In a brief sojourn on social media, I spotted a post where a reader sat crying as she said, "Why did you write this book? It's hard."
The book was A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara, a name I'm not familiar with. The woman's sadness at reading the book reminded me how one of the lessons in writing fiction is to elicit emotion in the reader. Looks like Hanya Yanagihara nailed it.
I have felt that way before many times. Not driven to tears but choked up. I got choked up when I finished reading Lonesome Dove the first time because I wanted 700 more pages. Felt that way when I read Adriana Trigiani's Lucia, Lucia and especially when I read Kristin Hannah's The Nightingale.
Got a little choked up when I finished writing Battle Kiss and USS Relentless because I was no longer going to be with those characters. I saddens me when I finish a Lucien Caye private eye novel because I'll miss him and Alizée and Jeannie.
Weird.
Found a quote from Thomas Harris about characters and thought I'd share it –
"Sometimes you really have to shove and grunt and sweat. Some days you go to your office and you're the only one who shows up, none of the characters show up, and you sit by yourself, felling like an idiot. And some days everybody shows up ready to work. You have to show up at your office every day. If an idea comes by, you want to be there to get it in."
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| Thomas Harris and friend |
Random thought about using active voice. I see a lot of passive voice in stories. It works but it bothers me, almost as much as a short story which begins with telling and goes on and on before the writer gets around to a scene. I know, there are many excellent stories which do this but many do not.
Active – Jimmy shot Eddie three times.
Passive – Eddie was shot three times by Jimmy.
In a biography on PBS, I saw how J. D. Salinger followed Hemingway (and others) in saying a writer should write what he/she knows, has observed, has felt, otherwise there is no passion in the writing. "There is no fire between the words."
A friend saw this online and wondered if I wrote it because it was about me. No. I did not write it, but it's me all right.
I'm not anti-social, although I don't socialize
Most people annoy me
I don't like what many find as fun
I'm happy with inexpensive things
I like affection on my terms
I enjoy solitude
That's right
I'm a cat
www.oneildenoux.com
Well put. I enjoyed reading your post.
ReplyDeleteI love this, O'Neil. Random thoughts, maybe, but all true.
ReplyDeleteCertain scenes in Toni Morrison's "Beloved" will be with me until the day I die.
ReplyDeleteProof that it is a robot, not human: If you don't cry at Beth's death scene in "Little Women", or at "Old Yeller".
If we had to have lived all we write, we'd never have "Wuthering Heights", or most mysteries, science fiction, fantasy, or poetry.
Imagination and emotion is the greatest intoxicant in the world.
Old Yeller for me... Enjoyed the post, and I am also a cat.
ReplyDeleteO'Neil, I loved these random thoughts -- feel the same about Lonesome Dove, and about a few other McMurtry novels too. And I really appreciate the Thomas Harris quote ... also, love that idea of "fire between the words" -- never thought of it that way, but that sure is what it feels like when a book is really alive.
ReplyDeleteWhat Adam said… and I like the opossum. I occasionally receive visits from the local Possum Patrol… and the Raccoon Regiment, the Squirrel Squad, and the Armadillo Army.
ReplyDelete