Quote of the Month - May 2015

“Stories and poems don’t just appear on a page; they germinate, grow and are crafted.”
by Amal Chatterjee, ‘Editor’s Preface’

“Writing before all, is communication. It is communication with oneself and one’s inner life even before it is communication with another. More broadly than that even, writing achieves something. It externalises what was previously internal and half-recognised. It allows thought to create itself by leaving a trail.”

by Kathryn Heyman

“The short story is that rare form of literature that follows just one rule, which is that there is no rule. It is fluid like water, can flow in any direction or be stagnant. It is like a fleeting feeling, a glimpse, a moment in time. It is not meant to satisfy but to whet your appetite for more good writing,[...].”
by Sabyn Javeri

“When you let language lead rather than trying to constrict its movement, it frees the language and allows it to express itself in new ways through you, through your individual voice. It is this that identifies the individual, gives the individual identity within the tradition. And it is this that makes writing creative and original.”

by Colm Breathnach

“But just as in our non-writing life we never truly know what is going to happen next, what I was looking for each time was the poem beyond the poem I sat down at first to write. [...] So the process of feeling in the dark for a poem begins.”

by Jane Draycott

“It is as if the story is not quite complete without a discussion about it. This may be in recognition of the reader writer duality that surrounds the story; that after the story is written it needs to be read to complete its cycle of being.”

by Fred D’Aguiar

 
All quotes from Creative Writing, Writers on Writing edited by Amal Chatterjee




 

"Creative Writing - Writers on Writing"

Time again for a slight exception to have only female writers presented on this blog. And with it, this ‘month’s quote’ from the book Creative Writing, Writers on Writing offers not only the presentation of eight remarkable writers (four women & four men) and their work - it additionally offers eight unique points of view on the very individual writing process. Rewarding on several levels!  And that makes the book so exceptional and worthwhile to mentioning here. 

First of all I tried to 'name' the book: it is an anthology for it presents eight very individual pieces of writing. At the same time it is a collection of essays, for each writer reflects on her/his unique writing process of the published piece of writing.
Next, the book is aimed at writers in general to give an inspiring insight of the diverse and very individual approaches to writing. At the same time, as a reader, this is a captivating collection of pieces by eight distinctive writers with a variety of languages and backgrounds (e.g. Australia, USA, India). So, whatever name I'll might try on the book it remains a fascinating and inspiring collection of pieces of writing supplemented by essays.

Take for example Fred D'Aguiar's short story on his grandfather. As a non-native speaker I had to wade through it with a dictionary close by. But as with a lot of walks in life: the story that unfolds before you rewards all the strain. For Fred, Guyanese by background, doesn't use the regular linear time progression but the lyric time as he explains in his supplementing essay: "I prefer to explore the motives behind the character's impulse to sow chaos in the story."

Emily Raboteau, in contrast, has chosen to use a personal experience for her short story to show how she 'transforms' her experience into a story: "I [...] knew that at its heart this story was about the cataclysmic transformation of becoming a parent. [...] The difference between the journal entry and the short story is structure. Real life is chaotic and, if not meaningless, plotless [sic]. Plot is the thing we impose upon real life to create story." I should say, completely the opposite to Fred D'Aguiar's point of view, isn't it?

Whereas Philip Gross reflects on his poem: "It is a journey, the oldest story-shape of them all [...]."

Another point of view?

"For me, characters are the backbone of the story. My stories lean heavily on the character rather than the plot, sometimes at the cost of slowing down the pace of the narrative." Sabyn Javri, Pakistani-born writer on her short story: "As the people in my stories reveal more about themselves, the story unfolds."

And then there is poet Colm Breathnach, from Ireland: "All creative writing starts with language, not with ideas, plot outlines, rhythms or literary theories but simply with language itself, with words and the desire to use words in a particular way." Which made Colm realise that he can best express the meaning of a word in his mother tongue, Irish.

So you see, a wide range of points of view. And these are only quotes from the reflections! The stories and poems are at least as rewarding making it a matchless anthology/collection (see foto).

All in all the book is a well-composed collection of eight idiosyncratic pieces of writing with their supplementary essays. A unique combination which makes it a unique chance to listen to writers and their individual approaches to that particular writing itself.

A book, as mentioned, which is not easily named, registered or labelled but certainly worth expanding. So, my humble advice to the publisher: seriously think about making it a series.