Comments on: Reading as a Writer

By: bloglily

bloglily — Fri, 21 Jul 2006 22:35:14 +0000

When you have a chance, Julie, I’d love to hear more about those bbc adaptations. The bandana in ice water is brilliant. I’ll remember that Monday, when we drive to Lodi. The air won’t be fixed for a little while — there aren’t a lot of Volvo mechanics available this weekend.

By: Julie

Julie — Fri, 21 Jul 2006 12:38:08 +0000

BBC DVDs — esp. the literary adaptations — are one of my specialties! Have fun watching. I watch on a portable DVD player, and it isn’t so bad!

My husband and I (pre kids) drove cross-country without AC in the summer. The thing that worked best was dipping a bandana in ice-water (from the cooler) and tieing it around our necks. You’d stay cool while it dried. No need for that once you’re back in the Bay Area though! (Thankfully!)

By: bloglily

bloglily — Fri, 21 Jul 2006 03:50:07 +0000

Edwin — I think what happens is very much as litlove describes — the story comes to you on several levels. You enjoy being in the world that’s been created in the novel — and then, every once in a while, you look up and think about how wonderfully the story’s being told. It’s a pleasant experience, neither stressful nor hard work. And it’s so true that often the experience of the novel is of the art rather than the architecture as JLB says. I can’t do the reading equivalent of driving through Poland — it’s funny to think of your loved one cringing as you drive by signs there and in Belgium.

And Julie — how absolutely appropriate to have Alan Rickman play both Snape and Slope. I’ll bet J.K. Rowling did a bit of borrowing there — and what a smart thing for her to have done. We’ve just signed up for netflix, and there are tons of bbc things there. Although we have to huddle around the computer to watch them, it sounds like Barchester Chronicles would be a good thing to watch in bed on a Saturday morning with a cup of tea.

Best to all, BL

By: Julie

Julie — Thu, 20 Jul 2006 20:46:06 +0000

Hi Lily, Glad to hear you are having a good time. I know you don’t typically watch TV, but Alan Rickman (who plays Snape) also played Slope in the (quite good) BBC adaptation of Barchester (called the Barchester Chronicles). Good character comparison!

Take care — enjoy the rest of your family camp week!

By: JLB

JLB — Thu, 20 Jul 2006 16:58:54 +0000

I also like to read the work of others and look for their writing styles, tools, and mechanics – this helps me understand more about the writer, and it helps me to improve my own writing.

My own answer to Edwinek is that it can sometimes be a challenge to just “turn off” the analysis and enjoy, but it’s entirely possible – especially with the stuff that really speaks to me, it’s easy to forget about the architecture and just enjoy the art!

By: litlove

litlove — Thu, 20 Jul 2006 08:02:44 +0000

Well, I’m quite happy to enjoy a story on lots of levels at once. What makes Trollope so good is that he always sets up his conflicts carefully and they arise out of the very nature of his characters. It feels very comfortable somehow to be in the hands of a master plotter, and recognising that is as much a pleasure as the plot itself.

By: Edwinek

Edwinek — Thu, 20 Jul 2006 07:26:13 +0000

But can you also switch off this way of reading, and just enjoy a book in a relaxed way? I know my beloved, as a graphic designer, always gets annoyed by bad typography, anywhere. Which is a problem when driving through countries like Belgium or Poland, where bad typography is everywhere.