The Breakfast Club by Katherine
One of my favorite movies of all time. Totally dating myself, I know, but bear with me, here. It absolutely applies to the Muses. And today's post.
At one point in my professional process -- something I consider quite different, and MUCH more difficult than my creative process -- I said to someone, "I am a friend of Talia Vance." And this person wrote back, "I'm so glad you're in a writing group with Talia." And that gave me pause. And brought up The Breakfast Club.
"I think of you guys as my friends," says Brian, the Geek, played by Anthony Michael Hall. "Don't tell me I'm wrong."
Because even though I may not yet know the names of Veronica's kids, or Talia's shoe size or Donna's taste in men (though I do know her favorite cocktail!), we have something that for us, at least, is much more important. Trust. In each other. In our opinions. In our support. In our criticism. In our celebration of every good thing that comes through.
When my agent (just signed this week -- still doing the happy dance!) suggested I think of ideas for future projects, my heart seized up and my thoughts ran like this: "What if I can't do it? What if I'm a one-book writer? What if I SUCK?" I didn't go to my husband. I didn't go to my best friend. I went to the Muses. And they talked me down. I wasn't fishing for compliments. I was really scared. And they understood.
We writers spend a lot of time alone. We need time and space to think, to create. To wash the dishes when the rest of it isn't working out quite right. But that doesn't mean we don't need others. I didn't know I needed the Muses until I met them at that early morning (BREAKFAST) meeting that Talia wrote about so eloquently. We are a critique group. We read each others' work. We tell each other when we're great and when we need to put more effort in and not take the easy cliche route. We brainstorm and line edit and sometimes delete entire sentences for each other.
BUT. I think of you guys as my friends. Don't tell me I'm wrong.
At one point in my professional process -- something I consider quite different, and MUCH more difficult than my creative process -- I said to someone, "I am a friend of Talia Vance." And this person wrote back, "I'm so glad you're in a writing group with Talia." And that gave me pause. And brought up The Breakfast Club.
"I think of you guys as my friends," says Brian, the Geek, played by Anthony Michael Hall. "Don't tell me I'm wrong."
Because even though I may not yet know the names of Veronica's kids, or Talia's shoe size or Donna's taste in men (though I do know her favorite cocktail!), we have something that for us, at least, is much more important. Trust. In each other. In our opinions. In our support. In our criticism. In our celebration of every good thing that comes through.
When my agent (just signed this week -- still doing the happy dance!) suggested I think of ideas for future projects, my heart seized up and my thoughts ran like this: "What if I can't do it? What if I'm a one-book writer? What if I SUCK?" I didn't go to my husband. I didn't go to my best friend. I went to the Muses. And they talked me down. I wasn't fishing for compliments. I was really scared. And they understood.
We writers spend a lot of time alone. We need time and space to think, to create. To wash the dishes when the rest of it isn't working out quite right. But that doesn't mean we don't need others. I didn't know I needed the Muses until I met them at that early morning (BREAKFAST) meeting that Talia wrote about so eloquently. We are a critique group. We read each others' work. We tell each other when we're great and when we need to put more effort in and not take the easy cliche route. We brainstorm and line edit and sometimes delete entire sentences for each other.
BUT. I think of you guys as my friends. Don't tell me I'm wrong.
3 comments
I love how you've linked the Muses to 'The Breakfast Club'! And if it's any consolation, I have no idea what shoe size my best mate of 24 years wears.
Fabulous stuff: I look forward to following your lyrical journeys :-)
Hmm, so am I the basket case? Yes, I think I am.
I agree with you more and more everyday.
I completely feel that isolation, from a writing standpoint, has caused massive stagnation in my creative thinking. I can't plot out one of my big ideas to save my life right now.
Maybe I just need absinthe...
theBrad
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