The fun thing about the title of the book is that it literally propelled me to *write the book.* I just couldn't pass up "Rumors of Water"! :)
At any given time, I imagine there are, as you say, many "rumors" and "stirrings." In this case, I first began pursuing the idea, to see if it had more to it, by writing a blog post on Saturday, July 31, 2010, called "Ten Reasons to Write (or Not) a Book About Writing." (I will republish that post here for your pleasure, Bethany. Right after I finish this comment up.)
With books, in any case, the key is going to be marketability. I didn't want to spend time on a project no one would be interested in. So, I tested the, um, waters. ;-) More on that in a minute.
So, maybe one thing to do is to ask what your "key" is. What are you hoping to either gain or give to the world (or, both)—as a result of following the rumor? Then, based on what your key is, it doesn't hurt to test around it before committing a little bit more to the organization process. And, of course, nothing is ever really lost. If you spend more time on something and it doesn't achieve your key, well, you still learned and grew in the process; you *experienced* something that intrigued or touched you, and isn't that wonderful?
Okay, so that blog post I wrote? Besides many people in my audience saying things like "pre-ordered" and "I would buy it," Jane Friedman—THE amazing JANE FRIEDMAN—who was not yet on her own, but still was the publisher at Writer's Digest found that blog post and dropped this into the comment box:
"Found your post through Twitter (@ficwriter). I work at Writer's Digest, and understand the dilemma! But if you decide you want to do it, we'd love to see your proposal."
Okay, seriously? How could I *not* write the book? I wrote it the following spring. Then I contacted Jane, who by then was on her own, and it became the beginning of our long publishing relationship (her publishing my posts at her place, starting with an excerpt of... Rumors of Water :).
Such a beautiful story, thanks so much for sharing it here with us! I love the book and am so glad you wrote it.
Intriguing what you say about asking what the "key" of a potential writing project is. Usually, I don't know, but it's worth pondering. To rephrase what you said, and I'm writing this down on a yellow lined notecard here, "What am I hoping to gain or give to the world or both with____ project?" Hm...
And as far as testing it, I've eliminated much of my social media, so I guess for me that would just be bouncing thoughts off folks in-person or through email. So fun to see how Jane picked up on your idea! Exciting things can happen in the Comments section.
"There are days I feel wildly creative; there are weeks when I feel ground down and completely spent."
Thanks for sharing about these fluctuations in creative energy. I think it's normal to not always *feel* creative, or even motivated to become creative.
And I just love the book's namesake and your thinking here. "Yet I’ve heard there are rumors of water. Maybe that is enough."
Yes, I relate to that sort of "rumor" or hint of something stirring. I like your adding the hopeful possibility here of, perhaps that is all that is needed to take a step. At that point I'm usually game, but the falling off happens if I am having trouble keeping my path a bit organized, as I'm trying to gain clarity about which rumor to pursue. There can feel at times like there are either too many different hints, rumors, stirrings, and the challenge is trying to hang on to one thread long enough for it to materialize.
I love this whole book and look forward to hearing more here. Thanks for being willing to share and discuss. :)
Sometimes the key is less clear at the outset. I think you could look for things as subtle as...
• a sense of freedom, or
• a feeling of momentum, or
• a place to find solace
and so on. Sorry if it seemed you'd need to know up front *exactly* what you're about. I know that many of my projects that later develop into writing first begin in more amorphous places. :)
The fun thing about the title of the book is that it literally propelled me to *write the book.* I just couldn't pass up "Rumors of Water"! :)
At any given time, I imagine there are, as you say, many "rumors" and "stirrings." In this case, I first began pursuing the idea, to see if it had more to it, by writing a blog post on Saturday, July 31, 2010, called "Ten Reasons to Write (or Not) a Book About Writing." (I will republish that post here for your pleasure, Bethany. Right after I finish this comment up.)
With books, in any case, the key is going to be marketability. I didn't want to spend time on a project no one would be interested in. So, I tested the, um, waters. ;-) More on that in a minute.
So, maybe one thing to do is to ask what your "key" is. What are you hoping to either gain or give to the world (or, both)—as a result of following the rumor? Then, based on what your key is, it doesn't hurt to test around it before committing a little bit more to the organization process. And, of course, nothing is ever really lost. If you spend more time on something and it doesn't achieve your key, well, you still learned and grew in the process; you *experienced* something that intrigued or touched you, and isn't that wonderful?
Okay, so that blog post I wrote? Besides many people in my audience saying things like "pre-ordered" and "I would buy it," Jane Friedman—THE amazing JANE FRIEDMAN—who was not yet on her own, but still was the publisher at Writer's Digest found that blog post and dropped this into the comment box:
"Found your post through Twitter (@ficwriter). I work at Writer's Digest, and understand the dilemma! But if you decide you want to do it, we'd love to see your proposal."
Okay, seriously? How could I *not* write the book? I wrote it the following spring. Then I contacted Jane, who by then was on her own, and it became the beginning of our long publishing relationship (her publishing my posts at her place, starting with an excerpt of... Rumors of Water :).
One never knows where a rumor goes. ;-)
Such a beautiful story, thanks so much for sharing it here with us! I love the book and am so glad you wrote it.
Intriguing what you say about asking what the "key" of a potential writing project is. Usually, I don't know, but it's worth pondering. To rephrase what you said, and I'm writing this down on a yellow lined notecard here, "What am I hoping to gain or give to the world or both with____ project?" Hm...
And as far as testing it, I've eliminated much of my social media, so I guess for me that would just be bouncing thoughts off folks in-person or through email. So fun to see how Jane picked up on your idea! Exciting things can happen in the Comments section.
"There are days I feel wildly creative; there are weeks when I feel ground down and completely spent."
Thanks for sharing about these fluctuations in creative energy. I think it's normal to not always *feel* creative, or even motivated to become creative.
And I just love the book's namesake and your thinking here. "Yet I’ve heard there are rumors of water. Maybe that is enough."
Yes, I relate to that sort of "rumor" or hint of something stirring. I like your adding the hopeful possibility here of, perhaps that is all that is needed to take a step. At that point I'm usually game, but the falling off happens if I am having trouble keeping my path a bit organized, as I'm trying to gain clarity about which rumor to pursue. There can feel at times like there are either too many different hints, rumors, stirrings, and the challenge is trying to hang on to one thread long enough for it to materialize.
I love this whole book and look forward to hearing more here. Thanks for being willing to share and discuss. :)
Sometimes the key is less clear at the outset. I think you could look for things as subtle as...
• a sense of freedom, or
• a feeling of momentum, or
• a place to find solace
and so on. Sorry if it seemed you'd need to know up front *exactly* what you're about. I know that many of my projects that later develop into writing first begin in more amorphous places. :)