[Part 2 of a 2-Part Series. Part 1: 4/28/10]
This morning on the radio (the Diane Rehm Show) author Isabelle Allende said something that reminded me of something Anne Lamott said last month at a book reading in Petaluma.
Anne said, “I write what I care about.”
Isabelle said, “I write everything that I care for.”
Hmmm…I see a trend here. I think caring translates into passion on the page, which makes for good reading. The old adage used to be, “Write what you know.” Maybe that should be, “Write what you care about.”
I think this is an interesting concept, because the easiest writing for me is when I’m angry about something. Words spill from that vat of venom in my brain and onto the page. I don’t really mind that method too much, as anger is a motivator. But there’s always that other old adage to contemplate: anger only destroys the vessel that holds it. Doesn’t sound healthy…
I’m looking forward to the day that the vat dries up. But until then, I would like a job writing snotty letters. Because I’m really good at it. (Could be quite lucrative.) And until then #2, I bloggedy-blog-blog-blog.
Back to Anne Lamott and her writing advice dispensed at Cooperfield’s Bookstore.
Anne said she doesn’t believe in inspiration. If she waited to write when she felt like it, she would never feel like it. She says writing needs to be a habit; to work at it by a “prearranged commitment.”
In writing classes people tell Anne that they want to write—just as soon as this gets done, or that happens, or the time is right, etc. Her response is that if you don’t write NOW you will never write. She added, “If you don’t get around to it, it’s going to hurt.”
She also talked about writing things down that she sees or thinks up—as a part of the writing process and also partly to retain that information. I carry paper and pencil with me everywhere. Sometimes I hang a spiral notepad by a shoelace around my neck while I walk. If I think up good stuff, I’m prepared!
I also sleep with a tablet next to me on one side. It’s too hard for me to remember the next morning what was so terrific that my brain woke me up to tell me about it while I was snoozing. [Note: Good tip if you can learn to write legibly in the dark while half-asleep.]
Anne’s last piece of advice was about authenticity. She said sometimes you have to “kill your little darlings,” meaning, take out the stuff that doesn’t ring true. It may be witty or clever or brilliant, but if it doesn’t score highly on the Authentic Meter, give it the axe.
At the end of the evening Anne answered questions from the audience. One gentleman asked her about her present life—now that she had raised her son (and presumably had more free time), was there something she wanted to do or accomplish. Anne seemed a little surprised by the question, like it was something she had not given much thought to before. She outlined her activities (tennis, reading, church, friends, her brothers, baby grandson, etc.) and noted her contentment and gratitude for the life she has. She finished with, “would like to find my soul mate and get married.” Ahh, very sweet.
That guy would have to be somethin’ else….
Anne Lamott's new novel made the Top 5 Best Beach Books in the May issue of Coastal Life magazine.
