Reading & Writing
I don’t know too many writers who are not big readers. Well, I do know one, Bill H., one of my favorite Writers’ Group members. But then, Bill just had a letter published in the NY Times Book Review, so maybe he reads more than he admits.
Myself, I read mostly non-fiction – biographies, memoirs, travel, etc. – almost all of which come from the library. I did, however, recently buy “The Orchid Thief” after a very funny presentation Susan Orlean gave about it at our local botanic garden. I went to see her because I loved the movie “Adaptation” and was curious about her. Could she possibly have done all those things Meryl Streep did in that movie?? (Answer: No.)
After reading “The Orchid Thief,” I wanted more of Susan Orlean, so I went to the library and found a travel book she’d written. I also got a book called, “Assembling My Father,” by a young Jewish woman (Anna something Oliver) who’d been raised as a fundamentalist Christian in New Mexico by her former NY intellectual mother after her father committed suicide at age 35. It was excellent! And, get this: As I was reading her Forward and seeing all the people she thanked, guess who one of them was: Susan Orlean! Isn’t that a weird coincidence?! Those were the only two books I got out of the library that night.
I find that one book often opens the door to others. In fact, I went through the entire Algonquin Round Table (a group of smart, witty ‘20s writers) reading one biography after another because I’d hear all these wonderful stories about these interesting characters and wanted to learn more about them: Robert Benchley, Dorothy Parker, George S. Kaufman, the Marx brothers, etc. It opened up a whole new world of literature to me, and some of the funniest lines ever written. (My husband’s favorite Dorothy Parker poem: “Martinis, martinis, the drink I love the most. One, I’m under the table, two, I’m under the host.”)
Reading has not only introduced me to great people and great writing, it’s taken me all over the globe – I’ve sailed the Atlantic with Wm. F. Buckley, rounded Cape Horn with a father and son, kayaked down the Amazon with two modern-day adventurers, gotten lost in the Alaskan wilderness, climbed mountains, made daring escapes with Chinese slaves, and laughed my head off exploring various continents with Bill Bryson.
I just finished reading Gene Wilder’s biography and that was fun, too. I had no idea he was the one who wrote “Young Frankenstein;” I always thought it was Mel Brooks.
I also love reading what famous writers have to say about writing – Stephen King’s book on it is great – a quick but fact-packed read. I’d quote from it here, but I lent it to someone and never got it back. In fact, I think it was Bill’s brother, Dick, who IS a big reader, but apparently, not a big returner.
Speaking again of Bill and books, his friend, Bob Tarte, wrote a book called, “Enslaved by Ducks” in 2004, a very humorous life experience romp, which gained some notoriety regionally and Patricia Heaton (“Everybody Loved Raymond”) is even talking to him about purchasing the rights for a TV series.
Anyway, my point in all this is just to say, If you want to be a writer, you really oughta start reading. And keep track of the books you read. That’s something I should have done but didn’t and now regret it.
Myself, I read mostly non-fiction – biographies, memoirs, travel, etc. – almost all of which come from the library. I did, however, recently buy “The Orchid Thief” after a very funny presentation Susan Orlean gave about it at our local botanic garden. I went to see her because I loved the movie “Adaptation” and was curious about her. Could she possibly have done all those things Meryl Streep did in that movie?? (Answer: No.)
After reading “The Orchid Thief,” I wanted more of Susan Orlean, so I went to the library and found a travel book she’d written. I also got a book called, “Assembling My Father,” by a young Jewish woman (Anna something Oliver) who’d been raised as a fundamentalist Christian in New Mexico by her former NY intellectual mother after her father committed suicide at age 35. It was excellent! And, get this: As I was reading her Forward and seeing all the people she thanked, guess who one of them was: Susan Orlean! Isn’t that a weird coincidence?! Those were the only two books I got out of the library that night.
I find that one book often opens the door to others. In fact, I went through the entire Algonquin Round Table (a group of smart, witty ‘20s writers) reading one biography after another because I’d hear all these wonderful stories about these interesting characters and wanted to learn more about them: Robert Benchley, Dorothy Parker, George S. Kaufman, the Marx brothers, etc. It opened up a whole new world of literature to me, and some of the funniest lines ever written. (My husband’s favorite Dorothy Parker poem: “Martinis, martinis, the drink I love the most. One, I’m under the table, two, I’m under the host.”)
Reading has not only introduced me to great people and great writing, it’s taken me all over the globe – I’ve sailed the Atlantic with Wm. F. Buckley, rounded Cape Horn with a father and son, kayaked down the Amazon with two modern-day adventurers, gotten lost in the Alaskan wilderness, climbed mountains, made daring escapes with Chinese slaves, and laughed my head off exploring various continents with Bill Bryson.
I just finished reading Gene Wilder’s biography and that was fun, too. I had no idea he was the one who wrote “Young Frankenstein;” I always thought it was Mel Brooks.
I also love reading what famous writers have to say about writing – Stephen King’s book on it is great – a quick but fact-packed read. I’d quote from it here, but I lent it to someone and never got it back. In fact, I think it was Bill’s brother, Dick, who IS a big reader, but apparently, not a big returner.
Speaking again of Bill and books, his friend, Bob Tarte, wrote a book called, “Enslaved by Ducks” in 2004, a very humorous life experience romp, which gained some notoriety regionally and Patricia Heaton (“Everybody Loved Raymond”) is even talking to him about purchasing the rights for a TV series.
Anyway, my point in all this is just to say, If you want to be a writer, you really oughta start reading. And keep track of the books you read. That’s something I should have done but didn’t and now regret it.
posted by Keash at 8:12 AM
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