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I theorized about fiction writers’ choices during class discussions. I thought about writing fiction as I reviewed books. I pleaded: Baby, during all those years, it’s not like fiction writing wasn’t on my mind! I mean, I talked about writing fiction at book clubs and readings. Then it turned to gaze out of a window, spiting me with clichés. Consider me a helmeted messenger from Your Future: you can find your way back.Īfter eight years without a single page, my fiction writing doubted my commitment. I’m also here to soothe your worried brow for those long stretches when you, too, might leave your writing.
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Stuffed with other people’s writing-without exercising my own-I became like those futuristic humans in the movie WALL-E: immobilized.ĭepartures are departures I’m here to help you with returns. In an interview, Susan Sontag says, “I’ve seen academic life destroy the best writers of my generation.” I wouldn’t label my condition “destroyed” it’s more like “glutted.” Teaching is deeply enriching. There are lots of reasons we leave writing, and thankfully, mine are happy: personal changes (marriage, parenthood) and an academic career (graduate programs, professorship). So here’s another confession: my departures from writing fiction have been utter and prolonged-six years the first time, eight years the second time. Phil, is getting real-being brutally candid about your behavior. The first step in relationship rescue, according to Dr. The On-Again, Off-Again Writing Relationship If your writing has you in the doghouse, this may be the post for you. It’s given me an ultimatum: put fiction writing first, or watch it leave for good.Ĭan this marriage be saved? Fortunately, yes: I’ve rescued my relationship. My credentials suggest that I have a committed relationship to fiction writing.īut my fiction writing is tired of this charade. I know a lot about fiction and how other people craft it. I even let other writing take precedence-articles, book reviews, syllabi, comments on student work, status updates, replies to all.Īnd yet, good things have happened to the fiction I’ve written.
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I let everything else in my life take precedence. Woodson’s comments in Handler’s story (“ You write it”) indicate that she likely wasn’t thrilled with the joke, yet Handler still insisted on bringing it up during what was likely the high point in her career.First, a confession: I’m lousy at prioritizing fiction writing. Regardless of whether it was a “joke between friends,” the comment should not have been said. Again, no matter what we achieve, there is always the insidiousness of racism. Additionally, the disclaimer that he gets that it’s racist, and so he can laugh about it too, only makes it worse, as in, “I know this is an unsavory comment, but I’m going to say it anyway.” Roxane Gay, a well-respected writer on issues of race and sex, first responded to the incident on Twitter:ĭaniel Handler’s racist “humor” at the NBAs last night is not okay and I am shocked that so few people are talking about it. The comment was upsetting for a number of reasons: The reference to the racist trope that black people like watermelon is not only deeply offensive, but also completely unrelated to anything that had occurred in the ceremony, except that Woodson happened to be black. And I said I am only writing a book about a black girl who is allergic to watermelon if I get a blurb from you, Cornell West, Toni Morrison, and Barack Obama saying,”This guy’s okay. And I said you have to put that in a book. And I said that if she won, I would tell all of you something I learned this summer, which is that Jackie Woodson is allergic to watermelon. I told you! I told Jackie she was going to win. Then Daniel Handler, author of the Lemony Snicket books and presenter at the ceremony got onstage and made a troubling misstep: Jacqueline Woodson, a black woman, won the award for young people’s literature for “ Brown Girl Dreaming.” It was the first award presented that evening, and Woodson’s earnest excitement was contagious. On Wednesday evening, the National Book Foundation held a ceremony to announce the winners of the National Book Award, one of the most prestigious literary awards in the country. …and not to overshadow their achievements with my own ill-conceived attempts at humor. My job at last night’s National Book Awards #NBAwards was to shine a light on tremendous writers, including Jacqueline Woodson… -DH
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It was written by Joanna Rothkopf.ĭaniel Handler has apologized for his comments via Twitter: