Monday, April 04, 2011

The downside of a holiday

It is always hard to get back into writing after a break, especially one as pleasant as a holiday in Thailand. But over the last few days I have gradually found my way back to the page. And just now I read this insightful comment from writer Clare Dudman, which captures the feeling well:
"I really should be writing. I keep thinking that. I should stop doing so much reading of other people's books and do some writing of my own. The longer I leave it, the worse it gets. It's like standing, shivering, on the shore of a bleak ocean. You know you'll enjoy it when you get under the waves, but first you have to wade out?"
I like that. And on her recommendation, I have just ordered this:





2 comments:

Clare Dudman said...

Thank you for the kind comment, Neil! You've made my day. I hope you enjoy Snow Country as much as I did!

Neil said...

Thanks for paying a visit, and for the comment. One of the things that intrigues me about the book is the story – via Wikipedia, if that can be trusted – of how it came into being:

"The novel began as a single short story published in a literary journal in January 1935, its next section appearing in another journal the same month. Kawabata continued writing about the characters afterward, with parts of the novel ultimately appearing in five different journals before he published the first iteration of the book. An integration of the initial seven pieces with a newly conceived ending, this appeared in 1937. Kawabata re-started working on the novel after a three-year break, again adding new chapters, and again publishing in two separate journals in 1940 and 1941. He re-wrote the last two sections, merging them into a single piece. This was published in a journal in 1946. Another additional piece arrived in 1947. Finally, in 1948, the novel reached its final form, an integration of nine separately published works."