Last night I heard the great novelist, Daniel Silva, give a book talk at the MJCCA. He’s a very interesting writer and speaker and I enjoyed hearing him reflect not only on his new book, but on writing and the creative process more generally. When asked if he reads his books once they’re finished he explained that most writers never really consider a book or piece of writing to be finished. As he said, books are either abandoned or taken away. Abandoned, as in set aside for any number of reasons. Taken away, as in handed over to editors for publication.
The idea that books are never really finished but are instead abandoned or taken away really resonated with me as a songwriter. When I look at my musical manuscripts and think about my 4 albums of original music I see very few songs that are “finished.” Among the manuscripts I see plenty that are (at least temporarily) abandoned. And when I think about the albums I see lots of songs that were “taken away.” I feel very blessed that these songs were “taken away” and turned into beautiful recordings that I love and cherish and that have brought much joy to others. But I don’t consider any of the songs in those manuscripts or on those albums to be completed. This is even truer when I hear about a song I’ve written being sung at a summer camp or synagogue. While some folks might prefer the cleanliness of bringing projects to “completion” I think it’s truer to life to acknowledge and embrace the fact that everything is a work in progress, sometimes abandoned, sometimes taken away.