I think there are two basic premises about artistic creation, the Platonic and the Aristotelian. The Platonic sees art as a matter of inexplicable inspiration that happens to special people. The Aristotelian sees art as a craft that can be learned, and that practice makes perfect. Few people hold either premise undiluted. Elements of the Platonic premise can destroy an artist's self-confidence and his will to continue. I suspect that the Platonic premise has destroyed more artists throughout the centuries than the Inquisition, Stalin, Robespierre, Mao and all the dictators of history combined.
I agree. Just looking at my own moods and varying intellectual states throughout the days and months, I can't imagine relying on that aspect of me to become a writer -- or for that matter, much of anything else.
The truth is, I don't think I've heard of any serious, lasting writers who use the Platonic approach. Tolstoy, Lewis, Fitzgerald, Hemingway, even all the way down to Joyce Carol Oates -- all of them work(ed) very hard, and they did it over and over again.
What makes me mad is when one of these, upon being asked about his method, rolls his eyes and says, "It's just my muse." B.S. it is! A writer like that may gain a moment of mysteriousness in front of his fans but at the cost of other young writers learning something valuable about the craft.
Another thought came to mind. I remember Ayn Rand once responded to the charge that plot dramas are for non-serious writers. She noted that it's actually the other way around. Romanticists are actually the ones who have to work the hardest. I'm learning that lesson right now. Plot dramas don't come easy. They have all the elements of a naturalistic tale -- style, subject, and theme -- plus a complicated story line.
Toiler, I think you'll be interested in the latest post, "Two For Plot Writers," at my blog.
Thanks, Myrhaf. I've followed your suggestion. Once I get through those stories, I'll comment.
It's actually a coincidence. My partner and I recently put our heads together and came up with a similar assignment for me, to go through a series of short adventurous stories in search of basic plot ideas. I'm supposed to work their plots over in my mind forward, backward, and every other way until I can describe each of them as well as I recite the alphabet. I'll add your books to the list.
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