the writing life, chapter one. some truths.

truth part first.

tbqh, the writing life is the only book that i've actually read super analytically--maybe because i know that dillard is using metaphors in each mini story to describe some aspect of writing. some parts really strike me because i resonate with them. others i get confused about... but most of the time, i take dillard's word as law. kinda like professor cross.

anyways. reflections on chapter 1!

• sometimes when writing, you craft essential essential parts that must be kept. if you take them out, "everything will fall down" (dillard 4). but most of the time, it's those parts that have to be taken out, much to your chagrin. close your eyes (but not too much), hit the backspace, cringe all you want, and then start afresh.
• the beginning of the story is always the most awkward. it's akin to getting a bad impression of someone the first time you meet them... unfortunately. additionally, the beginning is often the worst part of the writing. you keep it in because it's the beginning, but... of course, that wall 
• most of the time, things leap to nowhere. (i'm so guilty.)
• it's not really important to know how much the story cost the writer. the writer is supposed to make it look easy! how many times have we read a book and thought "man, this must've been so hard to write?"
• the rabbi metaphor. i feel like he's equivocating an idea to invocation of the Lord in the fact that an idea can possess you so violently that you need to get it out to the very finish. 
• when the story seems bad, it's either because things have diverged away from the target, or there's a hairline fracture in the story. reread the story, evaluate it, and then do surgery as needed. but beware, it's really really hard. don't let it sit--you must do something.
• "your freedom as a writer is not freedom of expression in the sense of wild blurting; you may not let rip." (11)
• start the story from a part of you.
• it takes time to write a good story--don't chug it out all at once. 
• if you don't perfect as you go, you'll fail. however, if you perfect as you go, you might never reach the intended form of the story. things sometimes branch of to go away and die. 
• it's hard to know when you are done--you might want to perfect it more, but don't. you'll fall.