I’ve been back in “the real world” (a.k.a. my home office) for a few days but I’m still reeling from the experience of AWP 2010. Over three days of panel discussions that ran from 9:00 a.m. to 5:45 p.m., with no breaks between sessions other than 15 minutes to pee, get a good seat for the next panel or find a coffee (your choice), I got more intellectual and creative stimulation than I normally get in six months. I loved it. I am both rejuvenated and exhausted. There is far too much in my notebook to share in one post, but I thought I’d list here the most important points I took away from the keynote speech by author Michael Chabon:
• Similes span the distance between “me” and “you” (or, to put it another
way, between a writer and a reader);
• Ideas are the easiest part of a writer’s job—it’s sticking with an
idea after it’s lost its lustre that’s the hard part;
• A great novel can change the way you see the world (his list of great
novels includes Love in the Time of Cholera, Age of Innocence, and Lolita);
• He gets most of his inspiration from reading other people’s books;
• He describes beginning a novel as a slow, careful progression, like that
of a person feeling his way into a cave;
• Novelists deal in secrets and betrayals, and it is the novelist’s
obligation to dish up these gossipy details and show readers the lies that
betray deeper truths;
• His main and lasting ambition is to make art he can sell for money.
And there you have it.
(PS- The link to AWP 2010.)
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Sticking with the idea that seemed to brilliant when you came up with it — yes, that is, I think, the hardest
thing. Now, back to work.
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