Scott D. Parker
I was listening to the What It Takes* podcast yesterday. The
latest installment features John Irving. Now, he’s an author whose name I know
but I’ve never read any of his books. And I’ve only watched one of his movies (“The
Cider House Rules”). I think. Maybe more.
Anyway, a couple of things stood out in the interview. One,
Irving considers himself to be in the tradition of the 19th Century
novelist. He prefers novels with lots of details, intricate plots, and—this is
very cool—where the passage of time is like another character. He name-dropped
Charles Dickens and Thomas Hardy. Having never read an Irving novel, that immediately
got my attention. I may have to check out one of Irving’s novels. Anyone have
any suggestions?
Perhaps the strangest thing Irving mentioned was how he
writes his novels. He said he writes the last sentence(s) first. Why? Because
he wants to know how the novel feels at the end of the story so he can drive every sentence to that end. That floored me, to be honest. While I may have an ending
before I start a book—i.e., the events—I don’t have a sense of how the ending
will feel or how the characters may change from the get-go. I journey through the book with my characters, even when I know the
road map. That enables me to have a good understanding of the true ending.
Have y’all heard about Irving’s process? Do any of y’all do
the same thing?
*What It Takes is a part of the Academy of Achievement website and group. You can subscribe from there. Definitely check it out.
2 comments:
I read several of his before age and the internet destroyed my attention span. The idea that he knows from the beginning where his huge novels are going astonishes me.
I would recommend HOTEL NEW HAMPSHIRE.
Interesting. I think the final line of A Widow for One Year is as good as any ending I've read. I guess he takes as much time on the last line as some do in the first.
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