The Writing Life: Chapter 5

I really didn't get what chapter 4 was about with the exploding-typewriter-earthquake, so.....i'm skipping commenting on that.. ._.

I enjoyed the first part of chapter five. I agree that people shouldn't aim to write about something that they think everyone loves. Writing is so much more lovable, I think, when the reader can see the author in the writing, when the author writes about something he or she loves, something utterly them. Which is why it made me really happy to read the workshop stories--everyone demonstrated such uniqueness in their subject matter and writing styles to a degree where it was fascinating. People read to learn about and experience new viewpoints, not to review something that they already know or enjoy. I think reading should always be accompanied by a sense of surprise, and writing should always be accompanied by a sense of individual truth.

However, I didn't agree with Dillard's idea that it makes more sense to write one big book than to write several stories or essays. perhaps writing multiple introductions over and over again can be tedious--but i think the entire point of a collection of stories is the "piecy-ness." The idea of having multiple stories combine, like a puzzle, is unique and is, in itself, a style. Collections of short stories make me think of a series of postcards, little peeks at life or whatever the topic is that the author is discussing.