Drunk on Writing
Currently reading:
Zen in the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury
The Maidens by Alex Michaelides
1000 Words by Jami Attenberg
Books finished this week: 1
★★★☆☆
Where this book came from: a Barnes & Noble trip on New Year’s Eve
Why this book: I’ve become a Shirley Jackson completist.
Thoughts: The description on the back of this book called it “chilling.” I would call it “mildly unsettling for maybe the last 50 pages.” Things don’t really come to a head until that point; the 140ish pages before that introduce us to Pepper Street, a nice little street in a California suburb, and the people who live there. Some might argue that you need all that build up in order to really understand the characters and for the end to pack the punch it does. I say this could’ve made a truly chilling novella, or perhaps even a short story, with some editing. Still, it’s a three-star read for me because Jackson is in fine form, showing off just how closely she was always watching the people around her.
Library updates:
After finishing The Road Through the Wall, I wandered around the assorted stacks and shelves of unread books in my apartment, trying to decide what to read next. I grabbed The Maidens because I almost read it back in December, when I ultimately picked up The Black Tower instead. But I also looked at the neat stack of books on writing I’ve collected over the years (mostly over the past few months——thanks, grad school) and realized I should start giving some of them a whirl. And what better person’s thoughts to start with than Ray Bradbury’s?
Honestly, I’m looking for inspiration, for that spark, for a muse of some kind. I did a pretty good job keeping up with writing during the summer and fall semesters, and I banged out 30k+ words over the course of just a few days while working on the “short” story that became my Literature of the Gothic final project. But the minute the semester ended and the last essay was submitted, I totally fell off with any kind of writing habit. The urge has been there, though weaker than it had been since May.
And that was totally fine! It felt not fine, but I’ve just kept reminding myself that breaks are good and necessary things, and that it’s okay that I decided not to blog or work on a novel or edit (very much) over the holidays. But now that the new year has started, I crave routine. I want to set up sustainable habits for 2024, so that I can reach realistic, measurable, and inspirational goals. I want to write every day, in some way, and keep reading, and I want to make sure I still leave time to be part of the world and investing in all the other facets of myself.
Enter Zen in the Art of Writing, which has already made my eyes well up with the truth and wonder of the words. In just the first few pages, I felt like i could do it, like I had to write and I could write and writing could be a part of me and a part of my life in a way that made me feel better, stronger, more whole, and not as something distracting or annoying. It doesn’t (always) have to be work. It can just be something you do, because you have to.
“You must stay drunk on writing,” Bradbury writes in the book’s preface, “so reality cannot destroy you.” No dry January for me, then. Let’s find our creative spark and make some moves.
Closing thoughts:
Cribbing from Bradbury’s preface again (sorry): “Yell. Jump. Play. Out-run those sons-of-bitches. They’ll never live the way you live. Go do it.”
Total books read from the Moratorium Library: 57
(Total books added to the Library: 118)
Okay, so I only added one book to the Library count, but technically I now have three new books in my possession. LET ME EXPLAIN.
I purchased The Town of Babylon with my own money while awaiting an event at the Center for Fiction. The novel is loosely based on my hometown and it’s been on my to-read list for months, so I couldn’t resist when I saw it on the shelf.
I was at the Center for a writing/book launch event with Jami Attenberg, to celebrate the release of her book 1000 Words. We did two 15-minute writing exercises and just hearing Attenberg and the moderator talk about writing and routine was so inspiring. The event came with a copy of the book.
I’ve decided that, while I will likely count writing books I read outside of grad school toward the overall Moratorium Library count, I won’t count them in the count of books added to the Library. I am desperately seeking inspiration and motivation. I am developing my craft. You can’t hold that against me!!!
Also, I accidentally stole this (advance) copy of SJ’s forthcoming debut, Radiant Heat. Go pre-order yourself a copy and come to the launch on January 25!!!
