The Wisdom of Words, #2: Avoid il-literary-acy

There are perils involved when you expose your children to great literature. Parents who insist upon recklessly filling their children's minds with stories and wisdom from throughout the ages should proceed with caution; it can wreak havoc on your life. The danger? Knowledge is power and children love to use it against you. Here's a perfect example: last week I decided we should watch an adaptation of Gerald Durrell's My Family and Other Animals, which features a twelve-year-old boy's account of his adventures in Greece. Perfect, I thought. And it was. Except that Durrell's charming gift for rationalizing sloth has rubbed off on my son. Now, when I ask the boy to do anything that even smells educational, he quotes Gerald ruthlessly. "But I prefer to be half-educated," he says. "Life is so much more surprising when you're ignorant."

Despite this hazard, I have to admit that I am one of those parents who impose culture upon my son with zealous abandon. In the last ten years he has been subjected to jazz, opera and the Beatles; wayang, kubuki and early American historic recreations; Hitchcock, Buster Keaton and The Seven Samuri. He will no doubt spend years in therapy because of this. However, as long as he waits until adulthood and pays his own counseling bills, it's a chance I'm willing to take. Why? Because the world is far larger, more intricate and varied than our day-to-day life implies. Because if we're smart, we learn from our own experiences, but when we manage to learn from the success and folly of others, then we're wise. And that is what brings us to No. 2 in this blog series:

Avoid il-literary-acy

Yes, I made that word up. And I must say it was very un-literary of me to do so. Invariably, the second thing I recommend to new writers--or to any writer...OK, or to anyone who will listen--is to read. Read everything you can get your hands on. One of the best ways to learn a craft is to study, observe and expose yourself to finished examples of it. If you are an artist, look at lots of art. If you are a musician, listen to tons of music. If you are a writer, read. Read the classics, read contemporary work, read books written by people you admire and even people you despise. Read books that annoy you and figure out why you don't like them. Read what you love and come away inspired. Read great books slowly and take in every ordinary detail like a tourist in awe of the pyramids. But take notes with the eye of an archeologist and learn from what you see. I have met many, many people who pursue a craft without studying what others have done before them. In my opinion, that makes learning much harder than it needs to be. Learn from the success and folly of others. It makes all the difference in the world.

Looking for something new to read? Here are a few random picks from my bookshelf. In this list I've tried to include writing from different continents, eras, faiths, genders and genres. If you read something here, let me know what you think!

Arrow of God - Chinua Achebe
Love in the Time of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
The Barbarian Way - Erwin Rapheal McManus
The Bone People - Keri Hulme
The Dream of the Red Chamber - Cao Xueqin
The Art Lover - Carole Maso
Zen & the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance - Robert Pirsig
Searching for God Knows What - Donald Miller
Odes to Opposites - Pablo Neruda
Zami: A New Spelling of my Name - Audre Lorde
Something Wicked This Way Comes - Ray Bradbury
Kent Haruf - Plainsong
The Famished Road - Ben Okri
The Shipping News - E. Annie Proulx
The Winged Seed - Li-Young Lee
Blindness - Jose Saramago
Haikus - Richard Wright
Narcissis & Goldmund - Herman Hesse
Still Life with Woodpecker - Tom Robbins
The Screwtape Letters - C.S. Lewis
Krik? Krak! - Edwidge Danticat
Moo - Jane Smiley

Disclaimer: I in no way guarantee that you will like these books or even agree with them, but that's not the point. Writing allows us the privilege of gaining insight into the hearts, minds and souls of people we ordinarily would never meet. That is a tremendous gift to me. I hope it is a gift to you as well.Next up is # 3: Be "Ear" Now - The listening test.

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The Wisdom of Words - #1. Put Descartes before the horse.

If there's one song that captures the human condition in a sentence, I think it must be this: "Everybody wants to go to heaven, but nobody wants to die." It's certainly true in my household; for example, everybody wants to eat dinner - but nobody wants to cook. Over the years, I've taken to singing variations of it spontaneously, as it seems to suit almost any occasion. The writer's version of this is "everybody wants to publish books, but nobody wants to write."

Every so often, someone will ask me about how to become a published writer, yet few people ask me how to write well. My answer is always the same; worry about your writing first. Write early and write often. Carry a notebook or a pocket audio recording device to capture those random insights you have throughout your day. Inspiration is lightning to the soul; it can illuminate a hundred thousand things in a flash, but it's impossible to recreate exactly once the moment has passed. It will come again, but is different each time it strikes. You might get close, but typically something has been lost.

To severely misquote Rene Descartes, "I write because I am." The best writing comes from people who care more about the art of their craft than they do about getting it published. That is not to say you shouldn't try to publish your work or get paid for it, please do. But beware: when you find yourself focused more on selling your work then on the writing itself, it will show. Ironically, your writing will be less marketable as result. Write because you can't stop writing. Write like you're trapped in a fire and you haven't finished your will yet. Write because the thought of lying on your deathbed before you have finished your manuscript makes you gnash your teeth with premeditated regret. When that's the thought that haunts you, you're on the right track, you're on your way.

To be continued, check back for more (solicited) writing advice in #2: Avoid il-literary-acy.

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