In my last post, I wrote about Lorrie Moore’s reading and radio interview I attended as part of The Lighthouse Writers Writer’s Studio program. Today I’m writing about Moore’s “Non-Crafty Craft Talk” held the following morning at The Tattered Cover.
Lorrie Moore started the workshop by reading an excerpt from Martin Amis’s article in The Guardian about John Updike’s last work. Moore’s conclusion was that if Martin Amis can ‘pick on’ John Updike, what could she possibly teach us about the craft of writing? She sees craft as subjective, something that’s within the thing you’re working on, and according to Moore we have far more important things to worry about other than craft. The most important of these being that many of us aren’t writing about the “right” thing.
To illustrate this she had us do the following exercise: (I’d encourage you do to it, too, before you read on.)
• On one side of a piece of paper, write a short description of what the last piece of fiction you wrote was about.
• Flip over the paper and answer the following questions:
1. What do the people in your life (your mom, best friend, children) tell you you should write about?
2. What is the worst thing that could happen to you?
3. What is the best thing that could happen to you?
4. What the closest relationship in your life?
5. What do you think is the biggest issue facing the world today?
The question is: does what you’re writing about align with what matters most to you?
Moore believes that if you can close the gap between your story and your true concerns, your writing will become more intense, more energetic and more fun. When you’re writing from “the center” of your life, you tap into a special kind of energy – and you don’t have to worry about craft. Craft will take care of itself eventually.
As Moore read some of the responses to the exercise (anonymously, to the relief of everyone in the room) it was clear that many of us are avoiding the subjects closest to us and the stories that come from deep within.
But Moore then provided encouragement on how to find a way into those topics that scare you by reminding us that “fiction is there to protect you.” With fiction you can say anything you want. You can invent and change and hide behind fiction. It is your cammoflaugue of the truth.
What I found from what Moore read was that the best material came from our fears. (Question 2: What is the worst thing that could happen to you?) Of course you have to be brave to write about “that stuff” but the key is that you don’t want to write something that’s trivial to your self. You want to write about something that stirs you, that catches even you by surprise.
Of course writing is not without its hard work, pain, fear and self-doubt, but don’t forget to bring a sense of fun to your writing, too. It should be fun.
Then Moore opened the workshop to take questions from the audience about her writing process.
On the matter of the use of detail in her writing, Moore said that it’s not about needing more detail in your stories, you need to find the right detail. Don’t describe everything – it’s better to leave soemthing to the imagination - so the key is selecting the most vivid detail.
When asked how humor should be used, Moore responded, “Humor shouldn’t be ‘used.’ It’s not fair to humor.” From someone who admits to finding almost everything funny, she said that humor should be discovered and should hold true to the texture of the world.
Loorie Moore ended with this beautiful thought so I’ll end my post with it, too.
“The beauty of writing (and reading) is that we get to spend time with people we normally wouldn’t. That experience expands our horizons, we learn something and our lives are enriched.”
lara
My Story Writer
www.mywritingsoftware.com