Austin
asked
Janet Fitch:
Hey Janet! Just read your work for the first time (W. Oleander), and I'm blown away. You convey the rawness of Astrid's feelings, simply with her narrative, but you also encapsulate the air, the light, the color, the heat, and everything else in such descriptive ways, which helped me grasp an entire experience, beyond the words in Astrid's mouth. You say read hard books to get better. Any suggestions of some to start?
Janet Fitch
Hi Austin!
Thanks for the kind comments! Yes, to get better--as a reader, as a writer--you have to expose yourself to writing that actively requires your mental participation. I'm a believer in reading up to grade level, or a little beyond. If you're an adult, and want to be a better reader, not to say a better writer, you have to challenge yourself with writers who have challenged themselves!
It's hard to recommend books for people whose reading tastes and experience I don't know. So to start, when we talk about "harder" you would think about what your 'grade level' is. If you have read a lot of serious books, but generally books written in a fairly straightforward way, you might think of trying books written in more interesting, less conventional forms--like Ontaadje's The English Patient, Marguerite Duras' The Lover, David Markson's Reader's Block. If you tend to read popular fiction or young adult, you might look at books that are really 'written'--voice oriented books like Barbara Kingsolver's The Poisonwood Bible, Sapphire's Push, Vladimir Nabokov's Lolita.
Generally, the language in older popular books is richer and more challenging than their contemporary counterparts. Dickens is incredibly rich--if you haven't read him, then he's a wonderful place to start--Oliver Twist... though my favorite is Bleak House. Very funny. My own lineage masters are Joyce Carol Oates (try Blonde), Joan Didion (Play it As It Lays), William Faulkner (The Sound and the Fury, but go ahead and read about it before you read it), Doestoyevsky (Crime and Punishment), Poe short stories.
What is challenging is always relative and individual to every person, so start where you are. Happy to continue this conversation with you!
Thanks for the kind comments! Yes, to get better--as a reader, as a writer--you have to expose yourself to writing that actively requires your mental participation. I'm a believer in reading up to grade level, or a little beyond. If you're an adult, and want to be a better reader, not to say a better writer, you have to challenge yourself with writers who have challenged themselves!
It's hard to recommend books for people whose reading tastes and experience I don't know. So to start, when we talk about "harder" you would think about what your 'grade level' is. If you have read a lot of serious books, but generally books written in a fairly straightforward way, you might think of trying books written in more interesting, less conventional forms--like Ontaadje's The English Patient, Marguerite Duras' The Lover, David Markson's Reader's Block. If you tend to read popular fiction or young adult, you might look at books that are really 'written'--voice oriented books like Barbara Kingsolver's The Poisonwood Bible, Sapphire's Push, Vladimir Nabokov's Lolita.
Generally, the language in older popular books is richer and more challenging than their contemporary counterparts. Dickens is incredibly rich--if you haven't read him, then he's a wonderful place to start--Oliver Twist... though my favorite is Bleak House. Very funny. My own lineage masters are Joyce Carol Oates (try Blonde), Joan Didion (Play it As It Lays), William Faulkner (The Sound and the Fury, but go ahead and read about it before you read it), Doestoyevsky (Crime and Punishment), Poe short stories.
What is challenging is always relative and individual to every person, so start where you are. Happy to continue this conversation with you!
More Answered Questions
Nicole D'Settēmi
asked
Janet Fitch:
Janet, as stated before I see many influences in your fantastic works, W.O. & P.I.B.! I am DYING to get a glimpse of the new movie, directed by Amber Tamblyn--Paint it Black. I was thrilled to learn it was an indie film, hoping that would mean it gets translated into the tale filled with depth, and true artistry, that it truly IS. My question is...where is it? I saw it listed at the film fest, but no release yet???
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