Flavia's Blog

Being a writer: as I see it

June 15, 2014 7:33 pm
Being a writer: as I see it

First of all, I don’t take myself too seriously. Fiction writers are not a breed apart touched by a spark of divine madness that common mortals could never comprehend. They are only daydreamers who find it easier than most to turn their daydreams into words. It’s called a “gift,” i.e. you didn’t earn it. All you can do with a gift is work hard to honor it. Many are born with the gift of writing and work hard to honor it, yet are never published. Becoming a published author has an element of sheer luck, and so is becoming a “successful” published author. But success is not mandatory; to quote Hemingway, “Writers write to save themselves.” Anything beyond that is a bonus.

Second, I don’t submit to the slavery of a deadline. I think only beginners should be forced to write with a clock ticking over their heads. It took me almost eight years to write two novels, in between doing housework, taking care of a husband, raising a child, working and attending college. From what I hear, my novels are good writing; the pieces I scrambled to finish in Creative Writing classes are exercises.

Last, I always leave for myself a private corner that I don’t share with my readers. Some daydreams are sacred.

  • The last Speck of the World
    I read this book in one sitting.I was captured by the extreme physical and psychological force of the protagonist, a woman who is struggling for finding all sorts of elements to survive while hoping not to be the only human being left alive in the world.
    Flavia you are Great!

  • Gentile Sig. D’Agostino –
    innanzitutto devo scusarmi per il gran ritardo. Le notifiche dei messaggi su questo blog non mi pervenivano da mesi, devo aver combinato uno dei miei pasticci informatici.
    Giuseppe Meligrana nella nostra comunicazione piu` recente mi ha fatto sapere che “Il ferro e il telaio” dovrebbe uscire la prima settimana di dicembre. Al momento stiamo approntando il testo finale. Sono molto lieta e onorata del Suo interesse, e mi auguro che il libro piacera` anche a Lei e ai Tropeani. In quanto a venire in Italia, purtroppo sono un’anziana signora di 63 anni con vari acciacchi di salute che mi impediscono di viaggiare in aereo. Mi creda, me ne rincresce moltissimo. Temo che si dovra` fare tutto via Internet; per fortuna abbiamo questo fantastico mezzo di comunicazione globale. Se Lei usa Facebook potremmo comunicare anche li`, e con maggior tempestivita`.
    A risentirci, e grazie ancora per il Suo interesse e il Suo appoggio.
    Flavia (mi dia pure del tu.)

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