Cite the Deep Magic to Me: I Was Not There When It Was Written

Art critic Peter Scheldahl died last year at the age of 80. And a few years earlier, he wrote a lovely essay for the New Yorker called The Art of Dying. And in it, he reflects on the process of writing. And he says, when I finish something and it seems good, I’m dazed. It must have been fun to write. I wish I’d been there.

And I can so identify with this. You know, sometimes you’re writing and you struggle and you struggle and then you get into the zone and it’s almost an out-of-body experience.

Right. Yeah, I agree with that, the zone. But also sometimes the self-doubt that you have of not being good enough makes you amazed that you are good enough, that you can create something amazing. These two forces make you surprised that you can make something great or something passable, at least.

Yeah, pleasantly surprised. You come back and you think, wow, who wrote that? Share your thoughts about writing. Words at waywordradio.org.