The Gypsy Dances: A Series for the Creative Writer, Part III

If you are new to this series, Part 1 begins on December 27th

Calling Forth the Gypsy

"If one advances in the direction of his dreams,

and endeavors to live the life in which he has imagined,

he will meet with success unexpected in common hours."
~Thoreau

I have been working with Mary Jane Taxter almost since I began teaching and her triumph as a writer is one of my greatest joys as a teacher. When Mary Jane began with me she knew nothing about writing. But she had a deep, slowly burning desire to write. She also has a vicious Inner Critic who I thought was going to do her in many, many times; but week after week, month after month, year after year, Mary Jane kept coming to class. Soon the development of her critiquing abilities and understanding of the creative process began to outstretch the development of her writing. I knew what was happening. A fierce battle was going on inside her; the Inner Critic was allowing her to excel in the left-brain activities of critiquing, so she could helpothers, but the Inner Critic was going to be damned before she let Mary Jane fall down the Rabbit Hole into the passion.

Helping others is second nature to Mary Jane, who is also a nurse. She’s a giver, a nurturer to others but not to herself. Her Inner Critic was convinced that writing was a selfish affair. What good was it doing anyone? Selfish, selfish, selfish! became the Inner Critic’s mantra. Mary Jane’s Inner Critic is rarely loud. It’s subtle; it digs in its heels and quietly, slowly carves away at her heart.

Fortunately, Mary Jane’s Inner Writer is just as quietly persistent. She waited, she grew stronger, and when she was ready she began taking control. There were bursts of juicy eruptions and wonderfully written scenes that we all loved, but afterwards Mary Jane usually wouldn’t write for a couple of weeks. Then one day her character Evelyn discovered that she was half Native American.

"Whoa—where did that come from?" I asked.

"Oh," she said in her most flagrantly noncommittal voice. "I’ve known that for a while."

"So?" I prodded.

Mary Jane shook her head. I knew that look. The Inner Critic was digging in her heels. "We’ll see," was all she said.

It took Mary Jane many years to shift the balance of power from her Inner Critic to her Inner Writer and she still has to be constantly vigilant; it took her many years to let Evelyn pursue her Native American heritage, but once she did, not only the book but Mary Jane as a writer took to flight. It is with great pride and pleasure that I include a piece from her novel, set in Maine in the 1930s, in this chapter on the Gypsy.

Part 4: The scene from Mary Jane's novel, coming soon...

If you are enjoying this series, you can explore your own inner journey as a creative

writer in Emily's workbook, called The Art of Ficiton Writing or How to Fall Down the Rabbit Hole Without Really Trying. This series on The Gypsy Dances is excerpted from The Art of Fiction Writing. To order, click here.