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annaelisereads's review
5.0
Fascinating "Kindle Single"/short story by Ann Patchett - author of Bel Canto (one of my favorite books ever). Must, must read for aspiring writers and an enjoyable and interested trip into her life and mind for all of her fans. Now, I want to read her first book, Patron Saint of Liars, and I want to take a short story writing class...
inthecommonhours's review
5.0
I don't have an e-reader so I struggled to find a way to read this---and bought it via google finally and read in one sitting. I loved Patchett's Truth and Beauty and this book fleshed out some of the same time period in different ways. I'm surprised to hear her method of having most of it written/decided before she begins, but I loved every minute of reading it.
I adore Grace Paley and laughed out loud at her description. I was shocked to find that she applied to other writing programs and Iowa (supposedly the most prestigious) was the only one she got in---and in many ways wasn't an ideal experience. I wish she had written more about the transition from short story to novel.
"I never learned how to take the beautiful thing in my imagination and put it on paper without feeling I killed it along the way. I did however learn to weather the death, and I learned how to forgive myself for it."
"I can't write the book I want to write, but I can and will write the book that I am capable of writing."
My grad school experience is captured in her description of "editing myself off the page."
Another favorite bit (that my boys will regret my reading since I'm already vigilant):
"Based on my own experience, I believe the brain is as soft and malleable as bread dough when we're young. I'm grateful for every class trip to the symphony I went on and curse any night I was allowed to watch "The Brady Bunch" because all of it stuck. Conversely, I am now capable of forgetting entire novels that I read, and I've been influenced not at all by books that I passionately loved and would kill to be influenced by. Think about this before you let your child have a Game Boy."
Ala brain-picking-eque: "I am a compost heap, and everything I interact with, every experience I've had, gets shoveled onto the heap where it eventually mulches down, is digested and excreted by worms, and rots. It's from that rich, dark humus, the combination of what you encountered, what you know, and what you've forgotten, that ideas start to grow."
and a word to the unwise (namely, me): "I have had this same crisis in every novel I have written since: I am sure my idea is horrible and that a new idea is my only hope. But what I've realized over the years is that every new idea eventually becomes the old idea."
Given that the dream scenes of State of Wonder were some of my favorite, I'm a bit upset with Elizabeth McCracken getting her to cut some 90% of them. Do I get to read those cuts?
She talks about Raymond Chandler's advice, which made me remember a line of his---that the best way to get the reader to miss who-dunit is to have them trying to solve the wrong mystery. And then, just like that, I realized that was exactly what she had done in State of Wonder!
I adore Grace Paley and laughed out loud at her description. I was shocked to find that she applied to other writing programs and Iowa (supposedly the most prestigious) was the only one she got in---and in many ways wasn't an ideal experience. I wish she had written more about the transition from short story to novel.
"I never learned how to take the beautiful thing in my imagination and put it on paper without feeling I killed it along the way. I did however learn to weather the death, and I learned how to forgive myself for it."
"I can't write the book I want to write, but I can and will write the book that I am capable of writing."
My grad school experience is captured in her description of "editing myself off the page."
Another favorite bit (that my boys will regret my reading since I'm already vigilant):
"Based on my own experience, I believe the brain is as soft and malleable as bread dough when we're young. I'm grateful for every class trip to the symphony I went on and curse any night I was allowed to watch "The Brady Bunch" because all of it stuck. Conversely, I am now capable of forgetting entire novels that I read, and I've been influenced not at all by books that I passionately loved and would kill to be influenced by. Think about this before you let your child have a Game Boy."
Ala brain-picking-eque: "I am a compost heap, and everything I interact with, every experience I've had, gets shoveled onto the heap where it eventually mulches down, is digested and excreted by worms, and rots. It's from that rich, dark humus, the combination of what you encountered, what you know, and what you've forgotten, that ideas start to grow."
and a word to the unwise (namely, me): "I have had this same crisis in every novel I have written since: I am sure my idea is horrible and that a new idea is my only hope. But what I've realized over the years is that every new idea eventually becomes the old idea."
Given that the dream scenes of State of Wonder were some of my favorite, I'm a bit upset with Elizabeth McCracken getting her to cut some 90% of them. Do I get to read those cuts?
She talks about Raymond Chandler's advice, which made me remember a line of his---that the best way to get the reader to miss who-dunit is to have them trying to solve the wrong mystery. And then, just like that, I realized that was exactly what she had done in State of Wonder!
mturney1010's review
4.0
A quick but fantastic memoir about writing. I liked the stuff about forgiving yourself for not being good enough.
selinamarcille's review
5.0
This essay was incredibly enlightening. It spoke to the pain and pleasure that one feels as a writer. It speaks about the passion one must have and how everyone has ideas, but writers are the ones who decide to dedicate their time to it.
Definitely a good read for all writers!
Definitely a good read for all writers!
jannie_mtl's review
5.0
Terrific Kindle Single outlining Patchett's advice to new (or experienced) writers. Anyone thinking of putting pen to paper should read this. Practical and encouraging.
readerbythewater's review
5.0
Anne Bogel (Modern Mrs. Darcy) recommended this as a book pairing with "Patron Saint of Liars" because Patchett describes how she came up with the book idea. I recommend this as a book pairing with any of Patchett's books! Or just if you like Patchett. Or are considering writing. Or just if you want to learn about an author's journey in a quick, no-nonsense, often funny way.
For example:
"I finished my novel...printed it out, and then I stood on the pages. there were about four hundred of them, and I felt considerably taller."
I mean, come on. How can you not love that? But my very favorite line was this:
I am a compost heap, and everything in interact with, every experience I've had, gets shoveled onto the heap where it eventually mulches down, is digested and excreted by worms, and rots. It's from that rich, dark humus....that ideas start to grow."
That is just freaking fantastic. No wonder I love her books.
For example:
"I finished my novel...printed it out, and then I stood on the pages. there were about four hundred of them, and I felt considerably taller."
I mean, come on. How can you not love that? But my very favorite line was this:
I am a compost heap, and everything in interact with, every experience I've had, gets shoveled onto the heap where it eventually mulches down, is digested and excreted by worms, and rots. It's from that rich, dark humus....that ideas start to grow."
That is just freaking fantastic. No wonder I love her books.
an_enthusiastic_reader's review
I'm not going to rate this book, because it's not really a book. It's a brief, beautifully written, treatise on writing and writing practicalities. I enjoyed it. I also enjoyed hearing that Patchett and Elizabeth McCracken are friends. That made my day.
lisaebetz's review
5.0
An inside look at the life of a writer. An honest, insightful book that lets us see her growth twoard become successful writer.
Sometimes we who write need this kind of practical encouragement.
Sometimes we who write need this kind of practical encouragement.