Monday, March 10, 2014

Writers on Writing


It has been a couple of months since the winter holidays and life seems to have finally calmed down enough for many of us to get back to some serious reading. I have been happily immersed in some very good books. I finished The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt ( which I loved -- more on that later), reread Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen, and am now almost finished with The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer. This book begins at a summer camp in 1974 and follows six teenagers who remain friends over the next forty years. It is about the moment in life when we meet "our people," the ones we admire and want to be like. It explores the topic of friendship and how it is affected when some of the friends reach a startling level of success and the others do not. This book is excellent and I can't wait to talk about it with my book club on Wednesday night.

In the meantime, I was able to go to a literary event to hear Meg Wolitzer speak. She talked a bit about  "The Interestings," but mostly she talked about the writer's life. It was such a wonderful and inspiring talk. Meg Wolitzer happens to be very funny and very smart. Her topic? The creative life of the writer. She was so encouraging to the aspiring writers in the audience. And I think there were many. Because I do believe that in every passionate reader beats the heart of an aspiring writer. We were all ears. Here are some of the highlights of what she said:

She told us she feels so fortunate to make her living as a writer. Writing can seem a bit like an illegitimate life. I have heard other writers say this as well. She grew up in a house filled with books and a mother who was a writer. Her mother's first short story was published in the Saturday Evening Post and Meg reflected about a time when women's magazines were literary.

She talked about what a writer is doing when he or she writes a novel. A novelist is creating an entire world. And that world can be very different from the one that he or she inhabits. It has to be believable. A sense of story is very important for any writer since story is how we all make sense of what happens to us. A narrative gives experience shape and form. We tell about what we see, we shape it, and inevitably we change it in some way. And people seem to respond well if they think the story is true. She asked how writers can be important in this new post 9/11 world. That event created a lot of anxiety in people and a need to make sense of the world. Anxiety creates a need to know and to learn about people who live differently from us. It creates a culture of empathy. This is where the novelist comes in.

She recounted some advice she received from the writer Mary Gordon: Write about what is important to you, what you care about, what preoccupies you, what obsesses you. The books we love are about the things the writer cares about.

She went on to say that the book you write should be about a way of being in the world. The reader should not have to ask "why are you telling me this?" And then she talked about that pesky issue of a writer's voice. Establishing a voice is very important. Think of "voice" as a particular feeling that shines from a friend. Books need this. A novel is a concentrated version of who the writer is; it is a version of that person, but even more so. Meg Wolitzer knows she is humorous by nature and so she keeps humor in her books. Put your sensibility into a book; that is what makes it special.

When she talked about her characters, she talked about the idea of one thing contrasting with another. She said that "Middlemarch" does this very well. The contrast makes the other thing stand out. People are complex. For example, although some people may see a person as funny, that person may see himself as melancholy. Her advice was to keep it all in in your book.

I think most of us left Meg Wolitzer's talk feeling enlightened about her book and also inspired creatively. This doesn't happen all the time, but when it does there is magic in the air. It reminded me of hearing Helen Simonson speak about Major Pettigrew's Last Stand a couple of years ago (read more here). Like Meg Wolitzer she was smart, funny, and inspiring. I remember feeling very motivated to push myself creatively.

By the way, I loved "The Goldfinch." I believe it is one of the best books written in recent years. Apropos of what Meg Wolitzer said about the novelist creating an entire world, Donna Tartt has done this so well. And it is a world with so many layers. I am not surprised that it took her ten years to write. There were passages that moved me to tears, startling and breathtaking events that I never saw coming, and beautiful sections about life and art. I wrote about the book's Dickensian qualities here. Not surprisingly, it is going to be made into a film. I wonder if it is possible to capture this kind of a book in a film. Maybe a mini-series would be better. What do you think?

Please tell me what you are reading right now. And I would love to know if you liked "The Goldfinch." 

19 comments:

  1. This post has me so excited for my upcoming reading! I'm in the beginning stages of Middlemarch now (talk about contrasts), have recently downloaded the audio version of The Interestings (but have a feeling I may want a print copy, too), and have The Goldfinch waiting on my kindle. I hope your book club has an interesting discussion.

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    1. Thanks, JoAnn. You are inspiring me to read Middlemarch, which I have tried before. A friend just read My Life with Middlemarch and said it was fabulous. Maybe that is a good place to begin. What a great reading list you have right now. Enjoy!

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  2. I am a fairly new reader of your blog, but I had already started reading The Goldfinch when you wrote about it; although I stopped reading that particular post immediately so I could draw my own conclusions about the book! As it turns out, I loved the book, but my gym friend is having a tough time getting through the book as she discussed with me just yesterday. She was angry each time the main character goes through and through again how upset he is with himself. She mentioned, "Will Donna ever resolve this issue with the painting?" I did not comment, obviously! I was enthralled with Ms. Tartt's writing style and loved the explicit way she involves the reader in the characters she created! Some I didn't care about at all - but I did get to know them quite personally by her descriptive passages.

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    1. Mary, I am so glad you enjoyed it. I agree with you about the characters, we really get to know them quite well. And most of them are so unique! Donna Tartt is a master at her craft!

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  3. Secondly...I absolutely shrieked outloud in the very beginning of Helen Simondson's Major Pettigrew's Last Stand and maybe even a few more times! She really drew me into the story quickly! How creatively talented she is. I thank you for bringing up this book today, as I will now search out other books she has written to add to my book list!

    Mary in Oregon

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  4. I've had quite a day, and what a total and relaxing pleasure it was to come home and read your blog ~ so grounding. Loved The Goldfinch and agree that it's the best "new" novel I've read in many years. It has stayed with me and I believe it will continue to for a long time. A lot of good novels out there, but The Goldfinch is great, almost in a category of it's own? Not sure I'd like to see it in film or a mini-series, no way to incorporate her incredible writing into visuals, I don't think.
    I've read a few books since then, all good, but it's been a hard act to follow. I think I'll go and get "The Interestings" tomorrow, as it sounds good, and sort of epic.
    Everything that you've reported about what Meg Wolitzer said is so interesting, and so insightful, and I believe it holds true for all artists. The "illegitimate life", finding your "voice" - all of it resonates so much with me. And Sunday, I want to thank you for your fantastic posts. I never feel like you just throw something up on the internet - you put so much thought and work into what you do, and it's really appreciated by me, and I know by others as well. Whether you write it or not, I will always believe you have a novel in there waiting to come out. XO

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    1. Kathy, you made my day. Thank you, my friend!
      xo Sunday

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  5. I can't wait to read The Goldfinch, I love both Donna Tartt's other books. The Interestings sounds good too, I've haven't read anything by Meg Wolitzer, it's always good to be introduced to a new author. I've just finished 'The Ocean at the End of the Lane" by Neil Gaiman. I read it in one sitting, it's a wonderful modern fairytale.

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    1. Thank you for the recommendation, your description sounds so intriguing. I will definitely look into it. If you liked Donna Tartt's other books, you will love The Goldfinch. I also think you will love The Interestings!

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  6. I think you've talked me into The Interestings, although someone in our book group pointed out that we've read mostly 'coming of age' stories, including The Orchardist, Roundhouse and now The Goldfinch. I loved The Goldfinch and do agree it's one of the best books I've read in a long time. I kind of hate to see a movie made of it because how in the world will they play out the many layers in a two hour time period. I think a mini-series would do it better justice. Oh, and if you Google Donna Tartt interview with Charlie Rose on YouTube, you're in for a most interesting view of the author.

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    1. Janet, yes I saw the Charlie Rose interview. It was fabulous! What an interesting woman she is!

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  7. I love Meg Wolitzer! I haven't yet read The Interestings, but her novel The Wife is one of my favorites. What an absolute treat to hear her speak. Thank you for sharing her words with us.
    I really liked The Goldfinch, with reservations. The drug use bothered me, but that is one of my own personal pet peeves.

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    1. Anbolyn, yes there are some pretty wild scenes in the Las Vegas part of The Goldfinch. What a section of the book. I don't know how she got into the heads of those two adolescent boys so well. And yes, you will really like The Interestings. I am so glad I got to hear Meg speak. She is a gem!

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  8. This comment about readers being aspiring writers is so encouraging. I love to read and often am reading, but I feel so limited to express my thoughts in words. I am so happy you got to hear Meg Wolitzer speak and am so glad you wrote about your experience.

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  9. Our book group will be reading The Goldfinch for our September discussion, Sunday, and The Interestings, which was already on my TBR, has just been awarded a great big star, reminding me that I want to read it, based on your recommendation here.

    Presently, I am just about finished with fellow blogger Andra Watkins' newly released book, To Life Forever: An Afterlife Journey of Meriwether Lewis, which has kept me turning the pages, in rapt attention to what comes next.

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  10. I too am reading The Goldfinch and just can't put it down....I rush home from work, no dinner is cooked as I just want to carry on reading this story.

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  11. Oh I do envy you hearing Meg Wolitzer speak. I loved The Interestings, particularly the idea of a camp for gifted teenagers called Spirit-in-the-Woods.

    I thought The Goldfinch was exceptionally well-written. Loved Theo and his mother. Loved the scenes in the art gallery and the musings on art, painting and antiques. Loved Boris the 'artful dodger' and all the links to Dickens. I did think the ending was weak and it became a bit of a crime caper in the final chapters.

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  12. I absolutely loved The Goldfinch and had to force myself not to devour it. I knew when I started I could easily do so and I didn't want it to end. I simply can't say enough about this book. Here's my review: http://missjomarch.booklikes.com/post/802656/the-goldfinch

    I am going to suggest The Interestings for my next book club selection. Thank you for your suggestion.

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