Ask the Author: Alastair Luft
Answered Questions (4)
Alastair Luft
Thanks for the feedback, and happy to hear you'll recommend TBW. I'm class of 2000, number 21812. Have a good one, Alastair
Alastair Luft
First,
I would travel to Iowa City. Not
even sure why. I’d
look for Ray Kinsella’s magical
diamond and then sit
on the bleachers and watch Shoeless Joe
field the ball. I’d listen to the
drone of the crowd and the
rustling of the cornstalks.
Entranced.
After the game I’d
make my case and follow
Salinger beyond the right-center-field fence.
First,
I would travel to Iowa City. Not
even sure why. I’d
look for Ray Kinsella’s magical
diamond and then sit
on the bleachers and watch Shoeless Joe
field the ball. I’d listen to the
drone of the crowd and the
rustling of the cornstalks.
Entranced.
After the game I’d
make my case and follow
Salinger beyond the right-center-field fence.
Alastair Luft
This summer I have a full line-up of books, including:
- An Isolated Incident, by Kamal Soniah
- The Language of Secrets, by Ausma Zehanat Khan
- The Sirens of Baghdad, by Yasmina Kadra and John Cullen
- The Ghost Brigades, by John Scalzi
- Stieg Larsson's The Girl Who Played With Fire, and The Girl Who Kicked The Hornets Nest
- (if I have time...) How Everything Became War and the Military Became Everything, by Rosa Brooks
Looking forward to a busy summer!
What's on your reading list this summer?
- An Isolated Incident, by Kamal Soniah
- The Language of Secrets, by Ausma Zehanat Khan
- The Sirens of Baghdad, by Yasmina Kadra and John Cullen
- The Ghost Brigades, by John Scalzi
- Stieg Larsson's The Girl Who Played With Fire, and The Girl Who Kicked The Hornets Nest
- (if I have time...) How Everything Became War and the Military Became Everything, by Rosa Brooks
Looking forward to a busy summer!
What's on your reading list this summer?
Alastair Luft
I’ve never experienced writer’s block to the extent that I couldn’t write anything (knock on wood!) although I’ve certainly had days where it feels like everything I write should go straight into the trash. On those days, which invariably come after a period of a few days or longer where I haven’t been writing, I put my head down and force myself through, either to meet the time I’ve set aside or the word count. It’s tough because the writing is so terribly awful, so bad I almost have to take a strange pride in just how terrible it is to make it through. As tough as it is, I know that if I can make it through one bad session, the next session should be a little easier. I find it very analogous to going for a run after a long period off; the first run is always a brutal experience that even at its best could not be described as fun. But the second one is always better, and so on, until I’m back in a groove, and I find it’s much the same with writing. That’s why even though I know there’s some divergent opinion about the maxim to write every day, to me it’s non-negotiable – I write better when I’m on a regular routine.
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