Writing advice

No, I have none to offer. But it's never a waste of time to read the New York Times.

From Sunday's NYT Book Review, I quote a review of Norman Mailer's recent book The Spooky Art:

"The Spooky Art" contains a number of sensible observations, including one that seems especially pertinent in the era of the creative writing course: "What ruins most writers of talent is that they don't get enough experience, so their novels tend to develop a certain paranoid perfection." ... This is not a book of dos and don'ts, but the professional tips, when they come, are well primed: "If you tell yourself you are going to be at your desk tomorrow, you are by that declaration asking your unconscious to prepare the material." If only there were more of this. A great deal of "The Spooky Art" has nothing whatever to do with novel writing, serious or otherwise.

I like that bit about not getting enough experience. My own writing shows my sad lack of it.

Today, the Times' regular "Writers on Writing" feature contains a wonderful essay by Joyce Maynard, who tells how faith in one's characters and their integrity means you don't have to worry about story. All you have to do is trust the characters to make their own story. I found this to be true when working on the title story in my book How I Adore You. Now all I have to do is apply that principle to the second draft of my novel.