The Nature of Writing
Posted by annastan on April 21st, 2010. Filed under: Books, Contests, Craft.First off, I just wanted to remind you about two book giveaways going on:
-My 100 Followers Contest that ends tomorrow – you can win a copy of Mockingjay or Linger!
-The Enchanted Inkpot’s Anniversary Giveaway (the second in a series of contests) – you can win a stack of fantasy books!
Okay, now that we have that out of the way, I wanted to share two great quotes from Annie Dillard’s A Writing Life. Here’s one that made me laugh:
Many writers do little else but sit in small rooms recalling the real world. This explains why so many books describe the author’s childhood. A writer’s childhood may well have been the occasion of his only firsthand experience.
While she’s exaggerating a bit, I must say this is somewhat true. The amount of time I spend alone with my computer is kind of ridiculous. We writers tend to be a bit hermit-like. But I think we need to fight against that tendency, not only to keep from going feral, but also because actually getting out and living life gives us more to write about.
The second quote that jumped out at me made me think:
I do not so much write a book as sit up with it, as with a dying friend. During visiting hours, I enter its room with dread and sympathy for its many disorders. I hold its hand and hope it will get better.
While I’m not crazy about the passive nature of this description (as if a manuscript is something we can only observe) I love its tenderness. I think she’s right that we both dread and sympathize with all the things wrong with our projects, and all we can really do is keeping working on them and hoping they’ll improve.
April 21st, 2010 at 7:53 am
Both great quotes. The second one, though seems almost too depressing to me. I look on a book as a visit with a friend (not a dying one) where she can tell me her problems, we’ll share a glass of wine or chocolate while sharing our experiences. I can commiserate or give advice – she can take it or not but it’s the sharing that’s important.
April 21st, 2010 at 8:28 am
I agree with Nelsa, about the depressing part. Hold hands, yes, but not dying!
Great post, though, I love to see how other writer’s discuss their writing process!
April 21st, 2010 at 8:38 am
Oh! I don’t like to think of my projects as dying either!
But I love this book and Annie Dillard’s sense of humor. Great quotes.
April 21st, 2010 at 9:40 am
Nelsa, I didn’t realize just how depressing the second quote was until you pointed it out. I think I like your version a little bit better (especially because it includes chocolate).
Lydia, the dying might be taking it a bit too far. Dillard’s book is interesting because writing does seem like a tumultuous and unpleasant process for her, but she can’t help but do it. I’m so glad I don’t feel that way!
Deborah, I’m glad you have a more upbeat view of your projects! But yes, Dillard’s sense of humor is great, even though it’s rather dark.
April 21st, 2010 at 9:57 am
I must get my hands on this Annie Dillard book. Every time you talk about it, I always get a gem out of it.
Sometimes I think of my novel project with sympathy (ah, poor wretched WIP). But dread? Not so much. But hey, at least there was hope at the end of the quote. Ha.
April 21st, 2010 at 10:09 am
Great quotes that I think reflect the love/hate relationship that some authors have with their work and lifestyle.
April 21st, 2010 at 10:17 am
Hi.
My name is Chelsey, and I’m going to be an MA/MFA student at Simmons in the Fall. I’m in your Writing I class, so I just wanted to introduce myself!
April 21st, 2010 at 10:51 am
Hi Chelsey! Thanks for stopping by and introducing yourself. I look forward to meeting you next semester!
April 21st, 2010 at 10:53 am
Karen, it’s a really interesting book. Some of it is inspiring and thought-provoking, and some of it is a bit depressing, but it gives a really interesting portrait of Dillard’s writing process.
Carl, I think that’s exactly it. Dillard has a love/hate relationship with writing that’s pretty extreme, but I think most writers can relate to it on some level.
April 21st, 2010 at 11:09 am
Depends on my mood and how the writing turned out the day before whether I approach it as a dying friend or a visit with a cup of cocoa.
April 21st, 2010 at 11:34 am
Did someone say chocolate? That always gets my attention…
I don’t like the analogy of a dying friend, but I do agree with the concept of visiting with your characters. Great post, Anna!
April 21st, 2010 at 12:00 pm
I’ll have to look into this. I loved PILGRIM AT TINKER CREEK.
April 21st, 2010 at 2:00 pm
Laura, I know exactly how you feel! Maybe that’s why this quote stuck out to me so much – I’ve definitely been in that “dying friend” mood with my writing recently.
Andrea, it really amuses me how much writers obsess about chocolate. It’s like writing has the same effect on us as Dementors do! But yes, aside from the morbid imagery in Dillard’s quote, I like the idea of visiting with a manuscript the way you visit a friend.
Caroline, I haven’t read PILGRIM – will have to check it out!
April 21st, 2010 at 4:21 pm
Holy cow! A dying friend? Yikes. Maybe we can think of ourselves as the voice our wip’s hear when they’re in a coma. We bring them back to life!
April 21st, 2010 at 6:05 pm
Julie, I really like that image! Yes, we bring our WIPs into the land of the living.
April 21st, 2010 at 8:37 pm
Whether it’s true or not, I love that line. “I do not so much write a book as sit up with it, as with a dying friend.” It’s so poetic!
When writing sounds that good, I kind of forget to judge it for its meaning. But I shouldn’t be so shallow when reading. It’s not good for me as a writer.
April 22nd, 2010 at 4:32 am
Love her view of approaching her manuscript. When you think about it, it’s really true.
And the tendency to shut up like a castaway on some deserted island with my laptop…very hard to break, but I find when I balance the writing with the living–experiencing life with my family and others–I write better.
April 22nd, 2010 at 5:21 am
Dominique, I love that line too. Dillard’s writing is very poetic. Even if I don’t agree with some of what she says about writing, it’s still fascinating to read.
Sheri, I find I write better when I push myself out into the world, too. I think it gives us more to write about, and it’s a nice break from the WIP!
April 22nd, 2010 at 5:54 am
Annie Dillard is so quotable. The first one made me laugh, too. Mostly because there’s an uncomfortable grain of truth in it. I’ve found that my view of life and people skews if I don’t get out once in a while. Also, my daily exercise has become an absolute priority because I spend so many hours in this chair. I remember reading the second quote in one of her books. Maybe she wrote it on a day she thought her WIP really stunk?
April 22nd, 2010 at 12:58 pm
Two interesting quotes! The first quote made me laugh, but it makes sense! As for the second, I never saw my MS as a dying friend before…yikes. I see it more like a meeting someone new, when you wonder more about her and if you’ll become good friends.