Googling While Writing: A Cautionary Tale
Lately I have been spending too much time staring at a blank computer screen, so I decided to do a little research to find out what other writers’ processes look like. I began by Googling, “famous authors writing process.” Big mistake.
I innocently clicked on a link titled, “31 Most Invaluable Pieces of Writing Advice From Famous Authors.” The first quotation, supposedly by Sylvia Plath, popped up on my screen: “The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt.” Did Sylvia Plath really write that? If so, why would she do such a thing? Then Hemingway’s quotation appeared on my screen: “Prose is architecture, not interior decoration.” Were they trying to further discourage and confuse me? Et tu, Ernest? How is any of this supposed to help my writer’s block?
I seemed to have stumbled upon some alternate universe in which cliché sayings about writing are compiled into thousands of lists and disguised as helpful advice. I suddenly began experiencing terrible flashbacks of my high school English teacher repeating in an endless loop, “Remember, all writing is rewriting, all writing is rewriting, all writing is…” This is not at all what I was looking for.
And then suddenly, help came from the most unlikely of places: Jonathan Franzen. I know he is a best-selling author, but he has written a few essays that have just rubbed me the wrong way. Nevertheless, all was forgiven when, like some divine intervention from the literary gods, I see the following words scroll across my computer screen: “’It’s doubtful that anyone with an Internet connection at his workplace is writing good fiction.’ –Jonathan Franzen.”
I felt guilty for all the bad things I said in the past about Mr. Franzen. I immediately stopped my fruitless Google search for acquired knowledge. I realized that what I was looking for is found as a result of experienced knowledge; it wasn’t something that could be gleaned from peeping in upon the processes of other writers. I certainly wasn’t going to become a better writer by scouring the Internet, especially considering my inept search engine methods. And surely, Hemingway and Plath didn’t become great writers in that fashion, in fact it is definite that all that was written before the early eighties was entirely without the influence of such ineffectual Internet searches.
Ever since my Google debacle, Franzen has been coincidentally popping up in my life as never before. Again, his words appeared across my screen only a few days later; Jonathan Franzen was asked about his writing process in an interview. I was surprised to find in his reply some fairly dry details about his writing process, (that is, after rudely letting the reporter know that he had been asked this question countless times before). He went on to provide a little glimpse into the mundane details of his writing process: he usually wakes up at 7:00, begins writing at that point, writes for five hours, and limits himself to 1000 words per sitting. Seems pretty basic, but that kind of basic knowledge from a successful writer, I have found, is not that easy to find.
Although Franzen isn’t exactly my literary role model, I respect his honest, pragmatic advice and am thankful for his recent fortuitous interventions in my life. I decided to take his coincidental appearances in my life as a sign, and have since implemented his no more than 1000 words a day rule. It’s quite helpful, but is by no means the cure for the dreaded blank screen malady that originally brought me upon this journey. I think the cure is rooted in figuring out what works for me through experience, and at times, just putting up with the cold stare of the blank screen, knowing that one day I’ll be able to win those staring contests.
Sources: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/22/writing-tips-_n_3319260.html
