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6.
AOTW: In Stephen King's ON WRITING, he prescribes two things,
which every aspiring writer must do: 1) read a lot and 2) write
a lot. Do you agree with him? And if so, how do you balance reading
and writing?
NM
Kelby: I think everybody's different. Even though I'm always
working, I don't physically write a lot. I write what I need to
that day. Sometimes, it's a chapter. Sometimes, it's three paragraphs.
I get confused if I've tossed a bunch of words onto the page. I'm
not sure there are any prescriptions for learning how to write.
I think a person just needs to find their own inner peace and write
from there.
"Drag
your heart into the light"…that's what I tell my students. I think
to be a good writer, you have to honest, to write from your imperfections
with a gentle eye towards the real life of others.
I believe
it's the writer's job to remind the world that we're all human,
we all make mistakes and need forgiveness and redemption. To me,
learning to write with purpose is much more important than just
putting words on paper.
However,
I do agree that a writer should read a lot. I read everything I
can get my hands on. I read all the time, but clinically, not for
pleasure. I'm always ripping books apart, analyzing structure and
word choice. When I run into a great book like Blindness
or The God of Small Things, I long for the old days when
I would read for pleasure. When I would sit on a train and let the
world slip by and drown in exquisite pleasure of words, the seamless
lush narrative dream of a well-crafted work. Now, even when I'm
on trains and find myself wanting to read for recreation, I'm still
looking for meter within the text, layers of meaning.
As
a reader, I'm ruined.
Michael
Leahey: Stephen King is right, but I don't see a conflict. There's
an old Irish folk song about a "Rambler and a Gambler" who "eats
when he's hungry and drinks when he's dry". I read and write without
making either thing a requirement that would diminish their appeal.
In general, I read each night before I got to sleep. Sometimes this
is a 20- minute break; sometimes it goes on for hours. The writing
requires a minimum of two hours and doesn't work well if I'm really
tired, so this usually needs to be planned and scheduled.
Suzanne
Chazin: Yes, I agree (though for women with children, this is
a much harder piece of advice.) I read when I can't write (waiting
at a doctor's office, riding a train, on vacation). I read when
it's late at night and I can't write anymore. I read when I need
another author's voice in my head; to give my own words added heft
and rhythm. I write as much as I can the rest of the time.
Sallie
Bissell: Absolutely. When I'm writing a lot, I don't read as
much, or read non-fiction. When I'm writing less, then I catch up
on my reading.
Thisbe
Nissen: Yes, I agree, and I think the balance works itself out.
I don't think I'll ever feel like I've read enough, there will always
be so much out there to read that I'll never get to everything I
want to get to. But I'll also never have enough time to write everything
I want to write, so maybe it all just becomes a process of trying
to do as much of both as you possibly can, interspersed with enough
collaging, gardening, walking, eating, cat-petting, hanging out
with friends and playing Scrabble to keep myself moderately sane.
John
Searles: I loved that book so much. And I think Stephen King
is absolutely right (no surprise!). You should read every single
thing you get your hands on --- whether it is People Magazine or
Gore Vidal's new book. But you should especially read the kind of
books that you want to write, because you can learn from them.
Stephanie
Gertler: Absolutely. There really is no trick to the balance
for me --- reading is so much a part of my life. I read whenever
I'm not writing and sometimes I read when I take a "break" from
the writing. I also keep a list of "new" words or words that I have
known but never used before. And I am always writing --- there's
a story in everything. I watch the details of living and write them
down. Watch the way someone might remove their glove on a cold winter
day --- you could actually describe it in a paragraph....
Cat
Bauer: I read while I eat. I read on the vaporetto. I read every
night before I go to sleep. If a book really captures me, I'll give
it a day of my life. To me, the balance isn't between reading and
writing, it's between reading, writing and everything else in my
life. Most of my days are spent reading and writing. I've learned
that I need to keep a can of tuna hidden from myself because some
days I just can't get out the door.
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