Jan 162010
 

I’ve been re-reading Gaitskill’s story, “The Little Boy” and using it as a structural model for a story I’m working on.  I like the way she blends the front story with the backstory, using both scenic flashbacks and more willowy type memories.  I think (hope) that using a story model to build from is considered kosher.  The weird part has been how it freed up the writing for me.  I had this idea for a story but couldn’t figure out how to squeeze it into an actual form.  I had read Gaitskill’s story a month or so ago on a plane ride and thought it would be a good one to look at later, but didn’t really consider it with my subject matter until recently.   We’ll see how it ends up, but it’s been a fun start.  Also started reading Audrey Niffenegger’s “Her Fearful Symmetry” for a book club I’m in.  Not a huge fan of it so far.  The book feels very plot-driven to me, with lots of things happening just because they need to.  There is an OCD character though that’s pretty interesting, but I think her POV shifts are awkward and arbitrary.  Some good descriptive scenes and lots of movement, but whenever a writer uses a scene set in Starbucks, with a latte as a prop, I feel a bit cheated.

—Richard Farrell