A Flash-Review (Am I Juiced to Write?)
The Writing Life - Annie Dillard, A+
For the last week, I've been toying with the idea of resuscitating a novel that I started when I was in my early teens. As I type this, the printer is powered up to run off the first 40-some pages of said 'novel' so I can try and re-immerse myself in the mythic/medieval atmosphere.
The eventual fate of my story is hard to make out, since I'll have to rediscover the context in which I began to form it ("in search of lost time," ala Marcel Proust). One thing's for sure, though. Anyone hoping to write anything of note should read The Writing Life by Annie Dillard. Computer Science grads have been known to start writing short stories at the mere mention of this book. As well they should:
Dillard'’s metaphorical jaunt is evocative, brilliant and lovely. By turns whimsical and haunting, she made me want to write, even while dreading it. Sometimes reading about writing is merely a despicable delaying tactic to avoid actually writing. But not in this case. The Writing Life is not only highly quotable, it's also one of those rare books that inspire action.
Monday, February 13, 2006
The Writing Life - Annie Dillard, A+
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7 comments:
Wow, this sounds like a book I should and want to read... I've been activating myself a little bit on my fiction writing lately and I could use some inspirational reading like this. So thanks for the tip :)
I can recommend "Negotiating with the Dead" by Margaret Atwood, it's also a book on writing, and it goes really deep into the myth of the tormented writer writing even though it's agonising. She shares her experiences and thoughts on why it is hard to write, but also on what makes her tick when it comes to creative writing.
And dare I ask; have you read that dreaded novel suite by Proust?! My goodness, if you have read it in its entity, you will have earned my respect for all time to come (almost)...
Cheers!
I may have to take a look at Arguing with-, uh, that is, Negotiating with the Dead, Mathias. I don't know how Atwood develops her title, but as a theology/philosophy junkie, I find myself negotiating with the dead quite a bit as it is. What a great title for a book on writing!
And dare I ask; have you read that dreaded novel suite by Proust?!
Ha! I'm midway through the first book. So depending on who you ask, I have six volumes left of either pure joy or pure weight on the bookshelf. Proust is the human embodiment of an adjective: "meandering." But I usually enjoy him.
I just finished the editing of my novel and let me tell you, I know the meaning of joy. It felt like a elephant had stepped off of me. I felt like dancing and singing and praising God! Of course, I still have to rewrite the second half of the novel, even if it is edited now, which I am not looking forward to at all.
I encourage everyone to just start writing. And writing. And writing. Yoda should have been a writer because when it comes to writing, "Do or do not, there is no try."
I will have to check this one out...
Is there a chapter about the person or entity who will pay my bills while I finish my novel. That's the important part.
Cheers.
The Annie Conspiracy
Another great tome on writing is Anne Lamott's Bird by Bird. I think there is an Annie Conspiracy to get the world to get out of its cars and write.
The Muses are always women
Between the Annes and the Margaret... I am rather afraid to complete this sentence and say something rather genderish.
Slightly Tangential
I started The Dictionary of the Khazars yesterday, and the writer, Milorad Pavic, has some fine writing advice buried in prose that adds new depths to the mire caused by the multiple unreliable narrators. Which I find inspiring, even though he is a man, because sometimes I feel guilty about the inconsistency, warring view points, and unfinished thoughts that plague my own work. And to see him ending paragraphs with ellipses, and how his narrators constantly contradict one another and how it all works together is just fabulous...
Will, one of these days I'll have to get the once-over on your novel. Like what's it about, and are you a millionare yet? ;)
Is there a chapter about the person or entity who will pay my bills while I finish my novel. That's the important part.
Sherman, you obviously have not been negotiating with your wife as you should.
Camille, between your completely sexist conspiracy theory and your new tranquility with ellipses, I'm dumbfounded. I could easily name off several dozen MALE writers par excellence who speak about their craft. Easily. If I only felt like it. So just watch out, one of these days, that list may appear.
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