In a New York Times article, novelist Chelsea Cain (“Kill You Twice”) describes two writing groups she attends. One consists of fairly well known authors, the other is made up of seven-year-olds.
She writes, “In the almost seven years that I’ve been going to Monday night workshop, I’ve had to excuse myself three times to go and cry in the bathroom. I’m not the only one. Some of us sob at the sink. Some of us get “headaches” and have to go home. Some of us remember that our baby sitter has to leave early and we need to go home right now.”
That’s right, she’s talking about the adult group.
“The children in my morning group cry, too," she says. "They cry because they’ve lost their pencil, or because I’ve threatened to send them back to class for being squirrelly, or because someone wants to sit next to someone else. One thing they do not cry about is writing. I guess when you’re 7 you have more important things to worry about. Writing is fun.”
She ends with advice I’ll add to the next edition of my book, “Your Creative Writing Masterclass,” alongside the writing counsel of authors like Dickens, Austen, and Hemingway:
“Write what you love. Write about dragons. And if you get stuck, roll around on the floor a little.”
("Your Creative Writing Masterclass" is published by Nicholas Brealey and available from Amazon or your other favorite book seller.)
