Literary Cartographers

Writing is a communal act that spans generations and cultures. This shared struggle is evidenced in the wise words of Milan Kundera's essay in Seven Parts, "The Curtain". 

One if the many jewels uncovered in this deconstruction of the evolution of the novel is borrowed from avant-garde 1920s writers. "First, as in the automatic writing of the surrealists, write twenty pages with no rational control, then reread that with a sharp critical eye, keep what is essential and go on that way."

Good advice we would probably call stream of consciousness writing. I often brain dump all my research on a page before creating an outline, subheads and categories. Then I polish the transitions, but Kundera turns this mechanical process into a powerful image when he follows this advice with the observation: "It is as if he hoped to hitch the novel's cart to a wild horse called 'drunkenness', alongside a trained horse called 'rationality.'"

Where is your wagon team taking you? Don't be afraid to look to those who have traveled the literary trail for directions. At the same time, don't be afraid to blaze your own trail. 

Who are your literary cartographers? What advice do you value as you move to make your mark?