And finally after such a long travel here I am, drinking a semi-sweet cappuccino in a petite coffee shop with a perfect view of the Eiffel tower in a sunny day on the middle of the summer in Paris. My birthday is tomorrow and as a gift, my boss entrusted to interview for our first page of 50th year celebration issue of the magazine “The Writer” 3 of my favorite authors; Carolyn Chute, author of “How Can You Create Fiction When Reality Comes to Call”, Anne Lamott, author of “Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life”, and Ray Bradbury, author of “Zen in the Art of Writing” whom I was anxious waiting for. 2:30pm displayed on the clock in that moment Ray Bradbury showed up at the door wearing a stoning fedora hat followed by Carolyn and Anne. They recognized me right away and walked towards me, I guess I was pretty noticeable with my big oval table full of pastries on the middle of the terrace, should I say the only table on the terrace(I needed to make sure to get the best spot for my guest); croissant, cookies, cheesecake, four cups of the famous and tasty cappuccinos by the house and baguettes were all around the table. A little feasting was about to start.
After shaking hands and introduce myself, I started talking about how it’s been my life as a writer in the magazine and how impressed I was with their work and it has had impacted my life.
Vanessa: All my life I have considered a good writer because I like to write and I do it well. Even though sometimes I have trouble with connecting my thoughts on the paper. As writing is my passion I want to be a successful writer and be able to communicate my ideas clearly, but I think I’m missing something in the process of writing. How can I improve my technique when I write?
Anne: The first useful concept is the idea of short assignments.
Carolyn: Writing is like meditation or going into an ESP trance, or prayer. Like dreaming. You are tapping into your unconscious.
Ray: Run fast, stand still.
Vanessa: but how can I get into that particular environment, state or meditation as you have called it?
Anne: first I try to breathe, because I’m either sitting there panting like a lapdog or im unintentionally making slow asthmatic death rattles.
Ray: you stumble into it, mostly, you don’t know what you are doing, and suddenly, it’s done.
Carolyn: Usually it takes three days to get into the writer mode. Three days of quiet non-life mode, lots of coffee and no interruptions.
Vanessa: so, I would say concentration is the key.
A little child who came over to the terrace to look at the Eiffel tower spilled his lemonade next to my Michael kors bag, I got up faster as I could and changed it to another side before gets it ruined with the lemonade.
Vanessa: mmmh, what was I saying?....see this is what happens to me all the time, I get distracted pretty easy and it’s hard to me to be back to the place I was before , I lose the guiding line what makes harder to find the point I was going to end it up with.
Anne: you don’t have to see where you are going, you don’t have to see your destination or everything you will pass along the way. You just have to see two or three feet ahead of you.
Carolyn: To be fully conscious and alert, with life banging and popping and cuckooing all around, you are not going to find your way to your subconscious.
Ray: I finally figure out that if you are going to step on a live mine, makes it your own. Be blown up, as it were, by your own delights and despairs.
Carolyn: I open my eyes. I look at the page. I type a couple of lines. Pop!
Anne: writing a novel is like driving a car at night. You can see only as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.
Vanessa: Interesting points of view have been placed.
The food is almost gone, all the cheesecake Ray’s favorite are gone; Anne’s favorite croissant were gone as well, only bread with some cookies are left. I raised my cup to sip from it still thinking it’s hot, surprisingly was cold already. I’ve been so into the interview that I forgot to drink it. Ray gets up and walks towards the counter to order one more cappuccino for me.
Vanessa: now I can really understand the pleasure, mystic or magic of writing. I’ve never seen writing as such a personal journey that contains all personal appreciation, but it becomes in something universal when is read it by others. Its like a huge glass door that is closed, but who is on the other side may see through if gets closer.
Anne: writing can be a pretty desperate endeavor, because it is about some of our deepest needs: our need to be visible, to be heard, our need to make sense of our lives. To wake up and grow and belong.
Carolyn: I am a person who can't teach writing or make a living in any public way, as I get confused when interrupted or overstimulated.
Ray: In quickness is truth. The faster you blurt, the more swiftly you write, the more honest you are.
Vanessa: mmmh I see, now I really can appreciate and see clearly your point. Such a pleasant interview rich in conceptual and critical knowledge. Now I see clearly that writing is a such a internal-personal process that is made by experiences as you Ray mentioned, also there is not an specific process besides the bases of composition you Anne point it out with your drafting process and time managed. Although when inspiration comes to reality it can be considered as a creativity that rest in our own imagination along with the connection with us and the subconscious as well, which holds many experiences which help us to recreate them. All these notes are the key to create a composition of thoughts, after putting ideas together for others to read. I appreciate your willingness to come and meet up with me, and also being open to share your wisdom as well. I bet this issue would be one of the best the magazine "Writer" has had in a long time. Merci beaucoup! Aurevoir.
After shaking hands and introduce myself, I started talking about how it’s been my life as a writer in the magazine and how impressed I was with their work and it has had impacted my life.
Vanessa: All my life I have considered a good writer because I like to write and I do it well. Even though sometimes I have trouble with connecting my thoughts on the paper. As writing is my passion I want to be a successful writer and be able to communicate my ideas clearly, but I think I’m missing something in the process of writing. How can I improve my technique when I write?
Anne: The first useful concept is the idea of short assignments.
Carolyn: Writing is like meditation or going into an ESP trance, or prayer. Like dreaming. You are tapping into your unconscious.
Ray: Run fast, stand still.
Vanessa: but how can I get into that particular environment, state or meditation as you have called it?
Anne: first I try to breathe, because I’m either sitting there panting like a lapdog or im unintentionally making slow asthmatic death rattles.
Ray: you stumble into it, mostly, you don’t know what you are doing, and suddenly, it’s done.
Carolyn: Usually it takes three days to get into the writer mode. Three days of quiet non-life mode, lots of coffee and no interruptions.
Vanessa: so, I would say concentration is the key.
A little child who came over to the terrace to look at the Eiffel tower spilled his lemonade next to my Michael kors bag, I got up faster as I could and changed it to another side before gets it ruined with the lemonade.
Vanessa: mmmh, what was I saying?....see this is what happens to me all the time, I get distracted pretty easy and it’s hard to me to be back to the place I was before , I lose the guiding line what makes harder to find the point I was going to end it up with.
Anne: you don’t have to see where you are going, you don’t have to see your destination or everything you will pass along the way. You just have to see two or three feet ahead of you.
Carolyn: To be fully conscious and alert, with life banging and popping and cuckooing all around, you are not going to find your way to your subconscious.
Ray: I finally figure out that if you are going to step on a live mine, makes it your own. Be blown up, as it were, by your own delights and despairs.
Carolyn: I open my eyes. I look at the page. I type a couple of lines. Pop!
Anne: writing a novel is like driving a car at night. You can see only as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.
Vanessa: Interesting points of view have been placed.
The food is almost gone, all the cheesecake Ray’s favorite are gone; Anne’s favorite croissant were gone as well, only bread with some cookies are left. I raised my cup to sip from it still thinking it’s hot, surprisingly was cold already. I’ve been so into the interview that I forgot to drink it. Ray gets up and walks towards the counter to order one more cappuccino for me.
Vanessa: now I can really understand the pleasure, mystic or magic of writing. I’ve never seen writing as such a personal journey that contains all personal appreciation, but it becomes in something universal when is read it by others. Its like a huge glass door that is closed, but who is on the other side may see through if gets closer.
Anne: writing can be a pretty desperate endeavor, because it is about some of our deepest needs: our need to be visible, to be heard, our need to make sense of our lives. To wake up and grow and belong.
Carolyn: I am a person who can't teach writing or make a living in any public way, as I get confused when interrupted or overstimulated.
Ray: In quickness is truth. The faster you blurt, the more swiftly you write, the more honest you are.
Vanessa: mmmh I see, now I really can appreciate and see clearly your point. Such a pleasant interview rich in conceptual and critical knowledge. Now I see clearly that writing is a such a internal-personal process that is made by experiences as you Ray mentioned, also there is not an specific process besides the bases of composition you Anne point it out with your drafting process and time managed. Although when inspiration comes to reality it can be considered as a creativity that rest in our own imagination along with the connection with us and the subconscious as well, which holds many experiences which help us to recreate them. All these notes are the key to create a composition of thoughts, after putting ideas together for others to read. I appreciate your willingness to come and meet up with me, and also being open to share your wisdom as well. I bet this issue would be one of the best the magazine "Writer" has had in a long time. Merci beaucoup! Aurevoir.