Hi, folks–
I took Monday off. Kind of a Manic Monday, don’tcha know.
Anyhoo, I came across this really sweet New York Times archive. It’s called “Writers on Writing” and it’s a big ol’ list of articles done by various writers that addresses some aspect of writing. Super cool.
How about E.L. Doctorow on how novels are following films into a land of “fewer words”?
As more than one critic has noted, today’s novelists tend not to write exposition as fully as novelists of the 19th century… .The 20th-century novel minimizes discourse that dwells on settings, characters’ CVs and the like. The writer finds it preferable to incorporate all necessary information in the action, to carry it along in the current of the narrative, as is done in movies.
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Or Annie Proulx (whose work I deeply admire), on inspiration?
A whole set of metaphoric shovels is part of my tool collection, and for me the research that underlies the writing is the best part of the scribbling game. Years ago, alder scratched, tired, hungry, and on a late return from a fishing trip, I was driving through Maine when a hubbub on the sidewalk caught my eye: milling customers at a yard sale. I stop for yard sales. Pay dirt. I found the wonderful second edition unabridged Webster’s New International Dictionary with its rich definitions and hundreds of fine small illustrations.
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Or Alice Walker on meditation, John Updike on character, or Carl Hiaasen on plagiarizing from real life?
This archive is a treasure trove of gems from a variety of writers, from a variety of perspectives. Seriously check it out.
Happy reading, happy writing!
Andi Marquette 