Writing in the Lacuna
By Jael McHenry | February 1, 2016 |
image by Les Haines
I must admit I had no idea what the word “lacuna” meant until Barbara Kingsolver released a novel by that name in 2010. Since then, I’ve found plenty of occasion to use it. The dictionary definition of lacuna is “an unfilled space or interval; a gap.”
The writing process is full of lacunas. (Lacunae?)
I find myself in the lacuna most often when I’m waiting for feedback on a project. Once I’ve finished a complete draft of a new novel and sent it off to my agent or my editor, I might have a wait of months until it comes back. Working on the book itself while that kind of feedback is pending isn’t a great idea; I might spend hours polishing scenes that later need to be deleted, or get deeply attached to sentences that have no place in the book. And I must admit, by that point in the process, I’m not even that tempted to work on something I’ve been hammering away at daily. I need time away from it so that I can come back with fresh eyes later on.
So what do you do in the lacuna? Besides remind your family what you look like and possibly re-organize your garage? How do you keep writing when you shouldn’t be writing the book you’re currently writing? Here are three ways.
Start the next book. Yep, this is the easiest answer, right? Even if you’re not ready to jump into full prose, this is a great time for brainstorming, character development, research, and all that other good stuff. The temptation for cheating on your current project with your next project is always great. Books that aren’t written generally feel superior to those that are, since you haven’t had the frustration of putting them on the page yet. Maybe writing that new book will make it more real. You don’t have to write a complete draft, and probably you shouldn’t, but you can do a lot of the important thinking that lays the groundwork for an easier process down the line.
Turn your writing social. I’ve argued before that every aspect of being a writer is writing, including social media — tweets and Facebook posts are made up of words, after all. The time when you’re not under deadline (either external or self-imposed) is a perfect time to reach out to other writers. After all, those aren’t minutes you’re taking away from revising Chapter 23, not in the lacuna. So play silly hashtag games, or retweet your friends’ Goodreads giveaways, or post #fridayreads about a book you recently loved — be out in the world with your words. It doesn’t move your current book project forward, but it’s a great way to be a writer all the same.
Pay it back, or pay it forward. One of the most important things writers do is critique. If you have critique partners or beta readers, or you’re trying to get some, reading their work and commenting on it is extremely valuable. And the lacuna is a great time to focus wholeheartedly on someone else’s writing besides your own. Problems in their manuscripts can illuminate similar issues in your own; their amazing writing can inspire you; or seeing any progress they’ve made since earlier versions can be instructive as well as reassuring. Reading great books is always a good use of time, but reading great books that are still in progress is especially good when yours is in progress as well.
Q: What do you write, if you write, in the lacuna?
Jael McHenry is the debut author of The Kitchen Daughter (Simon & Schuster/Gallery Books, April 12, 2011). Her work has appeared in publications such as the North American Review, Indiana Review, and the Graduate Review at American University, where she earned her MFA in Creative Writing. You can read more about Jael and her book at jaelmchenry.com or follow her on Twitter at @jaelmchenry.
The space between projects can be a good time to catch up on product reviews and blog posts…the writing that doesn’t make money, but that still needs to happen here and there for the sake of the writing that does.
But the more important lacunae are the ones within the work itself. The Taos Te Ching says a vessel is made useful by its emptiness; it’s not just the clay that makes a pot, but the emptiness enclosed by the clay. A lot of authors make the mistake of filling in all the lacunae and showing that they have all the answers, making sure everything fits together like a Swiss watch. But given that writing is so dependant on the mind of the readers, it can be better to leave some lacunae in. A little artful ambiguity can go a long way towards keeping the reader thinking about a book once they’very put it down; they can pour their own meaning into those empty spaces.
While waiting on responses from the agents I’ve submitted to, I write a different series and indie publish. This gives me the feeling of “moving forward” and I get immediate feedback from the handful of readers I have. I also write some of my non-fiction ramblngs on Wattpad (the science of God). Wattpad has become a bit of a blogging platform for me. I’m gaining a following that way and allowing those deep thoughts to emerge into the public eye. So I never stop writing, no matter how long I have to wait on those agents and, eventually, publishers.
Jael, Actors call this time “between engagements.” It’s tough for me, sometimes because there’s no contract to follow and at others because there’s not the pressure of a deadline. Thanks for the post, letting us know how you handle this and that there are others in the same situation.
All good ideas!
Such a splendid point you make, I can picture authors everywhere reading and then doing the V-8 slap. But of course! I do some of this without even realizing I’m filling a lacuna (agree, fabulous word). And other times I flatter myself that I am deliberately not writing, because my mind is “working on it”. Truthfully that’s the case on occasion, but not as often as I like to believe. The real trick is handling a lacuna that’s inflicted (for those of us who are day-job dilettantes). The rhythm of work and family are both imperative and it’s a skill to step back into writing mode whenever they release you from their durance! That’s when I tell myself I’m working on the plot… to sustain morale.
“Books that aren’t written generally feel superior to those that are…” I love this! It’s such a grounding statement. I feel floaty sometimes even in the mini-lacuna after revising a chapter. I’ve found that its a good time to take a walk and feel earth under my feet, or clean my desk, which gets buried in the fray. Walking, though. It’s physical, it circulates oxygen to my overwrought brain and often allows me to see the next thing. Thanks for a wise and useful post!
Does ‘lagoon’ mean the same thing? An inlet of quietude?
Between novels I find I pay it forward by helping others. Nothing is more difficult for a writer than to self-edit. Nothing is more expensive for a selfie (it seems) than a professional editor. So I reach out and offer some heavy, straight assistance to friends to show them that outside reader’s view of their first draft. They tell me I’m tough – but they thank me.
The problem with paying it forward is that sometimes we get off track from our own work. I MUST get back to it………….
Like you, I learned this word reading fiction, a Robert Boswell story called “Lacunae.” Ain’t reading grand? Though I’m partial to using an -i to pluralize; even when it’s wrong, it’s more fun. So I’m gonna go with lacuni.
I rarely find myself in lacuni because I rarely finish a long project. But hey, if I ever do, now I’ll have some ideas on how to fill it. Thanks for the tips.
Yes the plural of lacuna is lacunae. And no, lagoon is not the same. I am a microbiologist who used the term lacuna often to describe the “puddle-like” indentations made by certain species of organisms that liquified the agar. So use it to describe indentations. Amazing how my science background embellishes my writing.
Interesting topic and great question. I just finished my third novel and it is currently in the hands of my beta readers. I look forward to getting their feedback but in the mean time I started writing my forth book.
Great post, Jael! In those lacunas (lacunae? Who knows!), I tend to focus on creating anything but the book – be it music, poetry, art, photography, or social media hashtags. I find that I have to keep flexing the creative muscles even when I’m not directly working on the book – otherwise the acclimatisation takes far too long once I get the book back again. It’s about keeping creatively fit, I believe – no matter what medium the exercise takes.
*writes “lacuna” down in her notebook of new words*
These are all wonderful ideas. (“Besides remind your family what you look like and possibly re-organize your garage?” made me chuckle.) I do all of those things, plus a few more. I love writing short stories in the lacuna; I get to play in new worlds and stretch my drafting legs without feeling like I’m embarking on a long, committed journey that could be interrupted at any time. I also play catch-up on my submissions and make sure all of my best short stories and poems, etc., are out being considered somewhere. And finally, I draft a bunch of blogs and stockpile them so I still have good content to post even when I’m in the thick of the next big project. Great post!