Friday, March 7, 2008
The Captain Is Out to Lunch and the Sailors Have Taken Over the Ship
Please remark before we return from spring break on which of Bukowski's observations on writers and writing resonante most with you and why. If you wish, you can also comment on his writing style, which has been widely admired and imitated.
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11 comments:
Though I have made a list of all things I like that Bukowski wrote in this book, the one observation he has on writers and writings that resonates with me the most is, “These guys think you always have to be on the cross and bleeding in order to have soul . . . But pain doesn’t create writing . . .” (14). Of course, I personally like this quote because it reminds me not to compare myself to other writers. It's no secret that I am easily intimidated by other people's writing and often feel like I am living in the shadows of my peers. I'm always trying to convince myself of why other people are better writers than me, like they must have had much more interesting lives than me, more experience, basically, more good shit to write about. I feel like this quote is shouting at me, "Amy! Stop comparing yourself and just write! Those people are probably all full of crap and you're probably just as good as them if you'd just put your insecurities aside." (I like to think that Bukowski himself is yelling that at me . . .) I don't have to have a story like Jesus's to write, I guess, I just have to have something to write, and the rest will come.
I think what stuck most with me was when Bukowski wrote "Simplicity is the key," and also "In writing you must slide along. Careful writing is deathly writing."
This probably resonated the most with me because of the way I approach writing. I think I have a tendency to over think whatever I want to say, before I even write anything. I could stress myself out for a week, over complicate things and become totally discouraged before I even write one word. Then, by that time I'm so discouraged and fed up with myself, my goal becomes to just produce something, rather than something I really want to stand behind.
If I could just remember "simplicity is the key" and to just train myself to sit down and write, write, write (instead of careful writing) and see what comes out, I think my writing would benefit.
Bukowski is full of writing-isms in this book, many of which resonated with me upon reading. This is somewhat of a long passage, but I think it's worth pointing out.
"Sometimes with my writing, when it hasn't roared, I have attempted other things. I have poured wine on the pages, I have held the pages to a match and burned holes in them. 'What are you DOING in there? I smell smoke!'
'No, it's all right, baby, it's all right...'
Once my wastebasket caught fire and I rushed it out on my little balcony, poured beer over it.
For my own writing, I like to watch the boxing matches, watch how the left jab is used, the overhand right, the left hook, the uppercut, the counter punch. I like to watch them dig in, come off the canvas. There is something to be learned, something to be applied to the art of writing, the way of writing. You have just one chance and then it's gone. There are only pages left, you might as well make them smoke" (143).
I take away a few different things from this passage. One is that you have to have the desire to write, and be willing to do anything to aid the creative process. Bukowski tells us when his writing "hasn't roared" he makes it roar. You can't give up. Another way in which this passage speaks to me is that you have to enhance your writing by bringing in experiences, observations, events, references, from the outside world. For Bukowski, the boxing matches acted as a model for his writing. He took that experience and incorporated it into his own writing techniques. The end bit, "You have just one chance...might as well make them smoke" speaks to me about passion. If you have passion about what you are writing, it'll reflect in that writing. Like boxing, it is methodical, practiced, learned; yet, it is fierce, unpredictable, and powerful.
Bukowski's fatalistic words of wisdom not only touch on writing but on all aspects of life, and ultimately, death. The observation that really struck me was:
"After you've read a certain amount of decent literature, there just isn't any more. We have to write it ourselves." (21)
While some would argue that there are only a few stories and that they are all archetypal, Bukowski is saying here that it is essential to write our stories, even if they have been told before; if not to get our perspective out there but just to tell the story itself. We can only read so much. It is important to pay attention to why we read what we read but it is even more important for us to write ourselves, to tell our stories, and to reflect on the past.
While reading Bukowski i noticed many times he relates back to writing several times. While almost every thing he says about writing i felt to be true the point that stcuk out to me most was when he compared his writing to wine.
" Yes, it has been my most productive year. Wine gets better if it's aged properly."
As i read stories by authors who are much older, and some not alive any more not only do i find myself enjoying their pieces, but sometimes i find it almost adding onto my self consciousness about my writing. After reading that line however i realized that these authors deserve and have earned the right for me to think so highly of their writing. They have many more years of experience, and actual writing under their belts. This only leaves me to believe that my writing will continue to expand and that what i do now is not bad. I just have not been "aged" to perfection just yet.
Then i looks back and think about writings i have done in the past and compare them to more recent things i have written and even in such a small amount of time i recognize that i have improved.
"I keep thinking of Maxim Gorky...He did write some strong things. Before the Revolution. Then after the Revolution his writing began to pale. He didn't have much to bitch about. It's like the anti-war protesters, they need a war in order to thrive. There are some who make good livings protesting against war. And when there isn't a war they don't know what to do. Like during the Gulf War, there was a group of writers, poets, they had planned a huge anti-war protest, they were ready with their poems and speeches. Suddenly the war was over. And the protest was scheduled for a week later. But they didn't call it off. They went ahead with it anyway. Because they wanted to be on stage...I myself am anti-war...But I am suspect of the professional anti-war protesters."
I really like this passage for several reasons. First, Bukowski mentions how a writer needs something to be angry about to write, which I believe is true. What can you write if you're happy? Nothing.
Next, Bukowski makes the comparison to the anti-war protesters who also have nothing to write about if there is no war, and explains that he, too, is anti-war. This is the really clever part, because Bukowski makes it clear that he both dislikes war and the protesters. That's the key to his writing, I think. He dislikes both sides, so he always has something good to write.
Bukowski just gets us. There is a comprehensible link between writers, that exist to write and write alone. His words are that link of common place to us, even if he hates being around us.
"At the age of 72 it was possible that it would leave me. The ability to write. It was a fear. And it was not about fame. Or about money. It was about me. I was spoiled. I needed the outlet, the entertainment, the release of writing. The safety of writing(p.128)."
Whether 72 or 18 we bury ourselves in the oasis of the release. Maybe that's the reason we write. Beyond everything we want from the writing, maybe that's the truth.
In many ways we keep writing to release everything and just feel safe. And not matter how much we write, the strive is always part of the journey.
As Bukowski continued to say, " All the past meant nothing. Reputation meant nothing. All that mattered was the next line."
So much good stuff in here. It's really tough to pick out of it all. Something, though, that stood out:
"I am not in a contest. I never wanted fame or money. I wanted to get the word down the way I wanted it, that's all."
"My contest is only with myself: to do it right, with power and force and delight and gamble. Otherwise, forget it."
Both are on page 101. He speaks (writes) through his experiences, which is why this passage is so powerful to me. Also, by this point in the book, I have unwavering trust of him. This is huge. His words seem to hold (his) truth, to reflect his reality, and to embody simplicity.
This voice is his voice-he's not mumbling. He's talking, even shouting sometimes. It's unique, and therefore interesting to listen to. Can't wait to get into more of his stuff.
The thing I like the most about Bukowski's style is that he seems very true to himself. I would like to call him unpretentious, but he seems only unpretentious in his honesty. When he talks about writing- about other writers, he takes them off their pedestal and places them on the plain of the common man, like when he talks about classical composers: not every note is perfect. It's like when you discovered teachers didn't actually live at your elementary school. Writers might not be these divinely blessed demi-gods, but ordinary people slaving away to what Bukowski chalks up to an addiction.
The things I enjoyed most about his book were the ideas found between his writings on the racetrack, being old, classical music, writing and moments of fame. He had a way of touching on truths that we might be unaware of or too ashamed to speak of. These were the parts of the book that I connected with the most, not his ideas on writing. It was his honest observations that I can apply to my own writing, to make me a better writer. This writing was better, teaching by example rather than lecture.
Even though I'm almost positive I would have detested him as a person, his work was very likeable. He wrote like I imagined he spoke. It was nice to read something that wasn't supposed to be dissected down to- "well what did he mean by 'the.'"
I think the line that stuck out with me the most is on page 25 - "There is only one final judge of writing and that is the writer."
This means a lot to me, as I've often been apprehensive about adding certain elements to my stories, fearing the disapproval of anyone who would read them.
It may be easier for Bukowski to put this maxim into practice, as he seems to have a genuine, unwavering hatred for humanity (especially readers, see page 8, "The best reader and the best human is the one who rewards me with his or her absence."), but having kept a few of my ties to humanity, I find it a bit more difficult to completely ignore the criticism of others. I guess it's something I just have to keep working at.
On Bukowski's style, I think this may have been the most fun I've had reading almost anything (save Hunter S. Thompson and a handful of others). His writing style is very blunt and his remarks are often scathing, often to himself. I don't think I've ever read anything this brutally honest. Not by anyone this widely read, anyway.
Reflecting...
When he quotes a friend that said "I don't care if I win or lose, I just want to gamble," he reflects a feeling of his own. We have to put aside the reservations we have about our audience and their reactions to our writing. It's pointless pressure. In the spirit of Bukowski:
Who cares whether or not they like what we write? We're the ones who have to live with what we've written. What would be the point of writing if we succumbed to that pressure rather than simply worrying about putting our best out there.
If we continue to stress about what our audience thinks, we're only going to drown our individual writing voice/style- this, leading to our status as the living-dead- -writing-spineless-stories.
My story idea is unusual (I think) and I'm not sure how to get the underlying theme of my story out without distracting the reader with the story that's going to help me project my theme.
What I've re-realized after reading this book, is that I need to just sit down and write without caring so much about the things I can't control. I’ve been stressing out about my story for a while now, and it's just holding me back.
It’s all about writing, reading it over- rewriting- chopping it up- and making it work. A process that works better without the overcast of what Bukowski wants us to get over.
Just get it out- WRITE.
I wonder if we ever really get over being so critical about what we write...
My guess: Never.
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