Any mandatory presentation I attend that gets me laughing is impressive. For most of my classes, attending lectures is recommended, but not required. Something about the word, "required," puts a bad taste in my mouth; I go, because I must. Tayari Jones may have changed this for me. Although I did not personally connect to the book she was reading, I could tell that she did. These characters caused her to tear up during her introduction; they are real to her. I admire Jones for her passion.
Typically, when I think of writers, I think of people who do something I could never do. Writing for a living does not sound fun or remotely feasible to me. After reading Jo Ann Beard's interview, I discovered that even some writers hate writing and have no helpful tips to share. But now, when I think of writers, Tayari Jones comes to mind. She is someone who acknowledges writing is a struggle, but genuinely enjoys it and invests her life in it. Joyfully, she answered the audience's questions about her book, personal life and writing techniques. Many of the things she said will change the way I write. She had helpful comments such as reading the dialogue out-loud or writing more words than necessary and then cutting back.
I greatly appreciated her honesty and openness about her life and profession. She was an excellent reader and vividly engaged the text. I am very thankful I had the opportunity to hear her read and share her humble wisdom about writing.
No comments:
Post a Comment