Practicing Alchemy

Turning Lead into Gold

Writing can be a practice of alchemy. From my earliest days as a writer when I was fifteen years old, I wrote as a way of understand the world and my human experience. There was so much that I didn't understand. So much of my life left me feeling as if there was no ground under my feet. My writing was like a life raft that kept me from feeling completely lost or drowning.

At fifteen, I wasn't a very good writer, but it didn't matter. All that mattered was that it gave me comfort when I desperately needed it. Now that I am older and have the perspective of my age, I can look back on my life and take all of the most painful experiences and turn them into gold through my writing.

In the summer of 1992, I bought a one-bedroom condo in Aurora. I assumed a mortgage for $40,000. The condo had a Jacuzzi, a private patio, a fireplace, and a second patio that opened up to an inner courtyard. It was across the street from a park. I lived there for 5 years. One of the worst decisions I ever made in my life was to sell that condo.

After living there for five years, I sold it for $50,000. Today, fifteen years after the purchase date, it would probably be paid off. I would have been able to rent it for at least $750 per month and it would probably sell today for over $100,000.

Now, with 20/20 hindsight, I can see that selling it was a huge mistake. But I can’t go back into the past and change that decision. However, I can take a penetrating look at my life and my mental state at the time when I sold the condo and do my best to understand what led me to make that decision. At least I can say that it is a fascinating story. So I will turn my lead (the painful and dark moments in my life) into gold. Maybe I will write a memoir that will become a bestseller and I’ll make back all the money I lost by selling that condo!

Take a Trip

In my experience, I have found that taking a trip is often one of the best ways to get focused and stimulate your imagination and inspiration. Over the week of the July 4th holiday, I was able to take a trip to Steamboat Springs. Knowing that I would be completely removing myself from my normal, every day environment for a week, I decided to take my manuscripts with me and get some work done.

Of course, I always imagine that I can accomplish more than is actually possible, but at least I'm ambitious.

Okay... I admit it... I haven't accomplished anywhere near what I'd hoped I would accomplish, but that's okay too. I have gotten plenty of work done during my "vacation" and I've taken time to relax and vegetate as well, which I believe is equally important to the creative process.

I'm not exactly sure why, but I've come to understand that part of the creative process includes a time to completely "empty" the mind. I think it's like starting fresh on a new project. You need a blank sheet of paper, a new slab of clay, a clean white canvas, or whatever medium you work with.

The mind is also a slate for creating and needs to be "wiped clean" occasionally. I'm certainly not implying the frying of brain cells in order to do this! You'll need those brain cells. Rather I am suggesting that sometimes it's good to do absolutely nothing "productive."

Some of my time this week has been devoted to work, and some of it has been given to doing absolutely nothing productive -- without guilt! Allowing yourself down-time without guilt is essential to recreation (re-creation). Guilt consumes an enormous amount of energy and brain space, so if you're going to relax, let yourself do so guilt-free.

Lie by the pool; get a tan; sit in a hot tub; take a long, leisurely walk; visit a beautiful garden; watch television; sleep late; just do whatever you feel like doing. It'll help recharge your creative batteries.

Revising

A few weeks have passed since I finished the first draft of The Bohemian Life. My post-partum blues only lasted for a few days, then I dove whole-heartedly into the task of revising. The upside of having taken so long to finish the first draft is that over the years I have done many revisions, so this time it went very quickly and smoothly. That made the experience quite pleasurable and satisfying.

Not to imply that it's always so easy, but occasionally things do go smoothly and this was one of those times. After I went through it once, making corrections, there were four chapters that still required a bit more polishing (which I hope to finish today!). Then I will be able to read through the entire manuscript quickly from beginning to end the way I would read a novel.

During the "fast read," I'll make corrections on the pages. Then I'll go back through, making corrections and printing out a fresh copy. Then I hand it over to someone else for proofreading and editing.

It's a wonderful feeling to be so close to completion, but it's also a bit nerve-wracking as I wish I were there now!

Oh well... this is the life of a writer.