David Sedaris and Me
David Sedaris has to be one of my favorite contributors to This American Life. While I have gotten out of the habit of listening to the show, it was my savior last year when life was at its most despressing. I recently learned of his books and in a stroke of luck found them at Costco, my consumer paradise. After having read Me Talk Pretty One Day, I started to wonder, could I write like this?
If even half of his book is true, Sedaris has done more than his fair share of drugs and borders on retarded. While I do not trust in standardized tests, even my own SAT scores did not reveal my obvious brilliance, I just have to wonder what it takes to be a published author. The fact that Sedaris is so successful leads me to a series of doubts: 1) he is not really retarded; 2) he doesn’t really write his own books; 3) the reasons why books are successful is retarded; and finally 4) writing is not for the intelligent.
I am, of course, being a bit facetious when I write all of this because I do, honestly, believe Sedaris is brilliant. Regardless of what any test may say, he has a sharp sense of humor, a way with description and dialogue, and an understanding of what life is really all about, namely the mundane. But as I finished the book, I had a serious conversation with another aspiring writer about what really goes into writing.
What is it? And how do I cultivate it?
If I may, I would like to say that I NEVER buy books on tape… with the exception of the above-mentioned author’s books. Sedaris reads his own texts. The CDs are fantastic. Highly recommend them.
As far as writing goes, I think it picks you. You can’t buy talent. You are a writer or you are not. I do not think you become one. I must add however that a lot of published authors produce crap. As long as it is crap that sells, I do not think that the talent matters that much. Let’s wait for the memoirs of Ashley Dupree…
Comment by nathaliewithanh | July 9, 2008
I’m not saying you should sleep with Eliot Spitzer.
Comment by nathaliewithanh | July 9, 2008
Definitely agree about the Sedaris CDs. Well worth the price, particularly his live recordings. Love them.
Comment by The Eighth Art | July 9, 2008
I think the issue I have with writing is that much of it is practiced skill, not necessarily pure talent. Many writers are great because of their command of language. One example I would give is Nabokov as displayed in his book Lolita. The language is simply breathtaking, even in translation.
However, on another level, I agree with you Nathalie. Often times it is the perspective of an author that makes their writing interesting, innovative, or inspiring. Certainly a person’s outlook on life is somewhat “natural,” but the way those sentiments are expressed have technique and skill. So I am split between how much of writing is talent and how much is knowledge about writing.
Comment by chillyhawaiian | July 11, 2008
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