Last week I went to a smallish speaking event with Francine Prose, acclaimed author extraordinaire and woman with perhaps the best writerly name of all time.
Usually at these events, writers will talk about themselves and their myriad accomplishments, etc. Instead, Francine Prose made all of us read the story "murderers" by Leonard Michaels (which you should go read RIGHT NOW if you haven't read it--it truly is remarkable.) Then she talked about craft by having us close-read and pick apart Michaels to figure out how he had made something so brilliant and beautiful. For example, she couldn't get over this sentence:
"We sat on that roof like angels, shot through with light, derealized in brilliance."
What does derealized mean? She asked. It's not even a word! It's made-up! But it's perfect. You know from the sentence exactly what it means.
At one point during Q&A, someone said, okay, you've talked about all the good stuff, what is flawed in this story?
She paused and said, "You know, adoration and adulation are underrated experiences." She kept saying this, too. And refused to critique the piece at all.
I kept repeating this in my head all week, and I kind of love Francine Prose for saying this--esp because in my head she always lived somewhere close to Virginia Woolf in terms of probable approachability.
Try repeating it to yourself in your head. Adoration and adulation are underrated experiences. It's nice applied to art, but also to people. And even, once in a while, to yourself.
Prose's new book is about writing, and according to Livs, has even more about adulation and its positive effects, check it out here
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7 comments:
Too bad my last name isn't stiletto or something totally fashion-worthy.
Love the underrated experiences. Such a true statement.
adulation: to show excessive admiration or devotion to; flatter or admire servilely.
I love Ms. Prose's comment. There are few better compliments you can offer someone/something than to adore it wholeheartedly. Even if it's yourself. :)
you are SO RIGHT Lane! I've actually been thinking a lot about this lately. I've been thinking about it more in terms of being more "gentle" with things, people, experiences, and especially ourselves. I think we are so hard on things, and people. Wouldn't everyone and everything be better if we spent more time in adoration and adulation than criticism? Thank you so much for putting it so well for us Ms. Prose, and for sharing it with us Lane!
Lane - I have been trying and failing to find your email address on your profile page. Perhaps Blogger is playing Halloween tricks on me? Anyway, my email for 'adding-to-finishers-blog' purposes is:
cally_of_auron AT hotmail DOT co DOT uk
Hope thats OK to post here,
Juliette
Hi Juliette,
I'm really not trying to be so secretive. My email address is:
laneanderson@gmail.com
um... are you trying to break up with me or something? i don't recall receiving an invite to this, or even hearing that you went. did i take up all of our friend time talking about my weird crushes? anyhoo... prose's book "reading like a writer" is all about close reading and adulation... i like the idea... now you have to make me a copy of murderers.
DUDE. Livs. I would've invited you but it was one of these things CU hosts once in a while that is like 70 people packed into a tiny classroom and they're all bratty about who gets to come because, like, Ben Marcus has to sit on the floor.
I will make you a copy of Murderers. It will rock your world.
I haven't read the new Prose book yet. Sometimes I get tired of those "learn how to write books" but now maybe I'll pick it up:)
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