This must surely be the holy grail of fiction writing.
The ability to tell stories that come from some place other than our conscious minds, to channel rather than invent, to produce work that seems to be the work of a greater power than our own limited intellect.
What does it take? There is no prescription. But for a start you might try: a whole life lived bravely and authentically. Years of absolute dedication to the art and craft of writing. Reading widely and then very deeply, poring over the structure of great works so that they get into your bones. Being prepared to risk failure and derision for many years: even after you have broken through, perhaps especially after you have broken through.
Tolkien lived much of his life with a sense of frustration that his paid work (driven by family responsibilities) kept him from absolute dedication to writing. Even as early as 1938 he was experiencing this frustration, as we see in this letter to Allen & Unwin* apologising for his failure to produce a sequel to The Hobbit:
"I hope inspiration and the mood will return. It is not for lack of wooing that it holds aloof. But my wooing of late has been perforce intermittent. The Muses do not like such half-heartedness."
Perhaps it is this whole-heartedness that really matters, no matter what the obstacles might be, because if you want to write from the Heart then you had better find a way to throw your whole heart into your writing.
P. Julian
12 October 2018
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