In his 1980 song “Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy),” John Lennon sang “Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans.” Although the line is often attributed to Lennon, a version of it appeared in a 1956 Mary Worth cartoon written by Allen Saunders. The line in the cartoon was “…life is something which happens while we’re waiting for something else!” The quote, as attributed to Saunders, was rephrased in 1957 in Reader’s Digest as “Life is what happens to us while we are making other plans.”
Even older references to this thought date back to B.C. Specifically, “A man’s heart deviseth his way: but the Lord directeth his steps.” (Cor hominis disponit viam suam: sed Domini est dirigere gressus eius. - Old Testament: Proverbs, xvi, 9. (c. 350 B. C.); “Man intends one thing, Fate another.” (Homo semper aliud, Fortuna aliud cogitat. Publilius Syrus, Sententiae. No.253. (c.43 B.C.); and from The Imitation of Christ (Thomas à Kempis 1400s/ translated from the Latin in 1881 by Reverend W. H. Hutchings), “For Man proposes, but God disposes.”
There are two ways “Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans” has been interpreted. The first is that no matter what one plans, “sh-t happens.” The other is that people are so busy striving for the next thing in life, whether in terms of schooling, jobs, or possessions, they miss what is happening in the present.
Writers tend to experience both interpretations of the quote. Even as an author tries to write the best story or book, a part of the brain is thinking about the launch and the potential success of the work. Will it make the NY Times bestseller list? At the same time, the publishing business can be cruel. One can be thrilled producing a work only to see it be orphaned or publicity not put behind it.
Sometimes, though, an author is focused on writing, but life occurrences – illnesses, births, deaths, caretaking, or natural disasters – interfere with the writing process. When any of these occur, despite the best intentions, plans to write can dry up or be so interfered with that nothing of quality can be produced.
For some, life destroys plans to write or read. For others, it is merely a temporary blip that distracts from the master plan. The interesting thing is how one weathers the storms and if one can maintain a present presence. As a writer or reader, how have you functioned when life and plans collide?
I try to remind myself of another quote: You can't control the sea; you can only control how you set your sails.
ReplyDeleteOh, I like that!
DeleteAnnette, similar thought. Excellent quote.
DeleteMan proposes; God disposes. (Homo proponit, sed Deus disponit.)
ReplyDeleteYup!
DeleteIt's really hard, Debra. There are so many events that disrupt your life, and not all of them are bad, but for me the writing process is a solitary effort. Having alone time can be difficult to sandwich in, but then having family visit is wonderful. Mixed blessings. Health issues, priorities that win over writing--stuff you've got to do, and then our own ambition can waver. Literary agents die and publishers fold. The list is endless.
ReplyDeleteI'm deep in my fictional world right now, emerging to make dinner and scream at the evening news.
ReplyDeleteInteresting blog, Debra. My mother was from the Man Proposes, God Disposes school. I heard that a lot whenever I tried out for cheerleading. LOL. Reading your post I couldn’t help but think of how Covid affected writers in various ways. Some dug in and turned out more novels than they’d ever produced before. Others suffered from brain freeze. There didn’t seem to be a happy medium. As for me. It depends on the cause. Oftentimes I’m thrilled to escape into another world.
ReplyDeleteKait, that's a very reflective comment. Covid did a number on many writers, while others flourished. Today, we can still see the impact. I think it also has influenced the books that are being read - escapism, romanticism, etc. from the readers' perspectives.
DeleteYou've done remarkably well, Debra, considering all of the challenges you've faced over the past few years. You are an inspiration.
ReplyDeleteYou are too kind..... but then again, you are an angel, Grace.
DeleteYes! This! My writing has dried up, but I think the creative juices are still simmering. I'll tap into them again very soon.
ReplyDeleteLori, you will. Sometimes, things are just overwhelming to the point that creative juices become secondary to survival or mental health balance.
DeleteIt's getting harder to write these days and I've been moving more toward editing lately -- it's easier for me to concentrate on someone else's work than try to be creative in my own. I've learned not to fight it as much as I used to. You've always been an inspiration to me, more so now than ever, Debra. xo
ReplyDeleteYou've had a lot going on....one foot in front of another....and the reality is "we keep on going."
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