I mentioned in an earlier blog entry that I went to hear an interview with Canadian author Nancy Huston during Blue Met and I thought today, I'd do a blog about some of the wise things she had to say. Her latest novel Fault Lines is narrated by several children. Asked how she was able to imagine these narrators, Huston said: "I had many childhoods." She went on to explain that mostof us tend to tell one story about our childhoods, but that really there were many. That comment has really stayed with me.
Huston, a prize-winning author who lives in Paris, also talked about what the writing process is like for her. She said that for her, the first draft is the toughest: "I'm never sure I'm going to make it." But Huston says she enjoys re-writing: "Re-writing is a pleasure to me."
I've got only an hour or so before I have to leave for school. I spent a little too much time this morning weeding in the backyard. But Huston would approve! "The wasted time," she said, "is as important as the schedule."
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Comments
I think we have one childhood, but many stories, and even more different ways of seeing those stories. We also have different ways of reacting to similar situations... for example, I'm much less stressed about concerts now than I was 11 years ago!
And I love that comment about wasted time! Removes some of the guilt of not spending every hour studying for Finals...