On Writing and Criticism
Learning from great writers.
One of the most famous literary friendships of all time was that between C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien. They had a small literary circle, The Inklings, that met at Oxford University for about twenty years. Its purpose was to enable them to read to one another what they were writing at the time. This resulted in Lewis hearing The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings chapter by chapter as they were being written. In the case of the Lord of the Rings, the writing took twelve years.
It turns out Tolkien did not like The Chronicles of Narnia which began with the first book, The Lion, Witch, and the Wardrobe. Why he did not like them is not important, frankly, because it turns out Tolkien was no fan of Shakespeare either.
At first Lewis put away his initial chapters of the Narnia book and went on with other projects. Later, however, he pulled the pages back out and reread them. He found he liked what he read and wanted to know what was going to happen next, that’s when he decided to write the books.
We all have our critics and the worst one is usually ourselves.
We accept too often too seriously the words of others, and at times question our own judgment all together.
Certainly, it should be a blend.
We need the observation of others to overcome our blind spots, including a common tendency to fall too in love with what we write.
This affects editing later making it feel like murder when we must purge words, sentences, paragraphs, pages and even chapters.
As writers, Tolkien and Lewis are very different from each other and yet they share the ability to write in ways they found pleasing, first and foremost, to themselves. Every important writer will have critics. When this is not the case, the writing is likely having little impact in the world.
The sting of criticism comes with the territory for all seeking to live authentic and impactful lives. May we overcome our critics, internal and external, and do the work it takes to create anything useful, beautiful, or both.
Write first, edit later.
This incorporates the benefits of both our brain hemispheres.
What a great line "May we overcome our critics, internal and external, and do the work it takes to create anything useful, beautiful, or both." Great inspiration to those of us who love to write!