those very words myself. As a reader, I’m continually fighting a losing battle with my “to be read” stack. I want to read all the books. I need to read all the books. And yet, time is finite and the world has convinced us that if we’re not racing through it, we’re doing it wrong.
We treat books the same way. If a story doesn’t grab us and yank us barrelling over a precipice within a page or two, there’s something on Netflix or hidden in our TBR stack that will.
Let’s be real, the unrelenting availability of entertainment is both blessing and curse. At times, it can be exhausting. We’ll never, ever get to it all, and we’re not okay with that.
Friends, we are losing our capacity to savor. And this presents a real problem for writers.
It’s not just that readers are more and more likely to skim the pages of a book you poured your soul into, but they’re not the only ones who’ve forgotten how to enjoy storytelling.
Writers are not immune. We too feel the pressure to hurry.
I’ve felt it as my family works to find our fall routine. Somehow I got the idea that with summer break over, I’d drop my kids off at school, fall into my chair, and the words would flow. Why not, right? The distractions are gone, so the words should come.
But that’s not how creativity works. That’s not how books are written. And while we don’t want to be a slave to our muse, we need to allow time for inspiration. For nature and the arts. For exposure to new ideas. For research and experience. For in-depth consideration of what we’re actually saying with our story. For making mistakes and creating really bad art.
These experiences are valuable. They force us to grow and change. They do the same for our stories. And we’ll forfeit golden opportunities if we see ourselves as nothing more than a machine whose only job is to finish the next book.
It’s not healthy to work this way.
I believe we’d create better art if we remembered what first drew us to storytelling. We need to relearn how to savor the daily process of creating.
Now, hear me. I’m not saying we have to write slowly. Readers the world over know this: slow can kill a book. And slow can certainly stymie an author. But just as every story has a perfect pace, every author does too. And a shift in our mindset might be necessary.
Storytelling isn’t just about entertaining others. You are this story’s first audience. And while so much of creating a book is difficult and mind-wrecking, there is much to savor in the day-to-day work of it. The writing of your story can entertain you, if you’ll let it.
But we have to be intentional and we have to value process over pace.
And like Erin Morgenstern, let’s choose to take it as a compliment when we’re accused of being slow. One reader’s slow is another reader’s perfect pace. Delicious and worth savoring.
Friends, we can’t control the preferences of the masses but we can control our process. And that’s good news! In a fast, fast world, I’m going to work a little harder on savoring the day-to-day.
Care to join me?
Also, Erin handled this beautifully, but here’s a free tip: Don’t tag authors in any kind of negative feedback on social media. You are absolutely allowed to dislike all the things and, if it’s important to you to share that on social media, by all means. But there’s no need to force a creator to see your opinion. And that’s what happens when you tag an author. Their phone vibrates with a notification that someone, somewhere didn’t like their art. And that’s just . . . mean.
SO relevant and true. Part of the enjoyment of writing a story is taking enough time to really delve into the storyline and characters and really get to know them so you can craft a better story.
Because I have so little time to write in this season of life with all my schoolwork, I’m often tempted to hurry through my writing and not necessarily do my best. But like you said, we have to value process over pace.
Thanks so much for this post! It was both convicting as well as encouraging to me.
You are absolutely welcome! I understand being busy all too well.
it’s so true! Taking my time and just enjoying what I’m writing is hard. Especially because, while I do enjoy my characters and story-world, I’m generally crunched for time a little as I write. However, I do try to take the time once a week to read back the last chapter I’ve written and to just enjoy the fruits of my labors. Because those are the times I laugh the hardest over what I’ve written and enjoy it the most.
Thanks for the post, it was good to hear all of that again.
You’re welcome, Aster! Happy writing!
I totally struggle with savoring the process. I’ve been stuck on draft one of my book for a LONG time, and now all I want is to finish it as quick as I can so I can start editing. I tell myself I’ll savor the process and explore the depths of my story then. In the early stages of writing my book I was working a bit too slow. I overthought the tiniest details and spent hours at a time researching minute things like “What type of flowers would grow here?” Now I’m taking the opposite approach and rushing myself. But if I scramble to just get “the gist” on paper now and wait until the edits to really make it what I want it to be, I could miss out on coming up with a really good idea that gives the story the life I want for it. This is my work of art, and I should be enjoying each part of its creation, because the end result will be beautiful. And everyone says life moves fast, so you should slow down and enjoy it, because soon it will all be gone. Why can’t the same be true for writing my book? One day it will be done and I won’t be writing it anymore. I should enjoy writing it while I am, because I’ll never write the same book again, and I might miss this time in my life.
Oftentimes when I’m reading I experience the same thing. I notice I’m going too quickly just to find out what happens next, and I have to tell myself to stop and reread that last paragraph because it’s beautifully written. I try to stop, really take in the words, and use them to put a picture of the story world in my brain.
Also, can I just say, The Night Circus is an awesome book. Imaginative, beautifully written, intriguing plot, vast assortment of fascinating characters. Highly recommend. Way to go Erin for her brilliant response to the haters.
It takes time, I think, to find your perfect pace. And it can shift over time, book to book. Some paces are right for some stories and for seasons in your own life. Rest in whatever pace you settle into.
Hey, getting stuck on draft one is totally normal, I promise! Shannon’s absolutely correct, pace isn’t something that is a hard and fast rule, its really flexible. My pace changes when I get excited about something, or when my characters really just take over and do and say whatever they want to. (which can be really annoying sometimes, if one of the guys isn’t being patient enough!) Then your pace changes again, because you can’t figure out what’s next! Pace is fluid, so don’t worry too much about how fast or slow you’re writing. It sounds like your WIP is going to be really good, though! Can’t wait to see it on a shelf somewhere!
Aww thanks 🙂 Same to you. Seems like you have a fun cast of characters.
My WIP seems like it’s going to end up more of a short story right now, which makes me sad. I realize now that this might be because I’m not savoring the process, and using my world to it’s full potential. This concept of really just diving deep into your work will actually help me to make the story longer and better. Thank you!!
Also, I just got Angle Eyes from the library and am soo excited to read it!
Well said.
I tend to write on the slower side, and the pressure to produce faster is something I’ve struggled with. So thanks for the reminder it’s okay to pause and savor.
This is beautiful. Thank you! I’ve spent years a slave to my muse, and have recently been learning that the inspiration is always here. A little structure goes a long way, and with consistency, savouring the process becomes possibility.
I love this so much! A much-needed reminder to all creators. I love the quote: “I believe we’d create better art if we remembered what first drew us to storytelling.”
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You could say that J. R. R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings moves along slowly, but I think every part in the books is worth taking up paper for, even if not really necessary to the plotline.