This is a short collection of beautifully written essays that don’t seem to have a point. Only about a quarter of this book is really about “writing life”. That section is nothing you haven’t heard before. It’s getting your ass in the chair and writing and looking around. Nothing about the publicity tours, the writer’s block, the interactions with an editor, with fans, the relationship changes with a family (i.e. what to say during gatherings where you just want people to buy it)

The rest is about… something else. I guess it’s the things you think about when you should be writing but you’re not. Like how cold your cabin is. Or what that lumberjack is doing over in the distance. Mostly it’s stories that don’t go anywhere, like the time I had to catch the train to Shelbyville and I had to tie an onion to my belt, which was the style at the time. There’s something “metaphysical” about the book, that it’s about more life and less writing.

And the problem was I couldn’t follow it. I got the sense this is something the author wrote as an exercise in-between books. In other words, it didn’t meet my expectations. I’m not sure who this book is for but it’s not for writers. ( )

Perhaps it was because I listened to this work via audiobook rather than read it from the page, but this book did not meet my expectations. I have the utmost respect for Annie Dillard as a writer: She has won a Pulitzer Prize and can entertain through the written word far better than I ever will be able to. However, this work was not really direct in its approach. Instead of giving actionable tips or profound insights, it aimlessly meandered through life experiences. This book speaks more of a restless heart than a consistent discipline or ethic.

Maybe that is the point of it all – that the writing life is about living in the moment – but that point was lost on me. As a reader, I was never moved from one point to another. Dillard talks about flying with a stunt pilot and using a metaphor of chopping wood to describe writing. However, she never talks about what motivates her other than penning a series of vividly descriptive sentences.

The quality of her writing is no doubt strong. Her descriptions make me feel like I’m with her in the experience. But they lack any sense of purpose or direction – a sense of exactly why she is writing. Most meaningful works of art make me think about my world differently. This book just kept me stationary and drowning in florid language. It lamentably didn’t help me appreciate the act of writing nor hone my craft. It just seemed like a short sequence describing the path of a rudderless ship. ( )

Reread this with a finish in January 2021. Beautiful prose, though strangely enough I have still never read any of her novels. 4.5 stars. It felt more meaningful this time around. Her advice plays more on handling the emotions around the act itself and the self-doubts of the artist, trusting the art itself. There are a few excellent practical pieces of advice, which feel true and are sprinkled about to surprise and delight. ( )

Reread this with a finish in January 2021. Beautiful prose, though strangely enough I have still never read any of her novels. 4.5 stars. It felt more meaningful this time around. Her advice plays more on handling the emotions around the act itself and the self-doubts of the artist, trusting the art itself. There are a few excellent practical pieces of advice, which feel true and are sprinkled about to surprise and delight. ( )

Schrijversleven. Essays. Door: Annie Dillard.

Met Pelgrim langs Tinker Creek veroverde Dillard mijn hart. Daarna las ik haar essaybundel De overvloed en nu is haar tweede bundel essays Schrijversleven er.

Wat al deze boeken gemeen hebben is een grote levenslust, oog voor detail en goesting om te schrijven. Haar observaties over de natuur zijn buitengewoon indrukwekkend. Het is fijn om in Schrijversleven een inkijkje te krijgen in het wat en hoe en waar van het schrijven van Pelgrim langs Tinker Creek.

Verwacht je niet aan een schrijfcursus of een analyse van hét schrijversleven. Dillard weidt uit en wijkt af van enkel het schrijven an sich, hoewel het daar ook vaak over gaat. We krijgen bijvoorbeeld een beschrijving van verschillende schrijfruimtes die ze doorheen de jaren gehad heeft. Ze heeft het meer over de aanloop naar het schrijven: vanwaar komt de inspiratie en hoe krijg je die op papier. Niet bang zijn, dieper durven duiken, en altijd alles meteen geven en niet opsparen zijn maar een paar van haar goede tips.

Goed schrijven is net als goed houthakken: je moet voorbij het blok hout kijken. Zoiets. Als u een betere uitleg wilt lees dan Schrijversleven. Annie Dillard lezen is altijd bijleren. ( )