For those who haven't heard of him, Franzen is the author of The Corrections, and Freedom. Both have been major bestsellers and have won too many awards to list. He's also been a guest character on The Simpsons. I hate to admit that I've only read snippets of his books, but such is life :) Anyhow, I was stoked to hear more about what he thought about writing and how to be a good writer.
Franzen's talk was interesting. I'll start there. He spoke first on the more annoying questions he is asked by people about writing, which I'll paraphrase here:
1. Who are you influenced by?
Answer: everyone, and only myself. It's really a matter of who influences you most, and that is mainly determined by what you're working on now--and easily can change with a shift in a character or plot-line.
2. How and when do you write?
Answer: He finds this to be the most intrusive of the questions asked, which I thought a little funny. Still, this section brought my favorite line from the evening: "When I write, I want no one else in the room. Including myself."
3. Do your characters ever take over and demand their story be told a certain way?
Answer: he doesn't believe this really happens. The characters are your own, and it's all a matter of getting something to "work on the page" and some things will work, and others will not. Some authors, according to him, allow their characters free reign, while others work them like galley slaves--he clearly identified with the latter.
4. How much of your work is autobiographical?
Answer: his answer revealed that in a sense, he felt this question challenged his power of imagination. Or that he was going to run out of interesting things to write about. Perhaps he should just say something along the lines of: "Yes. 17%. Next question."
What I most took away from listening to this talk was that Franzen is heavily invested in the point of view that literature is personal struggle, a means of self-exploration, and cannot be a mere performance without a personal investment of the author.
"You have to change to write your next book--you as yourself have already written you best book, you have to change to write the next one."
So, this has led me to think a lot about some of the things brought up by the talk. At one point, I have scrawled across my notes: "Something tells me he doesn't have much fun writing. How sad." Really, I got that sense. Writing isn't about having fun writing. There is no joy in the creation of a new world, character, or story that he loves with the whole of his heart (eek--I'm not even going to repeat what he said about cliches!).
Now, I know he's a successful writer--far more so than I will ever be--but I do feel sorry for him in a way. I love writing. I find it fun. I love creating a turn of phrase (cliched or not) that makes my heart sing. I love getting to know my characters, and occasionally letting them have fun and do their own thing.
And you know what? I don't think literature has to be some epic journey of my soul, or anyone else's. I love reading a book that makes me think, that leaves some part behind that changes my soul, but that doesn't make it literature any more than loving a book that just leaves you smiling.
So, what do you think? Can characters have minds of their own? Can literature take on different forms? I'd love to hear what you think!
