Conversation #2
Greetings!
For this conversation we are going to talk influences, writing, and books. Now that we have done introductions, hopefully we will have more back and forth conversations and you feel more comfortable with the personas you are stepping into.
Please read the guidelines for this conversation carefully:
1.) Review the prompts below and choose at least 3 to respond to.
2.) Make sure you provide specifics from your author's life and writing as you respond.
3.) In your response you are welcome to add pictures, videos, links, etc.
4.) Make sure you are speaking in first person in your author's point of view.
5.) Please respond to at least 3 other authors in this conversation,
Conversation Prompts:
a.) What authors did you dislike at first but grew into?
b.) What other authors are you friends with, and how do they help you become a better writer?
c.) Does a big ego help or hurt writers?
d.) What literary pilgrimages have you gone on?
e.) What’s your favorite under-appreciated novel?
f.) What do you think when you Google yourself?
c.) Does a big ego help or hurt writers?
ReplyDeleteI don't know many writers with a big ego. And those that do have that ego are one of two things. I knew writers who hasn't sent in their work yet and faced the never ending rejection, or a writer who has "made it" in a sense and found fame and fortune in their writing. At that moment they can get the feeling that they are unstoppable, which is not the case. Every writer has a sense of pride when it comes to their writing, but at the same time the amount of criticism and rejection we get seems to diminish that pride for the most part. It is more important to think humbly. Yes, it is important to believe in your work, but I can guarantee you every writer has a feel of failure. You just never know how people will respond.
e.) What’s your favorite under-appreciated novel?
Favorite? Under-appreciated? That's a loaded question, that many books I love could fall under that category. I few years back, I was a part of the three-member jury for the Pulitzer Prize, where we read over 400 books and could only submit three suggestion. None of which were picked, one of those was “Train Dreams.” That's when I reminded my self writing prizes were nonsense, and too many books are under appreciated. I have a few all time favorites, Gustave Flaubert’s “Madame Bovary,” Virginia Woolf’s “To the Lighthouse” and “Mrs. Dalloway,” (a book that had a great influence on my book "The Hours") Flannery O’Connor’s stories, and of course “Train Dreams" by Denis Johnson, which I am still convinced will become an American Classic one of these days. If I were to be stranded on an island for countless years, these would be the books in my bag. That's because of the voice the authors create. To me, voice is the most important thing in a book. What does anything else matter if you don't have a strong voice?
f.) What do you think when you Google yourself?
I stray away from Googling myself. I mean what can Google tell me about myself that I don't already know? If I am Googling myself it is to see how people are responding to a new novel I have put out. I don't stress too much about the negative but it is good to see what people are thinking about the novels in general. It's reassuring to see there isn't much talk about me as a "gay writer". Of course there are still those few people out there, who feel the need to define me by that, but for the most part I seem to be free of that title. I am gay. I am writer. Why people feel the need to define me by the two combined, will never make since to me. What significance does that title have? It's pointless, so I am relieved to see it's not headline news when Google searching my name.
Good day Michael Cunningham. I did enjoy reading your responses. I must agree, that a big ego cannot help in one's success. The beginning of anything is a necessity; pride and rejection can happen at any step of the process, even in the worst of times. I like your perspective on the whole Google thing. Google, let alone the internet, never existed when I was alive. I'm glad that a living person shares similar feelings to Google like I do. In the end, we listen to those voices that speaks to our souls, and we cancel out the rest of the noise.
DeleteHello Mr. Cunningham. I agree with your sediment that there are a lot of underappreciated books out in the world. Particularly in today's world, there is an influx, I think, in literature. Because of this mass of books it becomes very easy for some books that deserve recognition, that change the literary skyline, so to speak, to not receive them. Personally some of my favorite underappreciated novels come from the Western genre. I don't understand that literary communities' aversion of the, but they deserve more credit than they get. One of my favorites though would have to be "Blood Meridan" by Cormac McCarthy.
DeleteYour comments on ego made me realize that it can be quite difficult for some writers to get a big ego. Most remember all that rejection they received early in their careers, and usually that is enough to humble someone for a lifetime. As an accomplished, successful writer even I still cringe at a bad review, although I can usually predict which works of mine will receive heavy criticism. I think when many writers achieve some sort of success they still remember the stings of past critiques and remember the techniques and strategies that led them to success, and then keep treading on the same path.
DeleteI do very much agree with your sentiment. I am baffled at the thought of an overly-prideful writer. Being boastful and prideful is, in fact, a sin. I do not understand how a writer can be successful when burdened by a large ego. I think it is smart of you to avoid "Googling" yourself--there's not much good to come out of it other than several positive responses to your work. Why burden yourself with all the negativity that exists in this world? Continue your work and the audience will come, just like mine has with The Awakening.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleted.) What literary pilgrimages have you gone on?
ReplyDeleteI have written about intimate acts that were never spoken about behind close doors. These have been my literary pilgrimages. Some of these acts have included an individual’s conflicting responsibilities to her and others, a wife’s negative emotions with marriage, a woman rejecting the traditional roles that society has thrusted upon her for being a woman, and a women acknowledging and responding to her sexual urges. Acknowledging the world around me and not some act, allowed me to wake up and to even suffer. Writing these truths, even in fiction, allowed for the illusion to slowly dissolve.
e.) What’s your favorite under-appreciated novel?
During my time alive my second and last novel, “The Awakening,” was under-appreciated. Thankfully, it gained the recognition it rightfully deserved in the second half of the twentieth century. Woman have a right to be independent, to know their sexual beings, and to understand that the romanticizing of marriage does not exist. This is my favorite piece because woman like Calixta are castaways since they cannot and refuse to do the duties of a real woman. We all have desires and this doesn’t mean we always act on them. Calixta and Alcee did not; they ended up with their significant others.
f.) What do you think when you Google yourself?
I do not know what to even make of this question. I have lived my life and read what others have thought about my life. The only thing that makes me grin is the debate among the dates. The biggest date that is debated among scholars is the date that I was born. Some sites say 1851 and others say 1850. My tombstone says 1851, however, the United States census and my baptismal certificate says that I was born on February 8, 1850. The United States Library of Congress has accepted this date as of 2009, but some places on the internet have not changed this date, and who can blame them? A person can’t have everything in this world; and it was a little unreasonable of her to expect it. The last sentence held true in “The Awakening” and it holds true for this instance as well.
There are points in my life, Mrs. Chopin, that I would have to envy you and lack of google in your life. There are so many distractions from work, my wife not being the least of these, without worrying about what the public opinion about your work is. Especially in these last few weeks with a slight fear if the literary community would react to my winning of the noble prize the same way that they reacted to Bob Dylan's last year. Though I guess that, as you so eloquently put, it would be a little unreasonable for me to expect everyone's deep happiness at the Swedish Academy's choice of award recipients.
DeleteKate, the controversy surrounding your birth year is quite humorous! In the end, I don't find that years are quite as important, but what an interesting thing to have happened. The internet was quite unreliable, but it seems that even paper is unreliable as well. How interesting. - R. Dahl
DeleteMrs. Chopin, I applaud you for your literary pilgrimage of writing about topics few write about. I think it can be daunting to do something that hasn't been done before. However, someone has to do it. Many people did not like how I wrote about homelessness and orphans in my children's books. These were real things going on in the world though, and I wanted people to know about it. Thank you for sharing.
DeleteRoald Dahl
Your remarks about the literary pilgrimage you took in your head are quite illuminating. A pilgrimage is a journey that is an attempt to achieve a kind of enlightenment. Your mental journey does just this. Through writing you discovered the truth about your lot in life and gained empathy for other women in similar positions.
DeleteA little self-involved to choose your own novel as underappreciated, is it not?
Deletec.) Does a big ego help or hurt writers?
ReplyDeleteBeing a writer is a funny thing, you spend all your time and energy into writing a story, a story which is a piece of you. So, when you submit this piece of you into the world and it is received positively, I feel like it's very easy to grow a big ego. Though, I don't think that an ego helps an author in anyway. When we become full of ourselves, it is easy for that to reflect itself in our writing. It would hide the fact that our stories, just as much as we ourselves, are in constant need of revision and that there's always something that can be improved upon.
d.) What literary pilgrimages have you gone on?
Literary pilgrimages? I mean, writing is a pilgrimage in its own right. I believe that when we write, the locations that the story takes place in must take second place to the emotions which are being written about. When I wrote my first novel, "An Artist of the Floating World," a novel which takes place in post war Japan, I had never visited the country since I left it at age five. Instead I had this imaginary Japan in my head, and that's the Japan that is featured, not the real Japan. So, I had never been on what you may call a literary pilgrimage, but, I don't think that that's a bad thing.
f.) What do you think when you Google yourself?
I guess it's been a week or so now since I won the 2017 noble prize in literature. Ever since then my mind has been overwhelmed. All I see are these articles about me and the noble prize, me in the possession of the same award as Bob Dylan? There are no such words that can describe that sort of euphoria that overtaken me in these recent days when I google the humble name Kazuo Ishiguro.
Mr. Kuzao Ishiguro I can empathize with you. As writers we put a piece of ourselves in our work. It is a joyous and exhausting experience, but when a piece of ourselves does not fair over well, then, it is of an ill will to have a big ego. In a way I envy and loathe the experience that you were graced with. It would be nice to reach out to more people to see how they perceive your work, but I believe it is more of a curse since a person can't have everything in this world; and it becomes second nature to surround yourself with negativity if given the space to do so.
DeleteCongratulations on your Nobel Prize, that is an amazing accomplishment and very commendable. What piece of literature was that awarded to you for? I would love to read this piece and talk to you about it. The feeling is unreal when you see your name on a list amongst other inspiring artist.
DeleteMr. Ishiguro agree with you in that having an ego does not help a writer. All of us write bad first drafts, and we all have to work and revise to polish and perfect your work of art. I like that you observe writing itself as a pilgrimage. It can be difficult to share this piece of yourself with others in the world. You will always worry if it is good enough for everyone to see. You made some great insights.
DeleteRoald Dahl
I wholeheartedly agree with your idea that writing is a pilgrimage. It takes true courage to venture into one's own mind and emerge with ideas and thoughts that will be shared with the world. Putting pen to paper is truly a dangerous adventure, but without it no new discoveries may be made!
Deletec) Well, no, a big ego never helps anyone. Ego, or one’s perception of their own self-importance, is vital to sustaining one’s day-to-day life. If I didn’t believe I was important I wouldn’t have any reason to continue. I’d be a robot, or something very much like it. A big ego, however, gets in the way. If you think you’re more important than your fellow man then you would be wrong. You can’t be more important, not without diminishing the importance of others simultaneously. So big egos don’t help anyone, especially not writers.
ReplyDeleted) By literary pilgrimage do you mean have I been someplace that was important to another writer? I have, yes. I very much liked—still do like—Thoreau. I was at NYU back in the 1980s, which is not too far from Massachusetts. We made our pilgrimage, as you call it, to Walden Pond where he lived for two years while he wrote the book. It was very serene and pretty. But it’d been made into a park, it wasn’t an isolated place anymore. I’ve also always been familiar with peaceful wooded areas back home.
f) Oh, haha, I never have. I never thought I needed to Google myself. Should I? I don’t know what I’d find. I thought I knew everything I needed to know about me by now. And—I think if I wanted to know what multiple other people were writing about me, I think I would, but I don’t. You can’t let other perspectives take up too much space in your mind. If you do you lose your own perspective of yourself.
Isn't it a funny thing to think of that someone simply writing on the internet could know more about us than ourselves?! The idea made me laugh as well. It's true, to care about what other people are thinking about you and your work can be a waste of space, and consume you. But, I am not going to lie, I am guilty of looking at how people respond to my new novels. All that anticipation leading up to the release could just about kill me sometimes.
DeleteMargret, our opinions on ego match up! I think as humans, it is important to listen to each other. We all experience things differently, and sometimes answers are not wrong or right, just different. We can always learn from our neighbors. - R. Dahl
DeleteI may not get around outside of Milledgeville that much these days, but Massachusetts sounds like an awfully lovely place.
DeleteMy friend Margaret! A slightly larger ego is just a small way to express one's strength and proficiency in a subject. Your writing is fantastic and I would never blame you for finding a small bit of ego in your achievements. I will say that the idea of a google scares me as well.
DeleteOh, let me tell you, Margaret, this Google thing is absolutely the most bittersweet thing I've ever had the luck of encountering. It is completely and utterly invasive and the worst, but when you read some of the things that others have to say about you...being compared to Hemingway amongst other great authors, it truly is heartwarming.
DeleteGood Evening, I find it fascinating that you went on a sort of pilgrimage, getting out of the familiar can definitely help us writers shake things up and see things through a new perspective. I've personally never been on any sort of pilgrimages, writing is a pilgrimage in it's own right. But, that's just me.
DeleteYes, Google is quite a remarkable thing. I definitely am of the same mind that using it to find opinions on your work can be a bit of an encouragement, but it should never sway you or your writings. Write for yourself, tell the stories that ought to be told and told by you, don't let some strangers dictate the way you share yourself with the world.
DeleteOoof. While I stray away from your roots of your NYC background (California born and raised), I have had plans to stop in Boston on my next book tour and wow is that going to be something. I'm glad to hear you have such a modest view on yourself by not search, especially in this day and age. I said the same thing about search one's self though, you can only take people's opinions so much before you let them consume your mind without even realizing it!
Deletec.) Does a big ego help or hurt writers?
ReplyDeleteEgo is one of the most important things we can have as writers. Understanding that we are the pinnacle of creative excellence is one of the few things that we need to accomplish. I spent years embracing the cold, unforgiving sea and spent time imprisoned. Without my sense of self holding me together, I don't know if I could have gone on to enjoy the successes of my future.
d.) What literary pilgrimages have you gone on?
As you may be well aware, I spent time in the Klondike looking for gold. This inspired multiple pieces of mine such as "The Call of the Wild" and "White Fang". What you may not know is that I spent time on the open sea as well. At 17, I took the open sea before I had even considered a career in education or writing.
f.) What do you think when you Google yourself?
My website needs an overhaul. The youth of this generation could use a lesson on Darwinism. Survival of the fittest is one of the best lessons for young people to learn. Without that knowledge, how are they going to motivate them to excel.
I find our looks on ego, differ in ways. I am on the side of people who believe an ego, for a writer can almost ruin you. We are shut down day in and day out, and someone with a big ego may not take that rejection well. To shove your ego away for the time being and be open to failure and criticism is important in my eyes.
DeleteJack, I find our opinions on a big ego contradictory. I think authors should have pride in their work, but they also need humility. Those who act as if their writing is the best and are the center of the world clearly are short-sighted in their flaws. Have pride, yes, but also be humble about your work. There is always room for improvement. - R. Dahl
DeleteI couldn't reckon to disagree with you more about ego. When I make it out to the big cities for readings or signings, I meet an awful lot of young writers who let it get the best of them. Having a pinch of humility goes a hell of a long way in this art.
DeleteIt's really interesting that you spent time at sea before delving into the life of a writer. I bet that inspired all kinds of great writing. I myself brought in things from my past into my writing such as living in a small town. The past is an incredible source of inspiration.
DeleteJack, that ego won't keep you afloat forever. The waves of criticism change with the tides of time. When the time comes, your ego means nothing more than the barnacle to be scraped off your ship.
DeleteI have to disagree on the need for ego in our writing. I prefer to stay away from all the gossip among all the writers. It is always good to learn new things, and also promote others to learn.
DeleteJames Joyce
Hello, everyone.
ReplyDeleteI get asked sometimes about friends I may have had, fellow writers with whom I’m close with. Well, I can tell you that I have many friends, including President and Eleanor Roosevelt, Ernest Hemingway, Walt Disney, Lillian Hellman, and Alfred A. Knopf I am even friends with Henry Wallace. Hemingway and Disney—wow, what amazingly talented men. Walt, especially—he was supposed to make a movie or something from my story The Gremlins, but I don’t suppose it ever came to pass. A shame. We have quite similar views in preserving and portraying childhood, it seems. Oh, and of course, we have C.S. Forester. It was he who encouraged me to begin writing, and since then, I’ve been writing since. An incredibly guy.
And I’ve also been asked whether it is better to have a big ego or to stay humble, and the answer is always humility. A writer must have a degree of humility. Those who do not practice humility are… bound to overestimate themselves. They will ultimately fail, and everyone around them will definitely see it coming. Writers must be humble. The stories may have our names, but we know that it is the story that drives us.
Also, I've encountered Google for the first time. I’ve heard that it is an… internet search engine…? It sounds fascinating. I searched myself into this... engine, I hoped that the results were about my books and my life, and I'm relieved that these are the results that came up. I'm honored to be remembered and that my books have made an impact. Whether or not they really helped people in any way doesn’t matter to me. I just grateful to be remembered in these ten, twenty, fifty years after I’ve gone.
Sincerely,
Roald Dahl
That's quite the impressive list of friends you have there! I don't reckon any of them will be passing into Georgia any time soon, are they?
DeleteAlso, it's nice to see someone who can grasp how important humility is to the writer at large.
While I disagree with your opinions on humility, I do find your list of connections very impressive and have to tip my hat. I am sure you will find yourself making that impact you hope to have.
DeleteHemingway seems to be a mutual acquaintance of ours. He spends much of his time with the other writers in Paris. I feel like humility comes from experiences we've had to face, which is always important to our writing.
DeleteJames Joyce
c.) Does a big ego help or hurt writers?
ReplyDeleteI think ego only hinders a writer's potential. Once in a blue moon I get invited to these fancy New York author parties. I won't say they're a bad time, but there are some folks there who think they've..."made it?" Per se? And while they aren't poor writers, they have a long ways to go. Hell, I know I sure have a long ways to go in spite of what people say just relaxing down here in Georgia. And I think a little awareness can go a long way.
d.) What literary pilgrimages have you gone on?
I've done some work with nice folks at those fancy parties to which I referred, but I wouldn't say I've gone on anything like a "pilgrimage" before. I feel as if my writing stays within one place, as if they could all have happened down the street from one another. I'm not sure if a fantastic journey to faraway lands would manage to help strengthen that.
f.) What do you think when you Google yourself?
My, my, "one of America's greatest fiction writers?" Hell, I don't know if I would go that far. I think I achieve what I set out for in my writing and that's more than fine with me. I do appreciate all the praise though. I've had it my whole life, and it's easy to feel real inadequate about it when it's not there.
You're absolutely right. There is no moment in being a writer where one has "made it." I don't know what would have been made, but I certainly haven't. Someone writes and continues writing because they like it and because it's what they're good at most of the time.
DeleteWriting, for me, is almost a therapy. It's a way to keep me sane throughout my day cooking, cleaning, and taking care of the kids. i am not sure about "making it," but it helps getting my ideas on the paper.
DeleteBeing a writer means constantly struggling to keep writing constantly. While most of my writing takes place in my homeland of Ireland, I do stay in Paris most of the time, although I have traveled a bit more around Europe. I feel the best praise always comes after we have passed.
DeleteJames Joyce
c.) Does a big ego help or hurt writers?
ReplyDeleteI think as a writer it is important for you to have confidence in your work. However, I think having a big ego will hurt writers. No writer can write a perfect piece, because there will always be something to improve. I think if you have a big ego you lose sight of your imperfections and mistakes. You think that you don't need to do as many revisions, because you are so great. The thing is though that we all write bad first drafts. Even our second and third drafts might be terrible. I think having a big ego causes an author to lose sight of what is important.
d.) What literary pilgrimages have you gone on?
All of my children's stories talk about real world struggles or problems. I have written about children living in poverty, orphaned children, and children who are abused. I write about topics that are uncomfortable for people to talk or write about. I do it though, because it is real, and just because it may be sad or uncomfortable to read doesn't mean that one should not write about it.
f.) What do you think when you Google yourself?
I do not Google myself, because I think it is a ridiculous concept. How could anyone know more about myself than me? I also do not care for some of the articles that people publish as some of it is just pure gossip, and not an ounce of it is true.
You make a really good point of how a big ego can hurt a writer. I wouldn't go as far as to say it is detrimental to a writer, however I agree that a big ego can cloud your judgement of your own writing. It will make you think it is much better than it actually is. We may be skillful writers, but those first drafts are almost always the worst of our writing.
DeleteWhen you grow up being told you were the product of a failed abortion by your mother, i think it's hard to have a very big ego. Writing is a reflection of the writer's experience. Writing is a therapy. Whether or not readers connect with your writing, write for yourself--and the family that's counting on it.
DeleteI couldn't agree with you more about Google. I have never looked myself up and I tend to avoid any mention of myself in all forms of social media. I usually don't even look at reviews. There's just too much criticism and drama created out of fictitious gossip,like you said. No one knows myself better than me, and I only listen to the people that I trust for advice.
DeleteMr. Dahl, I agree that egos can be blinding. The constant, most harrowing struggle for a writer is to empathize with his own characters, and ego only serves to break a writer's flow and hinder his ability to see through the lens of his characters. As for Google, I agree that it can be a monstrous tool that kills the privacy many of us writers hold dear.
DeleteSuch a good point about Google, I couldn't have said it better myself.
DeleteI couldn't agree more with talk about ego. I think every writer needs to be comfortable with what they write. I mean, even if they are writing about something that makes them as a writer uncomfortable, they at least need to be confident with their presentation of the story. But being too confident could make the writer resilient of any criticism, and no one likes a bragger.
DeleteZelda Fitzgerald
ReplyDeleteWhat other authors are you friends with, and how do they help you become a better writer?
I must say that I’m rather lucky to have had so many delightfully talented friends in my life, many of whom are other writers. You might already know, but myself and Scott spent a handful of years living amongst the other infamous expatriates in France, beginning in 1924. Properly called the Lost Generation, among them were many of my closest friends -- Gertrude Stein, Alice B. Toklas, Robert McAlmon, Janet Flanner Genêt, Anaïs Nin, and Edith Wharton to name a few. I suppose I ought to mention Hemingway too, although I really never was much of a fan of him. He and my husband were fast friends though, and he did offer me some good advice a time or two.
How did they influence me, you ask? Well darling, we all influenced each other. Living in France at that time was just as romantically and idealistically creative as you might imagine. We knew how to have fun of course, perhaps too much fun for some, but that led to all these beautiful spurts of writing from all of us. We shared these with each other like we shared champagne, easily and without a second thought.
Of course I also must mention Scott as the single most author who helped me become better – and worse as well, but still better at some times. I became a better writer not for his critiques, but for the inspiration his love gave me. There’s not much more important to writing than finding your muse, that which makes your soul sing through the ink of your pen, and he was mine. For better or for worse.
What literary pilgrimages have you gone on?
I suppose the greatest literary pilgrimage I went on was to the Philips Clinic in Baltimore. It’s not really much of a pilgrimage, but it was certainly a time in my life where I dedicated myself to my writing. It more so happened to take place there, rather than the place being the reason, but that’s all the same to me in the end.
Philipps Clinic is the first sanatorium I was committed to, and it was in John Hopkins Hospital. I spent six weeks there, and rather than spiraling into a pit of insanity, I decided to write. Save Me the Waltz came from that time, and so I suppose I don’t regret any of it.
What do you think when you Google yourself?
I think to myself “oh god, I really do sound quite insane!” Although I suppose that I am, but not in the way they portray me. It seemed for a long time that I had been reduced to some sort of, what do you call them, Manic Pixie Dream Girl of Scott’s, with no ambition or skills of my own. I’ve been honestly quite happy to see more literature come out recently that shows both sides of our marriage much more equally, and it seems I’ll be painted in a more realistic light in the future. I’m really much more than a daft wild-child who singlehandedly drove Scott face first into a bottle of gin, I can promise you that.
Oh, this will happen to the best of us. Of course, you and I both know the reason why. For those who don't it's because the women of our time and this one are always perceived as a lesser, a submissive. This allows others to see any sort of willful, dominant, or powerful behavior as "crazy." Perhaps it is crazy, but I don't think so.
DeleteOh Zelda darling, I feel as though you would have been an amazing writer to employ for a Lady's Magazine of which I was editor for for a time known as the Woman's World Magazine. We, or well at least I, tried to move the magazine away from being about fashion wear and more about the thoughts and feelings of woman, as shocking as it may be to some men that woman have such things. I wish we could have partied together, I feel as though you would have understood how to appreciate the better things in life. If I may quote myself "I prefer women with a past. They’re always so damned amusing to talk to.”
DeleteB) What other authors are you friends with, and how do they help you become a better writer?
ReplyDeleteI wouldn’t necessarily say I’m “friends” with anyone. However, I owe everything I know to Philip Stone. I met him at the University of Mississippi and he is primarily the reason why my writing even came into existence. Stone introduced me to a fellow named James Joyce, who, if I had to say, became more of an idol to me than my own father. Stone spent his stay at the University as my very own mentor, reading, critiquing, and shaping my writing. Introducing me to writing styles I may not have ever discovered, which could have changed my writing entirely.
C) Does a big ego help or hurt writers?
Personally, I don’t get into egos. They’re not necessary to me in the process of writing. My process involves three things: experience, observation, and imagination. If a big ego contributes to any of those things and help’s one’s writing: good for them. I tend to keep my egos out of my writing to let the characters speak for themselves.
F) What do you think when you Google yourself?
Man, that’s a handsome young fellow. That, and that this Google tool is marvelous and horrendous at the same time. All of my personal information is exposed for the world to see. Awful. But, seeing my name alongside famous names such as Hemingway or Dostoyevsky, that’s living the dream. When I started my writing career I just wrote. I didn’t give myself any boundaries. I told myself that any and all good writing comes from making mistakes and to never be satisfied. Although this is true, I have to say that seeing 25,400,000 results pop up for a search on my name? Well… that’s pretty satisfying.
It really is satisfying to see and know that you are just as good as big named writer just by Googling yourself. On the other hand, its intimidating to have to keep your writing at that skill level to stay on par with these other writers. But I guess seeing as your no longer with us, you never had that problem, so lucky you.
DeleteMr. Faulkner we have a few things in common. A big ego appears that it would be more destructive than constructive. I can see things from your perspective with the "Google yourself." It is odd to have information about your life just out there. You're more modern than I am, with you being born about forty years after me. Seeing massive results in the search engine is fascinating and heartwarming too.
DeleteI do not necessarily agree with your opinion that if an ego helps an author write its ok. I do not find an ego to be beneficial to the writing process. I actually find ego's to be a downfall. Some authors become so cocky or self absorbed because they have published a few stories or books. This cockiness could turn people off, and even cause you to not work as hard on your writing.
DeleteRoald Dahl
b. Many people are under the impression that Hemingway was an important influence for me. I appreciate Hemingway and am somewhat honored by the comparison, but that is just not the case. I write spare prose. So does he. That’s about as far as the comparison goes. I suppose I deal with masculinity frequently, but in a much different way. For one thing, Hemingway tried to make his work very meaningful. His subtlety was a sort of plain wallpaper over an ornate wall-sized relief, and you can still feel what lies beneath. I simply write because I like stories. I like the details, the timing, the characters, but I am not trying to hide some deep meaning under it.
ReplyDeleteIn terms of influence, I usually cite Lawrence Durrell. John Gardner was a big deal for me. We wrote a lot of letters and that impacted my work tremendously. I spent a lot of time with John Cheever, but we did more drinking than writing. I was also friends with Richard Ford and Tobias Wolff, who you probably have read. My work actually shares a lot of similarity with theirs. With them, and thanks to some of my more brutal editors, mostly Gordon Lish from Esquire, we really started writing tighter and tighter prose. Lish would take a ten thousand word story and pare it down to three or four thousand. That much. It was good practice for me. Lish was actually too much and that it didn’t work out between us, but it got me pointed in the right direction. Wolff and Ford helped, too. We sort of guided one another.
d. Some of these prompts are giving me trouble. I never wrote a novel. I never did any pilgrimage. I never Google myself.
I did travel somewhat in my capacity as a writer. Mostly to one workshop for fellowship or another. I did the Iowa Writer’s Workshop for a little while, but didn’t finish it. I was living in California at the time, and had gone to Iowa for it but I couldn’t take being away from home so long. We mostly just moved around California. We went to Israel once, but it wasn’t a writing pilgrimage. That kind of thing sounds pretty bourgeoise.
e. In terms of what I feel has been under appreciated, I do have a few stories that Lish basically hacked to bits. “The Bath,” which Lish edited, had been longer. I had this scene with a baker at the end, and Lish just cut that whole part out. I put it back in and published the story in a newer collection, and I think Lish was wrong about it. “A Small, Good Thing” is the better story.
Raymond Carver
I think everything we write is by some degree the product of our environment. We, ourselves, are inevitably influenced by outside forces, and I think reading the work of other writers has a lot to do with this. Ultimately, you are the one writing, but before that, there's a little bit of something else in the mix.
DeleteAs a Hemingway enthusiast, I wish I were able to empathize with you more on being "somewhat honored" to be compared by him. However, this John Cheever fellow seems like someone I'd get along with quite well. Have him contact me for a drink sometime. I have a brothel story that blows minds.
DeleteAh, a fellow aesthete! I quite agree with you Carver. One does not have to write with meaning to write, art for the sake of art is plenty enough. It's one of the finer things in life, something exquisite. Your metaphor is quite apt, because as I've said about drab wallpaper during my dying days, either the wallpaper goes or I do!
DeleteI think that being an author in this new age of technology and social makes it easier to give credit where credit is due when it comes to writing. I enjoyed reading the Harry Potter series by a friend of mine, J.K. Rowling, especially the 5th book. I mentioned this in a review of the book, but I feel that you all should know what an amazing villain Rowling wrote in this book. Her character, Dolores Umbridge, is definitely one of the best villains I’ve read in a book. The way she is characterized is reminiscent of that Terrifying Teacher that made us all dread going to school and gave us restless anxiety of what awful things they could possibly do next. The simplicity of writing about that one Terrifying Teacher is inspiring to how, as a writer, we can write amazing characters based on terrible people from our past and our childhood.
ReplyDeleteI feel that a big ego can both help and hurt a writer. It can help by giving them drive, allowing them to write and write and write some more. However, it can definitely hurt a writer by making them think that everything they write is gold, when really, most first drafts are crap. I wouldn’t say that I have a big ego despite my fame only because I remember where I started. I remember writing a bunch of stories and submitting them to magazines only to have them rejected. Those rejections fueled me and remind me that we all started somewhere.
It’s weird to Google myself because of how much comes up, but it’s also humbling. While some of it is information about myself and my social medias, some of it is interviews, reviews of my books, and other interesting things. It’s really cool to see how the world views you just by searching your name. It’s also nerve wracking. Especially those reviews. But everyone has an opinion and as long as we know that we put all of our effort into our writing, the reviews shouldn’t deter us from continuing to be writers.
I find your ideas on a broad sense of literature fascinating. Your idea about Umbridge was quite funny I must say. It is refreshing to hear an author say that their first drafts are not God's gift to literature. I would stay away from the Google. It seems to have an unsettling effect.
DeleteOh, do I empathize. I recall the numerous nights I spent drinking and attempting to foolishly write poetry. Nothing poetic about the experience whatsoever. The several rejections I received from published closed the poetry book for me.
DeleteMr. King
DeleteI am unfamiliar with this "Harry Potter" book you speak of, but from what I've gathered on your comments, the villainous character you have mention does seem to have an effect on you for your "terrible teacher" comments. I suspect it is the same way my foster father attempts to control what I shall say or do before completely shunning me from his life. I find it easier to based our characters on those around us. They make them more real and terrifying. And our goal as writers, after all, is to garner emotions.
Edgar Allan Poe
B) Ralph Ellison is a friend of the family's. He stayed with us while he was writing Invisible Man and he drove me to the hospital to deliver Barry, my fourth child. Howard Nemerov was a close personal influence, as well as Kenneth Burke, who hired my husband. Together, Kenneth and my husband mentored me in psychology. More specifically, i studied multiple personality. This influenced my general writing, as well as my novel, The Bird's Nest.
ReplyDeleteC) Unless your critics praise your writing's ego, it doesn't affect the writer. When i published "The Lottery," The New Yorker received the most mail regarding a story it had ever at the time. Having recently come out of World War II and the Holocaust, the story was interpreted by many to be something to do with the normalization of senseless violence. Perhaps readers questioned my patriotism because many of them hated the story. This is true for quite a bit of my writings. But as the years have gone by, i notice that my stories are resurfacing and receiving some praise. Sometimes your writing isn't appreciated until after you're dead. Where does ego get you then?
F) When i Google myself i am flattered by the resurfacing of my work. Many of the articles coincide with my 100th birthday last year. i am also concerned with the continuing relevance of some of my stories. "The Lottery" in particular. The theme of the normalization of violence holds true today and in some ways i feel like that story has failed to make society conscious of this about itself. The most i can hope for is that with the newfound interest in my work, perhaps this generation will hold on to the message.
Mrs. Jackson
DeleteI do find that i completely agree with your thoughts on having an ego. As a critic, I have never been one to praise an author outlandishly for their work unless completely deserved, which was a rarity in my time. You make a fair point on an author's work only being appreciated when they are dead. In this sense, having an ego does not do anyone justice.
Edgar Allan Poe
Why dear Mrs.Jackson, it is quite common place it seems that the public oft questions an author for the actions of their characters, conflating the unfavorable behaviors performed by the characters as if the writer did the things them-self. I have said it before but the people should learn that "you must not find symbols in everything you see. It makes life impossible.” Still, I must disagree. Your ego is what drives you beyond these petty critiques, and if you know you are worthy of praise, it will let you put out the work to get the attention it deserves at some point ,even if it is only when you are a specter upon the internet.
DeleteMrs. Jackson
DeleteI agree with you that an ego serves no purpose for a writer. I give praise to the works of my influences because they are deserved, but aside from that I usually refrain from giving praise unless warranted. A writer with an ego serves to learn nothing from those around him, as they think their work is already impeccable. Looking at some of the other comments to your answers, I say that it is not your ego that drives you past critiques and harsh reviews, but ignorance. It is better to avoid these things and solely refer to those trusted people around you for guidance.
Mrs. Jackson,
DeleteIn "googling" myself I too found that much of my work was resurfacing in this modern world to find new meaning within today's society. I found much of your works very violent but your themes of its strange normalization within society continue to ring true. It seems when you mix your common themes with my common themes of race and its place in the world you find yourself looking at the boiling pot the still seems to exists in the heart of America and to an extent the world as a whole.
-James Baldwin
d.) What literary pilgrimages have you been on?
ReplyDeleteAs I’ve touched on before, I’d say my literary pilgrimages extend to India, West Bengali more specifically, and America. It’s one of the most difficult aspects of my writing and the most controversial. How to characterize a country that I have not been in since I was a small child? My writing involves topics that are more sensitive to people of Indian heritage. I’ve been criticized for my portrayal of the people and the country’s customs, but I’ve also been criticized for my portrayal of America. It’s a fine line to walk, and thankfully in my career it seems I’ve adhered to it well. It’s upsetting to some and many people disagree with my views, but I write about the things I’ve experienced in my own life as an immigrant.
e.) What’s your favorite under-appreciated novel?
Well I don’t know if I could say any novel is under-appreciated. Of course there are those pieces that completely alter the way you view the world and make you believe that they should be loved by all. However, just because it may not be the most known piece does not mean it is under-appreciated. Even if just one person connects with a piece of literature, then it is appreciated. In my early teen I had many Russian friends and was captivated by their literature. Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky appealed to me and made me want to bring my reading to another level. I’ve mentioned before the affects “Tess of the d'Urbervilles” by Thomas Hardy and “The Scarlet Letter” by Nathaniel Hawthorne had on me as a young reader. I’ve always viewed “The Scarlett Letter” as an immigrant novel, and from there I’ve found my own style of writing.
f.) What do you think when you google yourself?
I tend not to spend too much time on the internet, let alone spend time googling myself. I’d rather spend my time writing or being with my family. There is a lot of controversy that surrounds my work, as it is with most cultural literature about immigrants. It was very difficult for me growing up, I always felt split down the middle like I had to choose one. It does more harm than good for me to google myself and see criticism over cultural aspects of my work.
Miss. Jhumpa
DeleteThough I am a bit unfamiliar with your work, do note that controversy and criticism will always follow a writer. To imagine what they all are speaking of me! No matter the struggles, however, you must keep writing for yourself and have your voice heard.
Edgar Allan Poe
Jhumpa,
DeleteIt is quite good to avoid critiques on the Internet. Many people get swept up in the dramas of others' opinions. I can relate to you here. People praise my literary style yet still focus on my death. For this I am a bit embarrassed to be seen quoted as raving that my brain was melting and coming out of my nose. Modern science indeed understands that syphilis does these things to the brain, yet at the time I was a madman and died in a sanatorium.
c.) Does a big ego help or hurt writers?
ReplyDeleteI do not believe a big ego will help anyone. In my experience, rejection comes in numbers when trying to publish. I attempted for a very long time to live alone only off of a writer's life. I have lived a very hard and poor life, and in so, a big ego will not help me anymore than I can.
d.) What literary pilgrimages have you gone on?
I have not gone on any literary pilgrimages. I draw my inspiration from those around me. I channel the emotions from the life that I and my love ones have lived. When my beloved Virginia was taken from me, I channeled my grief into my work. With that, I wrote the poem "Annabelle Lee."
f.) What do you think when you Google yourself?
I find it quite comical. There are many that refer to me as the "Father of Detective Stories." When I attempted to publish my own work, it was seen with a harsh review. My work was seen as "graphic" and absurd. Though looking through the Internet, I have come to see that I have influenced many other writers in that time. HP Lovecraft and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle saw my work for what it was.
Edgar,
DeleteIt is best to draw inspiration where one finds oneself. This is the source of experience, and there is no other way than to be subjective. Your work may be seen as graphic and absurd, but this is what the people want. In fact, it is what they demand today.
Edgar,
DeleteI too have lived a hard and poor life and find myself agreeing with your stance on ego. Rejection is as crucial to the writing process as it is to understanding human nature. I admit ego sometimes got the best of me and put me in the middle of some very spirited debates. I've learned much from my own ego as I struggled to find my place in the world.
-James Baldwin
Does a big ego help or hurt writers?
ReplyDeleteA great writer once said “To love oneself is the beginning of a life-long romance.” That writer being me from my play An Ideal Husband. So yes, of course a certain level of narcissism is necessary to be a writer. One does not write if one does not think what they have to say is worthy of being read. If the writer does not like what they write, why should anyone else?
Not only that, but being a famous writer is as much about fame as it is about writing. A celebrity is known as a star because they are high enough above the everyday man that no one can see how their light is nothing but burning condensed gas. Perform for the public, with your pen and your persona.
There is a limit to ego, though. A line that should be drawn just before the threshold of a courtroom, for instance.
What’s your favorite under-appreciated novel?
Mm, well a good man who I think deserves more appreciation would probably be Walt Whitman. I grew up reading his work, and his words are the closest to greco divinity than anyone could ever hope to get. His style was a style fit for any time. That man had invited me into his home when I was 27, offering me wine and wisdom. Even if our lifestyles greatly differed, “if it had been vinegar, I should have drunk it all the same, I have an admiration for that man which I can hardly express."
What do you think when you Google yourself?
Interesting to see that what condemned my life is the most talked about thing of me. But debauchery sells, hence why my novel, The Picture of Dorian Grey, did as well as it did. Not as well as until after I had passed, but that is how it goes, isn’t it? A novel restricted for scandalous activities of a protagonist thinking they reflect the author, and an author later retained for his own scandalous activities. “No man is rich enough to buy back his past.” Still, I can’t say I protest being an icon of any sort, gay, bi, or otherwise.
Oscar,
DeleteAs you say, debauchery sells. My first published work was a critique of society as the character the reader empathized with was a prostitute. Without scandal, what would the people talk about?
Oscar,
DeleteWhile I agree that a writer must like what they write (to some extent) in order for other people to, I can't say I agree with your ideas on ego and fame. For me, the fame has nothing to do with my writing and doesn't influence me at all. In fact I try to remain as much out of the spotlight as possible. I avoid all reviews and mentions of myself in any social media, for it only hinders my writing. That is only my opinion though.
Oscar,
DeleteI was remised to find that when I “Googled” myself that my demise was also among the most talked about subjects surrounding my name. My death wasn’t even some kind of fantastical thing! I died slowly from stomach cancer. It brings me no surprise to see people interested in your own death as you once so elegantly put it, “Yes, death. Death must be so beautiful. To lie in the soft brown earth, with the grasses waving above one's head, and listen to silence. To have no yesterday, and no to-morrow. To forget time, to forget life, to be at peace. You can help me. You can open for me the portals of death's house, for love is always with you, and love is stronger than death is.”
-James Baldwin
b.) What other authors are you friends with, and how do they help you become a better writer?
ReplyDeleteMy mentor, Gustave Flaubert, is the best writer of my time and possibly of all time. I may be weighed down with sentiment but without him I never would have begun to write. I owe my entire literary career to this man. He helped me become a better writer by encouraging me to write and interact with other writers. He introduced me to his crowd, including Emile Zola, Ivan Turgenev, and Henry James.
c.) Does a big ego help or hurt writers?
A big ego can only hurt a writer if one allows such a thing. I have never been a humble man. I appreciate a beautiful woman and the fame that encourages women to come home with me. As for my work, I wrote 300 short stories in the 11 years I published. Personally I do not find myself flouting my own literary greatness, but my work speaks for itself. I prefer the women.
f.) What do you think when you Google yourself?
Society is still much of the same and I wonder what would have come of my work if I had not caught syphilis. I am astounded people still care of my work over a hundred years after my time. I suppose people love a good train wreck. Much the same as van Gogh, only I was revered while I was alive.
b) What other authors are you friends with, and how do they help you become a better writer?
ReplyDeleteJohn Updike, Raymond Carver, and I have maintained regular correspondence since the 1970s. Updike has, through his writing, communicated the emotions and toils of ordinary people so brilliantly and effortlessly that I must call him the greatest writer of his generation. I once received a phone call in the ‘70s from a journalist who falsely reported that Updike had passed away and left me utterly forlorn for hours (until I learned that Updike was very much alive). Nonetheless, the news of his false death changed me from viewing him as a rival to seeing him as a friend. Updike is one of the few writers who I felt challenged by to work on utilizing language to effectively convey the emotions of my characters. Carver and I have held a more relaxed relationship. Honestly, I was more of an influence on him then he was on me, but I would argue that we are close to equals in our craft and equals in our alcoholic intake.
c) Does a big ego help or hurt writers?
A large ego is usually more destructive, and it is definitely something writers have struggled with in the past and present. Ego breeds unhealthy competition among fellow writers and an elated self-importance that only serves to hinder creativity. In order to write as middle class Americans, one must retain that mindset. Ego builds a wall between the author and characters, which effectively destroys stories. Unhealthy competition is inferior to companionship and any actual learning that can be achieved if writers help each other in workshops and editing.
d) What literary pilgrimages have you gone on?
The literary pilgrimage I regularly travel in is the escape from criticism of my newly released works by visiting Europe. There I vacation with my family and with other writers and explore the sites. After the publication of The Wapshot Chronicle, my family and I spent a year in Italy for the birth of our second son. My journeys through Europe were treats I gave myself for finishing books.
B. What other authors are you friends with, and how do they help you become a better writer?
ReplyDeleteRichard Wright and I have had a friendship that I’ve benefitted from greatly. I would define our relationship as rocky at even it highest points. The fury that came through in his writing drew me to him like a moth to flame. Wright wrote about a world a recognized in “Native Son” and got himself national esteem for doing so. I’m not really sure how I ended up with an invitation to his home, yet many drinks later I was sharing my ambitious idea for my own novel with him. He read what I had, gave me notes, even tried find me a publisher. I looked up to Richard a great deal and his encouragement gave me the confidence I needed to pursue writing this novel in my twentieth year.
It seemed Wright had a habit for helping me, as the next time I saw him was in Paris years later. I had less than fifty dollars to my name, had no European connections, and spoke no French. He connected me to the editors of a new publication titles Zero. We hadn’t become close friends, as he was a full generation older than me; I think he helped me because he believed in me.
I assume he must have felt more than a little betrayed when my first article publicized in Zero was a scathing criticism of his renowned “Native Son.” I was using the platform he provided me to call out protest novels in general, but did particularly look at Wright’s magnum opus. I really did enjoy his novel for the world it painted, but my main issue was that the protagonist only continued the stereotype of the monstrous black killer defined only by his own hatred. The criminal he created was nothing but a mangled pile of fear and hatred. I’ve often been accused of being overly dramatic, but I to this day stand by my statement that Bigger Thomas was no better than Uncle Tom.
Wright was furious at me, but as always I stood my ground. From that day on our friendship developed into a rivalry of criticism. His work always fueled me to be better. I wanted to be better than him, because in my eyes he had ceased being an artist and become a spokesman. Wright’s work added to my struggle to articulate exactly hat I wanted from my own work and my work was all the better for it.
D. What literary pilgrimages have you gone on?
ReplyDeleteIn my life I went on many journeys that inspired many of my pieces, after all 1948 was not a pleasant time in America for smart young black men. Admittedly whenever I left it was in an attempt at fleeing issues that stung me, whether they be personal or national. This particular journey sticks out in my mind when I think of all my pilgrimages.
In the summer of 1961 I took a trip to Paris that was meant to continue straight to the heart of Africa. I could not bring myself to go there yet. Perhaps it was something eating at me from within that kept me from confronting that portion of the world or more likely it was my unfinished novel that I had been carrying with me from place to place openly seeking a way to finish it that didn’t involve suicide. This journey brought to Istanbul; to the home of my dear friend Engin Cezzar. I thought maybe he’d be just the person I’d been looking for to save me. Maybe just maybe some time with Engin would bring me the peace of mind I needed to trudge onwards. But it wasn’t my friend so much as Istanbul itself that bought me what I needed. Most anyone who talks about is likely to bring up my race or my sexuality as a defining trait; throughout my life this was almost inescapably the case as well. Being between both Asia and Europe, I found Istanbul’s divisions to lack the racial aspects common in Europe, Asia, and America. I also recall my own excitement upon seeing men openly holding hands in the street among my first days in the city. It seemed that my two defining traits that brought me scorn and shame nearly everywhere I went would not be so prevalent here. I felt freedom here. The cosmopolitan culture and the prevalent Muslim religion didn’t clash with each other here and so they did not clash with me either. I made this place another of my homes away from home and frequently visited over the next decade whenever life anywhere else became too much to bare. Istanbul’s influence allowed me to finish and publish “Another Country” which went on to be one of my most successful novels.
ReplyDeleteF) What do you think when you Google yourself?
When I Google myself, the first five to ten articles are fairly thorough summaries of my life. I think these are very interesting to go over because I don’t always agree with the interpretations offered up by others, but in my life I found it one of goals to discourage self-definition by other’s standards. I know my life because I lived it; how other people define it is no longer up to me. My struggle with my sense of self-lead to my desire not to be categorized in any particular way, but all the same I am defined to the general public (as are we all) by what I was. I was not simply a black writer. I was not just a poor writer. I was not only a LGBT writer. I was a great many things and in life I refused to be boxed up into categories.
A few links down from those summarizing my life are articles that try to relate what I spend decades writing about nearly fifty years ago to the world as it is today. Some people say the world has changed much from my own some say it really hasn’t. In some ways both takes are true. In some aspects such as rights for the LGBT community the country I once feared has progressed greatly. Sexuality for the most part has left the shadows and isn’t something to be feared or shunned in the public eye. I know this is not completely true, especially for transgendered people, but the progress is clear to me and shows no signs of stopping despite the many bumps in the road. Those who say the world hasn’t changed all too much from the time I was in it aren’t wrong either. Racial prejudice is still a festering wound in this country. It’s a wound that a great many people have tried to heal, but there are still too many hands picking at the scab. We all still see race and that means the sickness still exists and still has the potential to lead us all to our own annihilation. As I read through these articles I see the hope that many pull from my work and hope myself that it can outshine the despair that went into writing them the despair that I still see in some places in this modern work.
I find when I google myself the internet tends to be a little judgmental and nosy about my private life. Apparently the internet thinks it's a big deal to marry your thirteen year old cousin.
Delete-Edgar Allan Poe
There are many authors whose styles I don’t agree with, but some can change or grow on you. Personally, Gottfried Keller’s style originally didn’t resonate with me. His derjenige dessen welcher was unappealing to me. However, his suite of poems set by Schoeck were rather impressive. Similarly, I have expressed my dislike of the Dostoevski influence on George Moore’s works. However, I did enjoy Moore’s Esther Waters and some of his other realism works.
ReplyDeleteI am friends with many talented authors in Paris. Many authors meet here and have reunions gossiping in overcrowded rooms.. Yeats, Hemingway, TS Eliot, Beckett, Ford Maddox Ford, Ezra Pound and John Quinn are all good acquaintances of mine in France. I tend to stay out of their little meetups; I would rather stay in and write. I stay close to those who can update me on the news of Ireland. Yeats has especially influenced me, as we both care deeply for our homeland, and his encouragement in my writing has always been appreciated.
Many writers do not get enough of the credit they deserve. Writers are often underrated for their brilliance. While technically not a novelist, James Mangan is probably my favorite underrated writer. His collection of poetry was probably the greatest in Irish history. He was an inspiration whose poems I recite often.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteAnton Chekhov
ReplyDeletec.) Does a big ego help or hurt writers?
The problem with a big ego is that, while you do need to have confidence in your writing ability and drive, too much ego can stop you from trying. If you do not maintain some sense that you are always learning, and never know all there is to know, even about your craft, you will stop seeing the nuances that make us human.
I have said, ““Wisdom.... comes not from age, but from education and learning.” There is never a short supply of things to learn.
I have also written, in “The Cherry Orchard”
“I should think I'm going to be a perpetual student.” There is no short supply of knowledge.
In a letter to my brother Alexander, I said, “Civilized people don't put on airs; they behave in the street as they would at home, they don't show off to impress their juniors.” I do believe that one needs to stay humble, and remember that we all turn to dust in the end, and none of us knows much more than the other. If you are a writer, you will write whether or not you are given great praise for it. I think the ego is fed by other’s view of us, which in turn, influences our view of ourselves. Many people critiqued my writing. Many people praised my writing. Either way, I kept writing.
d.) What literary pilgrimages have you gone on?
In the 1880s I was given quite a bit of criticism for not possessing a concrete political or philosophical view. I grew tired of the talk in the city, and decided to try taking on a sociological experiment. I embarked on an eleven week journey across Siberia and to Sakhalin. Sakhalin, a penal settlement about 6,000 miles away from Moscow, seemed far away enough for me to take a break from the city and observe something new. It was a perilous to Sakhalin, but I learned a great deal, and published my findings as a research thesis called “The Island of Sakhalin”
f.) What do you think when you Google yourself?
When I google myself, I see quite a great deal of mention of my plays and short stories. I have been called among the greatest writers of short fiction in history. I seem to have had a great deal of influence over many other authors.
I have also learned that I am the the most frequently produced playwright after William Shakespeare.
Siberia. I'm surprised your thoughts didn't get frozen in your skull!
Deletea.) What other authors are you friends with, and how do they help you become a better writer?
ReplyDeleteYou could say I’m very friendly with Graeme Gibson, after all we’ve been living together for over forty years and we have a daughter together. I don’t know that the people around you have the mythic power to help you achieve a higher caliber of writing ability but if such people were to exist, Graeme would be one of them. He reads my work and doesn’t immediately throw it on the fire and really isn’t that the best you can hope for?
b.) Does a big ego help or hurt writers?
These questions are a little too black and white for my taste. I think a big ego would help a writer in the sense that one has to be confident enough to put themselves out there. Selling a book requires a certain amount of confidence in your own ability. However, it isn’t all about the sale. Too big of an ego and all of a sudden you think you’re a master writer too busy stewing in your own genius to grow and learn as a writer. And as a writer, you are never finished learning. If you think you have learned all there is to know about writing, then you have failed.
c.) What literary pilgrimages have you gone on?
I’ve gone on the greatest literary pilgrimage anyone can go on and it is both the easiest and the hardest one anyone will ever experience: life. Life has given me the most useful literary experience for my writing. It has been an interesting ride.
d.) What do you think when you Google yourself?
I think to foster a healthy ego, one should not Google themselves. It’s bad enough all of these internet streaming services are making all of my books into series. Talk about an ego boost.
I will concede that "Does a big ego help or hurt writers?" is a bit of a black and white question not allowing other variables to be factored into the broad question.
DeleteBut if you want to talk about ego boosts lets talk about how I'm considered to INVENTOR of detective fiction. How many writers can say they've invented a type of writing?
-Edgar Allan Poe
I concur with your assessment of life as a literary pilgrimage. What other experience informs so much of our writings?
Delete-- Zora Neale Hurston.
c.) Does a big ego help or hurt writers?
ReplyDeleteWell, I am always quite surprised to find a writer with a bulbous ego. A big ego is like putting a target on your back and inviting all the hunters to let loose their arrows--it's absurd. Many writers are often overly-humble. Writing, by nature, is a battle. To have a big ego makes you a bigger target for your audience; people are more likely to pick out flaws in your writing should you openly boast about its greatness. Well, I do suppose that having and sheltering a small, unobtrusive ego can be good for the soul. Taking a bit more pride and having a bit more faith in your work is good--just be prepared to be knocked down, always.
d.) What literary pilgrimages have you gone on?
Much like the others have expressed, I am of the sentiment that writing is a pilgrimage unto itself, as I believe Mr. Poe said. Taking up the pen and tackling the challenge of sharing one's own work is no easy feat. The bravery and courage required to share the stories none have dared share, to create glimpses into worlds long unknown, the written word is a journey into a new world. In my own writings, I often wrote of stories that could've been true in my own time. Pieces like "Desirees Baby" and even The Awakening were inspired by real-life stories--I just told the story that my world knew to a broader audience.
f. ) What do you think when you Google yourself?
It is a truly fascinating thing, this Google. Since I am still rather perplexed by the method by which it functions, I haven't often "Googled" myself so to speak. The one time I did, I will admit that I was filled with pride. The Awakening, in particular, and people's reaction to it was disheartening in my time. Now, however, it is widely praised and accepted globally--a feat I take pride in. I do admire the amount of information these scholars have managed to dig up on me as it has been some time since I've roamed the earth. I do think it is quite impolite, though, to look someone up and investigate their history rather than inquiring directly. Though, I suppose this would only apply were I still alive.
Writers should take pride in their work and try and get as much criticism as possible. Their is nothing wrong with a writers ego as it is a testament to their brilliance. As a well known literary critic being able to take criticism is instrumental in being a successful writer and a big ego helps with some of the tougher critics.
Delete-Edgar Allan Poe
There must be a balance between humbleness and confidence. A writer that is too humble will simply never publish out of fear.
DeleteC.)
ReplyDeleteI think having a big ego is essential for any successful writer. You need to be confident in what you write you can't believe that you're writing second rate work. While some people may find your ego to be an undesirable to trait, you shouldn't waste your time on fools that can not appreciate your brilliance. Without a big ego you could allow peers to hold you back telling you your work isn't good enough or is too dark and depressing.
D.)
My whole life's been one big literary pilgrimage. From dealing with my fathers abandonment when I was a baby and the abandonment of the man I considered a father when I was a young adult. I've witnessed the cruelty of this world time and time again and it has led to some of my most brilliant work. It has let me explore the darker parts of the human mind the part that most people with to oppress and not let the public see.
E.)
Google doesn't know anything about me. They think I'm mad, laughable I was a genius pioneering the way for future writers. Also they need to leave some of my personal information alone somethings are made to me private. Another thing it isn't weird to marry your thirteen year old cousin.
-Edgar Allan Poe
It truly is impossible for the internet to understand us in completeness. How can our lives be summed up in short Wikepedia articles?
DeleteDoes a big ego help or hurt writers?
ReplyDeleteI believe that having a large ego is a necessity for a writer. It takes that kind of ego to submit to literary magazines, to publish short stories, and to create novels for the world to criticize and perhaps not become popular until long after your time. Writing is placing a bet, and a writer must have courage in order to do so.
What literary pilgrimages have you gone on?
A group of black writers, including Langston Hughes, produced a literary magazine called Fire!! that featured many writers of the Harlem Renaissance, including myself. Contributing to this magazine is most like what I would refer to any event in my life as a "pilgrimage." Discovering this community, this sense of identity and an extension was an emotional and physical journey unlike anything else that I've done. Those memories are ones that I will always cherish.
What do you think when you Google yourself?
What time is there for such trivialities? If I was vain enough to care what others thought so much, I would most likely have stopped writing and publishing long ago. I write my stories and novels because I must. I write because there is a voice and history I feel compelled to communicate. Writing so that others think highly of you is a frivolous exercise.
b. So this one time, a number of years ago, I signed a contract with my friend and fellow writer, Sarah Shute. She had a hard time making time for her writing and I had a theory used among some other writers that I was eager to test out. I made my own rules for writing. She helped me in testing my theory that setting aside time, for myself its two hour a day, your mind saves its exploration and curiosity for the set time and the time lets everything unleash. I never write past my two hours even if I’m on a roll. So yes, I would say working with friends has improved my writing skills. I’ve also had some friends work as my editor. My first book actually, he was the editor on it and he suggested I break the book up into sections for the different stories. This worked as a huge benefit and is even one of my superstitions in writing now- using that technique.
ReplyDeletec. I think a big ego can both hurt and help a writer. I feel it is important for the writer to be confident, bold in their writing and owning what they write, being proud of what they write. However, I also feel like every writer can use improvement and needs to know how to take the criticism. Hey, if I had never taken criticism and run with it my book “Girl In The Flammable Skirt” may not have read as well or been such a success.
f. It’s crazy to see how far the internet has come. It’s neat to think with just the click of a button I find out so much information about myself. Well I guess no one is ever going to live down any moment they’ve ever had. But I mean, searching myself allows this shrine of self accomplishment, but I don’t focus too much on what others have to say, it takes away from one’s own opinion.
What literary pilgrimages have you been on?
ReplyDeleteWhen I was five years old my family moved from Nagasaki, Japan to England. My father was a scientist employed by the government, so I grew up in Guildford. I spent a lot of time with my mother at home when I was young. She read me stories in Japanese, and we primarily spoke Japanese in the home. Although we lived in England, I was raised in a Japanese style. My first two novels were actually set in Japan, although I didn't go back until I was in my thirties. I would say that visiting Japan and taking it out of the realm of memories was a pilgrimage of mine.
Whats your favorite underappreciated novel?
While probably not "underappreciated" and more "overlooked", I really enjoyed Haruki Murakami's "South of the Border, West of the Sun". As a lyricist, I think the novel does an unparalleled job of capturing the late night jazz vibe. It's not as long as his other longer novels, and may be overlooked when compared to books like "Norwegian Wood" or "The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle"
What do you think when you Google yourself?
I try to not Google myself, actually. I don't want to get too big of an ego. I find that, when I happen to come across a Google search of myself, it's usually about the Nobel Prize or something about "The Remains of the Day" in movie or novel form. It's nice to see people reacting well to my work.