Nameless Contributors: The Importance of Editors & Other Background Artists

Yesterday, I was given the opportunity to go see Carrie Underwood, Country Music Star and 2005 American Idol winner, sing live for her Blown Away Tour.  I spent the morning before the concert watching music videos and the evening before the concert, I practiced walking around in pointy-toe high heels with buckles reminiscent of cowboys, and I used more hairspray than I normally do to make my hair big.  It was a fun excuse to be extravagant.

After a theatrical performance, the last song that was performed was "Blown Away."  Behind Carrie Underwood, a column of air and smoke rose to look like a tornado, and debris flew around the stage so that the audience felt they were about to be uprooted to Oz.  I was very impressed by the entire show, even though Country music is not my first music genre of choice.

Carrie Underwood performing at the Taco Bell
Arena in Boise, Idaho for her Blown Away Tour.

I've listened to the song "Blown Away" several times since the performance, and I started thinking about how Carrie Underwood, while she possesses great vocals and a rock star image, isn't the only artist behind the song.  Carrie Underwood didn't actually write the song; that credit goes to Chris Tompkins and Josh Kear.

Then I starting thinking about other artists, and how, often, even though one artist is recognized, there is often another artist behind the famous one, who is just as important to the finished art product, and yet no one knows their names.

For instance, many painters have assistants that do portions of paintings or complete paintings all together, which the artist will then put to their name.  I remember sitting in an Art 100 Freshman College class, and learning that this was a common practice, even for famous painters of the past.  Thomas Kinkade, famously known as the "Painter of Light," who I dislike immensely, is a prime example of this practice in current times.  Supposedly, Kinkade is the mastermind behind every design, but anyone who has a Kinkade painting in their home most likely has a painting that was never actually touched by Kinkade's paintbrush, but was completed by an assistant.

This is true of Singers and Artists, but what of Writers?

Composers are to singers, as assistants are to painters, as editors are to writers. Editors are the unrecognized artist behind authors.

Is an editor considered an artist?  An editor's name might not be on the final product, but are the editors' ideas and revisions essential to the story?

I know that my short story, "Cricket Song," which was published in The Berkeley Fiction Review  with my name, would not have been there if I hadn't had the help from several friends, who circled and scribbled and wrote in the side-bars of my draft.

And what of Raymond Carver, and his editor Gordon Lish?  While Raymond Carver is so loved for his minimalist style, after seeing the edits that Gordon Lish recommended to Carver's draft of "What We Talk About When We Talk About Love," it becomes apparent that part of Carver's brevity, at least in this story, is due in part to his Editor.  If you look at the document, comparing the original draft, and the final version after edits by Gordan Lish, which can be found on The New Yorker's website, it is clear that paragraphs, and even pages, have been removed.  Had they remained, would the story be so acclaimed?

I'm not writing about this to demand fairness for the Composers/Painting Assistants/Editors of the world.  I am still going to listen to "Blown Away" even though everyone thinks of Carrie Underwood when they hear the song, instead of Chris Tompkins and Josh Kear.  I'm not going to boycott Thomas Kinkade pictures because the Painting Assistant didn't sign the painting (I'm going to boycott them because I dislike fairy-tale landscape stock pictures that don't elicit truths I've come to realize about life and love and reality, instead).  I'm still going to think of Raymond Carver as a great writer.  Not everyone who contributes to an Artists' Product wants to be famous anyway.

But I'd like acknowledge the artists out there-- the ones without their names in bright white lights-- who work on their craft for the sake of the craft.  To the editors, and song writers, and painting assistants working in dank studios pushing out stock paintings--and hey, sometimes I'm an editor, too--Cheers to me, and cheers to you!

A Writer's Saturday

After a long week of work, overtime, and missing my husband as he was out of town for his job, I had a pleasant and relaxed Writer's Saturday:

1:30 am

Yesterday ended, and today began, with an analytic discussion of The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.  While my old roommate and friend Megan now lives in Russia, we have started a book club over Skype to discuss American Literature.  Because of the time difference, we usually meet in my evenings and her mornings.  

Since Warner Brothers is releasing a movie about the Great Gatsby in May, and since neither of us had read the book yet, we started our book club with this classic. We discussed symbolism, history, plot, and characters of the book, among other things, from my 10pm to 1:30am.  It was incredibly refreshing to chat about literature like I got to when I was still going to school.

The next book we are reading is All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy.  Right before we got off our video chat, Megan and I read the first sentence of the Western Novel as a teaser:

"The candleflame and the image of the candleflame caught in the pierglass twisted and righted when he entered the hall and again when he shut the door."

10:00 am

I read 22 pages of All the Pretty Horses while my husband slept, and then when he woke, I was treated to coffee and pancakes.

2:00 pm

The husband and I did some necessary shopping (we were on our last roll of toilet paper at the house).  We went to Hastings to look for The Great Gatsby 1974 film with Robert Redford, but they didn't have it available to rent or buy.  We rented Ted instead, and watched it at home.  After than I took a nap.

5:30 pm
Dinner-- Spicy Basil and a Peregrine Pilsner at Pat's Thai Kitchen.

7:30 pm

Writing time!  Per my New Year's Resolution, I am writing 30 minutes each day, every day.  I haven't skipped a day yet.  To keep me on track, I have daily prompts from a book called A Writer's Book of Days by Judy Reeves.  (Read more here).  

Today I wrote two poems and a short commentary about light, seasons, and windows in offices.

Every day is something new, and it feels so good to free write.

8:00 pm

Blog, laundry, watching Star Wars (the original) and I might bake some cookies before bed.  I am completely satisfied!

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Today's Prompt from A Writer's Book of Days by Judy Reeves:
The longest day


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Honesty: Essential to Community

I've always felt that there is some kind of power in admitting your fears and insecurities.  When I admit them, I can better recognize how I can move past them.  I've also never trusted people who seem perfect all the time, so I find that I am falsifying myself if I only present myself as totally put together.  I'm not perfect, nobody is perfect, but we seem to look at other people and believe that they are perfect, when they are not.

Part of why I love reading, is because the faults of people are shown in such an honest way.  There are characters we don't like because they are purely evil but there are also characters who are mostly bad, but who audiences love anyway, and who audiences want to succeed.  Often literature brings out human nature better than actually interacting with people does, because in real life, people so often try to hide their human nature.

For example, when I was in high school, scrapbooking was a big fad.  Scrapbooking consisted of organizing and artfully presenting pictures from all the fun events in life in a book.  You would show your friends and guests these books, where everyone is smiling in every single picture, and essentially present the edited version of your life to them, suggesting that your life is always smiles, always fun events, never sad or maddening or overwhelming at times.

Now Facebook has replaced Scrapbooking, in a way.  Everyone uploads their happy, never sad, photos, and everyone posts status updates that show how interesting and fun their lives are.  I admit that I am just as guilty as the majority of the facebook population.

So, yesterday I attempted to be honest about what was on my mind, without filtering the bad parts of my life.  As I have lots of talented writer friends on facebook, I actually received good feedback on my status update:

I had responses from people who also had difficulty with editing, and could sympathize.  I got advice from people who had once hated editing, but began to enjoy it.  I had writing friends offer to be a reader and to offer constructive criticism and first impressions of my draft.  I got abounding support from friends and family.

Honesty creates community.  Pretending to be perfect and to know everything-- that doesn't create community.  Community is about sharing and participating and sympathizing.  These things are all harder when we pretend to be perfect.

It is said about children, but I think it is also true for writers-- It takes a village.

I am so blessed by my writing community.  I've met people through school who have been there for me and helped me grow as a writer.  I've met writers through facebook and by going to local readings.  I've met other writers through workshops and friends of friends.

A writing community is important to a writer, and this is shown in history.  Hemingway had his writing community in Paris, where he hung around Gertrude Stein, James Joyce, Ezra Pound, among other artists.  The Beat Generation met frequently in New York, and later San Francisco.  Here, in Boise, Idaho, in 2013, a writing community also abounds.

To sum it up, I am a fan of honestly in a community.  I am not suggesting that people should go around and write depressing and self-defaming facebook posts to get attention, or to give people the idea that it is okay to be cruel to others in the name of honesty, but I believe that if you admit to your faults, if you allow other people in your life to give you advice, you can do nothing but grow and contribute to your community.

To all of you people who are in my writing community-- Thank you for your overwhelming support. 

Creating a Character: Finding a Chair

One of my female characters is remodeling her house, among other things, in a short story on which I am working.  As such, I have been looking over furniture, contemplating paint color for accent walls, and generally trying to understand my character's design style.  In my research, I came across several gorgeous furnishings from hivemodern.com, a retailer for furniture, lighting, and modern design accessories for the home, based in Portland, Oregon.

Hans Wegner Wishbone Chair

Source: Hivemodern.com

I decided that my character is attracted to this Hans Wegner Wishbone Chair, but the truth is, I might like it more than my counterpart on the page.

My Writing Space

When my old roommate and friend Brittany moved to Aberystwyth, Wales last summer, I got my very first, real, writing desk.  The desk was originally Brittany's, and when she first got it, I was secretly in love its shape and character.  Brittany eventually wanted to get rid of it, since she was moving out of the country, and I volunteered to take it, keeping one more thing out of a storage unit for which she didn't want to pay.  Besides, my current desk was a long board draped across plastic storage drawers, and even though Brittany's desk is old and chipped in some areas, it was a step up from my makeshift desk.

Although, I never actually used my old makeshift desk for writing, I was thrilled to get the new desk anyway.  I assumed that I never chose to write at my old desk because it wasn't a real desk, and instead I would curl up in my bed with my laptop and type with the covers up, and sometimes even with the bed-heater on in winter.

I was excited to get a real desk for a number of reasons:

1.     First, the desk's knobs are handsome and pleasant for the eyes.  

Handsome Desk Knob

2.     I decided it would be good for me to stop writing in my bed since I've heard that doing          homework or work in bed is disruptive to good sleep because the body then associates your    bed with work, rather that relaxation and rest.

3.     What writer doesn't have a desk?  I simply wanted a writing nook to call my very own.  

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Ironically, even with my new favorite desk, I still write in my bed.  I guess it is just my spot, regardless of what I wish my writing space to be.  I get in the bed on the left side, pull the covers up to my middle, fluff the pillows behind me, and begin.  Lately, I have to have my Pendelton Blanket with its Ranch House Hacienda pattern on the bed before I can start.  You can see it below, at the base of the bed.

My Writing Space

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Other writers who use their bed as a writing space:

Maya Angelou

In "57 Tips for Writers, From Writers" by Marelisa on daringtolivefully.com, I read the below quote from Maya Angelou, regarding her writing habits:

"I write on the bed lying down--one elbow is darker than the other, really black from leaning on it-- and I write in longhand on yellow pads."

Truman Capote

According to Kathleen Massara, who wrote "Weird Writing Habits of Famous Authors" on  Flavorwire.com, Capote admitted to writing from his bed as well in a Paris Review Interview: 

"I am a completely horizontal author.  I can't think unless I'm lying down, either in bed or stretched on a couch with a cigarette and coffee handy.  I've got to be puffing and sipping.  As the afternoon wears on, I shift from coffee to mint tea to sherry to martinis."

Michael Morpurgo

Morpurgo writes about his writing space in the "Writer's Room" series of The Guardian, a national British Newspaper, and says:

"For many years, I wrote on our bed in the house. But there were complaints about ink on the sheets, dirty feet on the bed, and we felt we should try to create somewhere else, a storyteller's house."

Morpurgo's wife designed a writer's house for him, and he has made a writing bed there.  You can see a picture of that bed here.

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Where do you like to write?

How important do you think that space is to your practice?

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Prove it, 2013!

It is the first day of 2013.  Happy New Year!

Upon reflecting on 2012, it has been an extremely busy and productive year.  I got a new job, got engaged, planned a wedding in exactly 6 months from my engagement, and moved into a new place. While I am extremely proud of 2012, and the excitement it brought, I didn't have a very productive writing year.

My goal for 2013 is to write every day. I am not going to give myself an insane amount of pages to complete, or plan to write a complete novel, because those types of goals stupefy me with their largeness, and then fear and perfectionism creeps in and destroys any creativity I have.  I have chosen a smaller goal--
I am going to write for 30 minutes every day this year.  If I skip a day, I will write for an hour the next day to make it up. Half an Hour is completely doable.

To make it even easier to succeed with my goal, I have purchased a book called A Writer's Book of Days, by Judy Reeves, which gives daily writing prompts.  This book, describes as "A Spirited Companion & Lively Muse for the Writing Life," should help squash any writer's block that is born from not knowing what topic to write about.  The great thing is, the topics are very general, so I can make them work for any poem, short story, or character I choose.  Thus I am flexible to continue to work on past/current writing projects, and explore different areas of these projects, or, I can begin new projects too.

I discovered this book as I was playing with my new Kindle, a gift from my husband this Christmas.  I was searching books by the keyword "Janet Fitch," who is my favorite author. Fitch recommends this book, and wrote the Foreword.  I had been searching for some way to stay on track for my resolution to write every day, and this just popped up. Divine Intervention.

New Year's Eve was spent with friends at Yen Ching, and after I enjoyed my plate of The General's Chicken, and my plum wine/cranberry juice cocktail, I received a fortune that spoke directly to my thoughts on my writing resolution.  It told me exactly what I needed to hear.

"You are capable, competent, creative, careful.  Prove it."

To my Insecurity, my Fear of Failure, my Doubt--

I am capable, competent, creative, careful.  And I will prove it!

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Today's Prompt from A Writer's Book of Days by Judy Reeves:
Things that enter by way of silence (after Mark Strand)

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Reliving a Writer's Conference Experience

In a previous post, I wrote about a Writer's Conference I got to attend during the Sun Valley Trailing of the Sheep Festival in October of 2011.  While they didn't have a "Women Writing and Living the West" Conference this year, I was pleasantly surprised when the below video was brought to my attention.  I get to relive my experience once again, and now you can experience the Writer's Conference as well.




This video was Directed and Edited by Chris Simon of Sageland Media.  Diane Josephy Peavey, of the Trailing of the Sheep Festival, was the Creative Consultant.