On the Interview with 'Writing from the Deeper Self' Naomi Rose
By Chris Dunmire
Inspiring me this week is the Creative Careers Interview with book developer and writing coach Naomi Rose (essentialwriting.com). Naomi is the author of several books and the creator of the "Writing from the Deeper Self" approach she describes as "an antidote to the product orientation of conventional book writing, in which what is on the page is seen as more important than, and essentially disconnected from, the human being who gave it life."
As both a voracious reader and prolific process writer, I've found Naomi's perspective on this topic both enlightening and enriching, not only in this interview, but in the many feature contributions she's made to the Creativity Portal Web site over the last few years.
 Irresistible Humor Tangent:
As a voracious reader, I easily consume dozens of dozens of books in a fiscal year, and thanks to that ingenious and free "borrow a book and return it in a few weeks" idea someone invented (aka The Library), I'm charging more books than ever to my library card each month and the only interest I have to pay is a 10-cent-a-day late fee (and my local taxes, of course).
You should have seen how panicked I was when I experienced my first overdue book fine at the age of 35. Truly, it's like getting a "B" on your report card when you're used to getting "A's" (or a "C" when you're used to "B's", or a "D"...) It was funny though, because after anteing up my dime, I convinced myself that my credit score would be just fine. I should be more worried about the FBI subpoenaing my book check-out history. "She's obviously this way because of all of those Dr. Seuss stories, your honor. She's under doctor's care for Stars-Upon-Tharsism." |
I completely understand the meaning behind Rose's descriptor of "product orientation of conventional book writing." I first became aware of this a few years ago when I picked up a copy of Susan Rabiner's "Thinking Like Your Editor" and learned more about the business end of book writing from conception onward — the planning, potential marketing and product placement in chain bookstores, and most importantly, the bottom line — all forecasted before the book is even written to see if it's a worthwhile commodity. Thus, "How much money will it make?" seems to trump "How valuable will it be to people?"
The business end of creativity is a whole subject of itself, and not the focus of this piece. However, if you're a writer trying to stay close to honoring both yourself and the creative process, you'll enjoy learning more about the "Writing from the Deeper Self" approach and reading more about Naomi Rose's work in this inspiring interview. •
© 2008 Chris Dunmire www.chrisdunmire.com. All rights reserved. |
