Saturday, July 28, 2013
I spent today at Alice's reading two books, one I hadn't read in many years and one for my project with Chris.
How nice it is to read John Gardner again. His insights are dead on much of the time. "In my own experience, nothing is harder for the developing writer than overcoming his anxiety that he is fooling himself and cheating or embarrassing his family and friends." That is so true. And, "By the nature of his work it is important that one way or another the novelist learn to depend primarily on himself, not others, that he love without too much need and dependency, and look inward (or toward some private standard) for approval and support." That is so insightful.
I remember the first time I read On Becoming a Novelist back in 1983, wondering how it was possible for any writer to write 12-15 hours per day. I thought he was making that range up. Now I see it's only because the human body doesn't function all that well when writing more hours per day. I love how opinionated Gardner was and some of the underhanded digs he throws in about other writers. It's odd to think this book was written before anyone had home computers.
Empire of Illusion has some wonderful moments, but it seems unnecessarily long in spots. I wonder about books that place the whole of our society into the category of spectacle and illusion, though I do see Hedges's point. There are others ways to view modern society, however. I'm halfway through the book, so perhaps I should hold my thoughts until I'm done.
Alice and I watched a movie downstairs:
It was slow in spots and predictable, but I loved the acting, loved the sincerity behind the story, loved the struggles these characters face. Chris Pines and Elizabeth Banks are terrific together, and the kid steals the picture! Alice liked it, and in the end, I did, too.
Today was a very satisfying day off writing.
