Here we go! First, a reminder of how this all worked. I received an invitation from Devon of The Starving Artist, who wrote an excellent post on her writing process. I posted a few thoughts (John Lennon and the Writing Process) and asked the supremely talented and energetic Lizzy at My Little Book Blog to follow. She did. And now, we hear from the estimable Hibou.
Why does Hibou earn the adjective estimable? Just go read his blog! Here’s a first sentence from one of his posts:
“Hard to rival the brilliant shifts of humor and abject horror on p. 367 to 375 of Infinite Jest, which I am back to reading (after taking a break by reading, among other works, Marias’ Vol. 1 of Your Face Tomorrow), inspired (again) in part by a budding friendship at work with MB, who happened to be reading, as it turned out, The Idiot at the same time I was (she finished that by the way).”
Reading his blog is like strolling through a Borgesian library, with a friendly tour guide (maybe Borges himself!) keeping you company.
I’m not going to reveal Hibou’s wisdom (for that you should check out his post), but to whet your appetite I will pass along the quotation-prompts he uses to frame his thoughts on the writing process:
1. “It just comes down to voice.”
2. “I really hated that book.”
3. “There’s too much literature in the world, so the last thing the world needs is another book.”
4. “I can’t write if there’s another person in the apartment.” or “I can only write in the morning” or “I can only write at night”.
5. “I never think about my writing when I’m not writing.”
6. “I only read poetry nowadays because I find fiction writing devoid of any rhythm or originality.”
7. “Yeah, I know that’s a great novel. Everyone tells me that. It’s almost as wonderful as that film everyone loves, and that play that people can’t stop talking about. That restaurant is supposed to be amazing…”
and
“You just keep writing. One of two things will eventually happen. You’ll either get published or you’ll die.”
His prompts (and responses) are gems.
My thanks to Devon, Lizzy, and Hibou for putting me in the thick of such a varied and vibrant community of voices. Onward and upward with some pure, raw fun:
Jacke Wilson 