Hi friends. Maybe a month or two ago I sent my novel to Lauren Groff to read. She always has some notes that help me in both big and small ways. She is a generous reader, generous person, generous with her time. Once she talked me out of pursuing a novel entirely after I had already written a first draft but that is a story for another day. This time she suggested a few points of clarification and also that I write one more scene, earlier on, to introduce a character, show him in his youth. Just to give the reader a contrast to his later years. To show him when he was once happy.
Hi Jami, I am writing from Florida, where I spent the last week at a retreat with the novelist, Connie May Fowler and my workshop members. I am up at 4 am over-stimulated with ideas for my novel. I couldn't sleep. I leave for home in a few hours. Your message about your getting help from your writer friends brings me to right now. In workshop every afternoon this past week the inspirations sailed around the room from each of us as we read our three pages. Reading you get inspiration from your writer friends confirms I am in the right place at the right time. To answer your question about what book from our youth gave us the inspiration to write, my answer is Pat Conroy's The Prince of Tides. I remember reading that novel knowing I had to write novels. The cool full circle of my story is that since 2015 I have been studying with Connie who was a good friend of Pat's. I even own a first edition of the novel signed " To Connie May Fowler, in friendship and writing, Pat Conroy." Writer friends are priceless. I hope you had a great vacation. Cheers!
The a-ha moment for me as a writer was Meander, Spiral, Explode book by Jane Alison. When I was reading it, I kept nodding my head in agreement, revelation after revelation coming to me. Finally it all made sense: I always struggled with classic storytelling, because 1) it’s masculine and 2) it’s Western way of telling a story. I write about complicated women and in 1st person pov, so my narrator is a woman, often a very unreliable one and the narrative style is SCREAM of consciousness. So the wave structure never ever worked for this type of very feminine way of progressing (or rather, digressing) with a story. And my background is not western as I have a wild mixture of Armenian, Russian, Ukrainian and Jewish bloods in me. I grew up on different tales, folklore and books than those from western countries.
PS: I fully realize that it’ll be super hard to sell this type of writing, but I’m sure there is a niche 😊
I love how you describe the 'gentle' suggestions you get from people you respect. That you do what they suggest and it makes for better reading. So often in writing groups, members are encouraged to only give positive feedback and the feedback from the POV of a reader, 'this sentence doesn't sound believable' for instance, is considered to hard to hear.
When you get to Paris, maybe you will have time to visit Parc de Bagatelle with its many peacocks. Did you know that their tails molt? In August, they loose every single feather. The tail slowly grows back starting in September and is full grown again in April.
Safe travels and looking forward to hearing you on Tuesday.
Oddly enough the one for me is the passage about listening to music in The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers. It’s gorgeous, and it made me think about how much life there is the inanimate things we call art: writing, music, painting--all of it is alive all the time, no matter how long ago it was created. And I can create some, too. And if I’m lucky, I can leave it to live forever.
The first book that inspired me to write was Even Cowgirls Get The Blues by Tom Robbins. It was just such a mashup of stories and style and so freaking funny and sexy and magical.
The book that made me think I COULD write a book was A Pilgrim at Tinkers Creek by Annie Dillard. She saw things the way I do and was mesmerized by the natural world as I am.
I love that a couple people have mentioned Cheryl Strayed here. Her memoir, which I listened to on audio book at least three times, was a huge influence on my own adventure travel memoir.
Thank you for saying this: “ I like to work. I like to write a little bit at least or do some edits every day and then I can relax and go out in the world. I enjoy a gentle hum of always thinking of these projects that I love. So I do not feel that I am betraying the vacation by working if it allows me to enjoy it in the end.”
I feel the same and it’s always felt like I’m doing something wrong!
Judy Blume, Joan Didion, Cheryl Strayed, and Lauren Goff herself. Love that you two are friends!
I can think of 4 touchstones who have shaped me as a writer and reader at different times in my life: discovering To Kill a Mockingbird in my seventh grade English teacher’s bookshelf, slipping into the world of Scout and Jem and Dill. Later, Cormac McCarthy’s All the Pretty Horses, Cheryl Strayed’s Wild, and of course, Emily Dickinson.
For me, reading Kate Chopin's The Awakening while in high school. What a revelation about womanhood and motherhood that no women in my life every talked about.
For me: Richard Brautigan, specifically Trout Fishing in America, even more specifically "The Prelude to the Mayonnaise Chapter" and "The Mayonnaise Chapter."
Hi Jami, I am writing from Florida, where I spent the last week at a retreat with the novelist, Connie May Fowler and my workshop members. I am up at 4 am over-stimulated with ideas for my novel. I couldn't sleep. I leave for home in a few hours. Your message about your getting help from your writer friends brings me to right now. In workshop every afternoon this past week the inspirations sailed around the room from each of us as we read our three pages. Reading you get inspiration from your writer friends confirms I am in the right place at the right time. To answer your question about what book from our youth gave us the inspiration to write, my answer is Pat Conroy's The Prince of Tides. I remember reading that novel knowing I had to write novels. The cool full circle of my story is that since 2015 I have been studying with Connie who was a good friend of Pat's. I even own a first edition of the novel signed " To Connie May Fowler, in friendship and writing, Pat Conroy." Writer friends are priceless. I hope you had a great vacation. Cheers!
I agree. Having a couple of super-supportive writer friends is indeed priceless.
The a-ha moment for me as a writer was Meander, Spiral, Explode book by Jane Alison. When I was reading it, I kept nodding my head in agreement, revelation after revelation coming to me. Finally it all made sense: I always struggled with classic storytelling, because 1) it’s masculine and 2) it’s Western way of telling a story. I write about complicated women and in 1st person pov, so my narrator is a woman, often a very unreliable one and the narrative style is SCREAM of consciousness. So the wave structure never ever worked for this type of very feminine way of progressing (or rather, digressing) with a story. And my background is not western as I have a wild mixture of Armenian, Russian, Ukrainian and Jewish bloods in me. I grew up on different tales, folklore and books than those from western countries.
PS: I fully realize that it’ll be super hard to sell this type of writing, but I’m sure there is a niche 😊
I love how you describe the 'gentle' suggestions you get from people you respect. That you do what they suggest and it makes for better reading. So often in writing groups, members are encouraged to only give positive feedback and the feedback from the POV of a reader, 'this sentence doesn't sound believable' for instance, is considered to hard to hear.
When you get to Paris, maybe you will have time to visit Parc de Bagatelle with its many peacocks. Did you know that their tails molt? In August, they loose every single feather. The tail slowly grows back starting in September and is full grown again in April.
Safe travels and looking forward to hearing you on Tuesday.
Oddly enough the one for me is the passage about listening to music in The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers. It’s gorgeous, and it made me think about how much life there is the inanimate things we call art: writing, music, painting--all of it is alive all the time, no matter how long ago it was created. And I can create some, too. And if I’m lucky, I can leave it to live forever.
The first book that inspired me to write was Even Cowgirls Get The Blues by Tom Robbins. It was just such a mashup of stories and style and so freaking funny and sexy and magical.
The book that made me think I COULD write a book was A Pilgrim at Tinkers Creek by Annie Dillard. She saw things the way I do and was mesmerized by the natural world as I am.
I love that a couple people have mentioned Cheryl Strayed here. Her memoir, which I listened to on audio book at least three times, was a huge influence on my own adventure travel memoir.
Thank you for saying this: “ I like to work. I like to write a little bit at least or do some edits every day and then I can relax and go out in the world. I enjoy a gentle hum of always thinking of these projects that I love. So I do not feel that I am betraying the vacation by working if it allows me to enjoy it in the end.”
I feel the same and it’s always felt like I’m doing something wrong!
Judy Blume, Joan Didion, Cheryl Strayed, and Lauren Goff herself. Love that you two are friends!
When I was just starting, long ago, Lorrie Moore. More recently, Carol Shields and Joan Silber.
I love Carol Shields!
I can think of 4 touchstones who have shaped me as a writer and reader at different times in my life: discovering To Kill a Mockingbird in my seventh grade English teacher’s bookshelf, slipping into the world of Scout and Jem and Dill. Later, Cormac McCarthy’s All the Pretty Horses, Cheryl Strayed’s Wild, and of course, Emily Dickinson.
Although not in my youth, I can confidently say that Lauren Groff changed me as a reader. Also love this breakdown of how you approached that scene.
Virginia Woolf - then, now, always
That moment for me was at the Tin House Writers' Conference where coincidentally I met Lauren, who was one of the instructors!
For me, reading Kate Chopin's The Awakening while in high school. What a revelation about womanhood and motherhood that no women in my life every talked about.
For me: Richard Brautigan, specifically Trout Fishing in America, even more specifically "The Prelude to the Mayonnaise Chapter" and "The Mayonnaise Chapter."
Enjoy your vacay! I want a peacock. :-)
ME TOO
I so appreciate these. You're such a focused, serious artist that you remind me of what I have to do with my own work. Big hugs.