In our reading selection this week, Joan Didion talks about why she writes. I like how, at the beginning of her essay, she says that writing is almost a hostile act, telling people to listen to you and change their mind to see it my way. I thought that was a very good explanation of the purpose of writing something. Subconsciously, I’ve found myself doing this exact thing; trying to sway the reader to my side.
Another thing that caught my attention was what she wrote at the very end of her essay. Didion said that as she was writing her novel, she asked herself, who is the narrator? Who is victor? Why is the narrator telling me this story? And the conclusion that she came to was that she didn’t know. That was her reason for writing the novel. She said that if she had known the answer to all these questions, she would have no need to write the novel. I can relate to this as well. I have wrote some short stories in my spare time just for fun and what Didion says rings true: not knowing what is coming next for your story or the characters is the best part about writing.
Didion does indeed characterize writing in a unique and compelling way...
ReplyDeleteIn a lot of ways, "not knowing" what comes next is what makes writing simultaneously daunting and exciting.