Meredith Resnick
Jennifer Haupt: What is The Writer’s [Inner] Journey?
Meredith Resnick: On one level it’s a salon that features bestselling authors, professional creatives and emerging and established voices in quirky dialogue on how they write and why it works. On a deeper level, The Writer’s [Inner] Journey is a community where writers can go to remind themselves—gently, fun-ly—that creativity is a completely individual process, and that everyone’s process, just like everyone’s DNA, is different. Not better or worse, just different. And that different is good.
Honestly, if The Writer’s [Inner] Journey was a place you could drive to it would have validated parking, lots of comfy cushions and snacks, and two enormous picture windows with views: one to look outside onto the world and other to see deep within the Self.
JH: What started you on this journey, and what keeps you moving forward on it?
MR: Several things started me off: A series of big fat rejections after a series of big fat acceptances; the longing to believe I was capable of creating something that could stand on its own; my husband’s encouragement; being reminded by close friends that the answers to what I should do next were already inside me if I was willing to listen.
Those are kind of the same things that keep me moving forward today in addition to the overwhelming response from readers who enjoy the site and who write to me to tell me so, and the remarkable and gracious writers I’ve interviewed.
JH: How do you define faith, and how does it relate to your writing process?
MR: One huge tenet of faith for me is the whole concept of taking only the next indicated step. A long time ago I heard Ira Glass, host of This American Life say this about storytelling : “Keep following the thread where instinct takes you. Force yourself to wait things out.” When I follow that thread he’s talking about I am careful not to skip steps. I take my time. Surprisingly, when I take my time and do only the next indicated step, the process goes a lot more quickly that if I’m trying to force a solution—or line, word, theme, and so on.
JH: How do you keep from losing your faith, even when your work is rejected?
MR:I try to focus on that which I have some control and take some action there—my writing, what I want to say, the story inside me that’s waiting to be told. When my sadness over the rejection has dissipated, I evaluate if I need to change something in the writing, or not. Then I take the next indicated step.
JH: Where do you see your writing journey taking you in the next five years?
MR:Books, perhaps another website, podcasts, radio. All of it working with people I love and care about, and lots of laughing. Mostly lots of smiles and laughing.
How do you define The Writer’s Inner Journey?
{ 17 comments… read them below or add one }
Yes, Jennifer, yes! Writing is so much more than connecting words into prose or poetry. Writing is one way the soul seeks revelation.
I’m a big fan of Meredith and her website. There is so much inspiration at the Writer’s Inner Journey, in addition to lots of great thoughts about process. Like she says, process is a very individual thing. I’ve always assumed that writers work alike, but they don’t, though it does seem we struggle with some of the same demons (rejection, disappointment, staying true to ourselves, persistence, etc). Thanks for this interview
Great interview, Jennifer. I love Meredith’s blog!
I love how she had big acceptances, then big rejections, but was still able to keep moving forward.
Great interview. It’s nice to hear Meredith’s side of things. I especially love this part: “…I am careful not to skip steps. I take my time. Surprisingly, when I take my time and do only the next indicated step, the process goes a lot more quickly that if I’m trying to force a solution—or line, word, theme, and so on.”
I need to remember this!
How do I define The Writer’s Inner Journey? Since it’s capitalized, your question must relate to Meredith’s blog site. To know it, you must visit it; others’ interpretations will not suffice in this case. That’s my left brain response. My right brain ignores the capitalization and takes me into myself where I find a puzzle, more of a labyrinth hopefully leading to the completion of a story I am writing. The labyrinth is filled with short blind passages of day to day tasks, such as taking out the trash, that interfere with the physical act of writing, but don’t interfere with my imagination. Other blind passages are less frequent but longer, but they stop both the flow of an idea and the physical act of writing; tasks like preparing for or attending a meeting. The labyrinth includes yet another type of blind passage; those staring at the screen events where the writing stops, or, hopefully, pauses while I turn around and find another labyrinth passage/literary passage or make the decision to restart, as I did recently. So, my inner journey is to work my way though the labyrinth leading to the completion of the story. And, there is more, but time and space restrict my response.
Where does faith come in? According to my dictionary*, the first definition of faith “is alliance to a duty or person”, this is followed by “fidelity to one’s promises” and “sincerity of intentions.” I have promised myself to write a story, I will remain faithful to my promise, and I have sincere intentions to do so.
Thank you for the interview and occasion for introspection.
*Merriam-Webster Dictionaries, (software) Version 3.0, Copyright 2003
How do I define The Writer’s Inner Journey? Since it’s capitalized, your question must relate to Meredith’s blog site. To know it, you must visit it; others’ interpretations will not suffice in this case. That’s my left brain response. (See my Left Brain Gumbo on Meredith’s blog.) My right brain ignores the capitalization and takes me into myself where I find a labyrinth hopefully leading to the completion of a story I am writing. The labyrinth is filled with blind passages that cause me to seek other passages (both labyrinth and literary) that cause delays and frustration. My faith in my writing abilities and desire to tell the story keep me going.
Thank you for the interview and occasion for introspection.
I like Meredith’s notion of taking the next step … a reminder to slow down, take a breath, and think before acting. It’s good advice for writing, and for life. Thank you!
What a fascinating interview! Thanks so much to you, Jen, and to Meredith!
You have to have incredible faith in yourself, if I am to believe my own personal journey as a writer. A prestigious literary agent dropped my book after a summer of submission. I picked myself right up and contacted another agent who had shown interest the year before but had been too busy. She requested the manuscript. I loved her response: “I am sorry J. did not get you a deal…but that doesn’t mean it’s dead.” I don’t know whether she will offer representation, but how much better did this tiny bit of encouragement make me feel!
I, too, believe in “taking only the next indicated step” and listening to instinct.
Thanks for this interview.
Inspirational post. I’d like to sign up for the “… enormous picture windows with views: one to look outside onto the world and other to see deep within the Self.” Love the imagery.
‘being reminded by close friends that the answers to what I should do next were already inside me if I was willing to listen.’ a fine reminder, and one which takes faith to hear. thanks, Jen and Meredith, for a fine story.
I love this blog and that I had the opportunity to share my self on it! Thank you, Jennifer–and all your readers for helping me feel so at home.
Better a late response than never — The Writer’s Inner Journey is a wonderful place Meredith has created, and I love visiting there. Thanks, Jennifer, for getting a great interview with a fine writer who’s not afraid to take leaps of faith.
One thing that Meredith wrote was about just allowing the process to be organic and not pushing it but also following threads without trying to force them loose. It reminds me of untangling a thin chain. Pulling at it never works, it’s always a process of gently nudging the thing apart. Thanks for the reminder!
What a lovely interview. I think writing is absolutely linked with faith. Both require a certain suspension of cynicism–the belief that this is worth thinking/doing, despite all the voices in your head that say no.
Thank you so much for all the kind words – they help instill my faith.