When To Take Advice And When To Trust Your Intuition

The first thing people spot when they step into my kitchen is a large painting tacked on the wall above the breadbin.

‘That’s lovely,’ they say. ‘Your son? He’s very artistic.’

They’re right on one score; my son painted it 20 years ago. He was about three. But lovely? That depends. It’s a simple, childish drawing of a big house with red walls, a green roof, and blue and yellow windows. Its best attributes are its proportions and the confidence with which it was fashioned. The colours are bright and the paint liberally applied. If ‘lovely’ means I love it, then it is indeed, lovely. But if, as many believe, good art should touch the mind, heart and soul of viewers and causing them to think and feel, it’s not strictly lovely.

And what about ‘very artistic’? In fact, one of the reasons I love the painting is because it was created when my son believed himself to be artistic. That was before a well meaning, but careless teacher pointed out that his art wasn’t as lifelike as that of some of his classmates and suggested he emulate their work. Inhibited by self-doubt and no longer trusting his intuition, he never painted with boldness and abandon again.

Today, my son is a marine biologist. He’s thoroughly happy and suited to his field of work. It’s unlikely he would’ve become an artist, dissuading teacher notwithstanding. Even so, I’m sorry his painting mojo was stifled so young. The big house was his magnum opus – at age three!

With my first book published less than eight months ago, and work underway on two more, I’ve been thinking about the painting and its aftermath a great deal recently as I ask myself the question: how do you know when to trust your intuition and when to take advice?

Although I’ve worked as a journalist and editor for more than 30 years, writing books is new to me. As such, I’m hungry for knowledge to help me improve. I belong to a writers’ group and read a lot about the process.

However, the more I learn, the more I wonder whether it’s possible to become so concerned and even cowed by everyone else’s insights and opinions that you lose touch with the instinct that distinguishes you as an author? And, even when you hold onto your voice, there’s the risk that your eagerness to learn and be led manifests in self-doubt and second-guessing that slows you down. Fellow South African author, Rehana Rossouw admitted in a recent interview, ‘I can’t read when I write – I either copy style and voice wholesale or fall into a pit of despair because I can’t match the writing’.

So, what’s the solution? One approach is to look for opportunities to benefit from both your intuition and the advice of others by deciding when either is most appropriate. For example:

Take advice on:

• practical matters like the importance of working with an editor, how to format your manuscript for submission, the advantages of working with an agent, how to pitch to agents and publishers, and what to look for in publishing contracts;
• how to spot and avoid common writing errors, such as repeating words, using clichés and confusing tenses;
• how to build tension, maintain a consistent point of view, write dialogue that propels your plot and builds character, and sustain the pace of your story;
• the importance of and what kind of research is required to convince your readers; and
• how to get your booked reviewed and promoted.

Trust your intuition when it comes to:

• writing the story you want to write. Two quotations resonate with me here. The first is Toni Morrison’s maxim, ‘If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.’ The other is from Nayyirah Waheed’s 2013 anthology of poems, Salt and reads, ‘When you are struggling in your writing (art), it usually means you are hearing one thing, but writing (creating) another’. Until it’s written, your story exists only in your mind. You won’t find it on the internet, in books about writing or in your writing group. You know your characters and their backstories. Listen to your gut and write the story that’s within you;  
• the writing process. Many of us are interested in how others work. Do you plot your manuscript out chapter-by-chapter and follow the plan faithfully? Or do you allow your characters to lead you? While learning how many different ways there are to write a book is fascinating and some information can be useful, you need to develop and trust your own process;  
• inspiration. I am most inspired when hiking in the mountains with my dogs. That’s the time when the most exciting writing ideas and plot twists occur to me. Other writers are stirred by music, meditation, photography and travel. What works for one, doesn’t work for another; and
• incorporating humour in your writing. Your sense of humour is deeply embedded in who you are as an individual and therefore, who you are as a writer, which is why it’s crucial to listen to your inner voice when it comes to including humour in your writing.

Trusting your intuition doesn’t mean your decisions won’t be questioned. Neither does it mean you should disregard recommendations. Possibly the best advice I received about following my writing intuition is that I shouldn’t ignore it, but I should also be prepared to do what it takes to justify it. It requires courage to trust your gut, but it could mean the different between a good book and an unforgettable one.

So, it’s decided; henceforth, the big house on my kitchen wall is a reminder to me to be brave and bold, and not to let the voice of my inner artist be drowned by the voices of those who might or might not know better.

Penny Haw: biography

Penny Haw is a South African freelance journalist, writer and editor who, for more than three decades, has contributed to many of the country’s leading newspapers and magazines. Nicko – The Tale of a Vervet Monkey on an African Farm is her first book. She lives near Cape Town with her family and three dogs.

Follow her on Twitter and Facebook @PennyHaw

Find out more about her on her website https://pennyhaw.wordpress.com/

About Nicko – The Tale of a Vervet Monkey on an African Farm http://amzn.to/2ocPoRh

Nicko – The Tale of a Vervet Monkey on an African Farm is an animal story based on the true account of the author, Penny Haw’s grandmother, Alice Kirk and her life with a vervet monkey and a menagerie of other animals on her farm in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands of South Africa. It is told in Alice’s voice.

Abandoned as a baby, Nicko was brought to Alice to raise. Because she expected him to return to the wild once he was old enough to take care of himself, Alice never caged or confined the little monkey. The result? Nicko became a lifelong and important member of the farmyard, befriending the dogs, cats and other animals, and accepting them as his new troop.

Told over almost 180 pages, Nicko and friends get up to series of hilarious, heart-warming and sometimes heart-wrenching escapades and antics. There’s tension too, as the monkey learns to be careful when Ruskie, the borzois (also known as the Russian wolfhound) is around; Ruskie is bred to hunt and finds it difficult to see Nicko as anything other than prey. But, what happens when Nicko goes missing after he and his friends encounter a strange pack of vicious dogs on the farm is the ultimate surprise.  

Reminiscent of classic animal stories like Jock of the Bushveld, The Incredible Journey and Old Yeller, the book is written for animal lovers of all ages. It’s also ideal as a self-reader for children aged 9 to 12, and as a chapter a night bedtime story for younger children. Nicko is a gentle story that describes unlikely friendships across species, provides thought-provoking insights into animal-life and will pull a little at your heartstrings as you wonder whether Nicko will eventually include Alice in his special circle of loved ones.

Beautifully illustrated with line drawings by Petra Langer, Nicko – The Tale of a Vervet Monkey on an African Farm is published by Penguin Random House South Africa. The book is available from http://amzn.to/2ocPoRh You can also connect with Nicko on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/NickoMonkey/

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Category: Contemporary Women Writers, How To and Tips