unlinked thoughts

The Writer’s Almanac this morning has several quotes which sparked a response in me.

The first one was this, said by novelist Andrea Barrett:

"I love research...I describe a [sailor] character who has to go belowdecks, and I think, 'So what is belowdecks?...Then I have to get books about ship building, ship history, immigration history, so I can write a little more...I love learning that way——lurching from subject area to subject area. When you're lit by your own purposes, it's astonishing how easily you can leap into a new field and get to that center of passion."

Yes, I’ve experienced that. But in order to write like that, to give oneself to one’s subject like that, one has to have a long patience. The love of the subject becomes greater, even, than the love of writing or the desire to see what will be the fate of the end result. It is a scary thing to do in an email, instant text-messaging, see-next-to-immediately – delayed only by the time it takes for a satellite to relay the signal– time.


Essayist Philip Lopate said:

"The prospect of a long day at the beach makes me panic. There is no harder work I can think of than taking myself off to somewhere pleasant, where I am forced to stay for hours and 'have fun.'"

Last night at a gathering with friends, the topic of cruises came up. It seemed we were the only ones there who hadn’t been on one. I tried to imagine it, giving oneself unabashedly to 10 - 14 days of pleasure - unlimited food, unlimited gym time, recreation possibilities galore, going ashore and exploring and shopping. In one way it sounds wonderful. In another, I think, it might probably be largely wasted on me, whose idea of having fun is curling up anywhere with a good book.

And finally, a word of reassurance. Portuguese novelist Jose Saramago said:

"Until the age of fifty we have to learn, and after fifty we have to work until the end occurs."