When did you first hear of Raymond Carver?
His name resonated with me from some cavern deep down but it was thanks to the New Yorker Podcast that I first heard Chef’s House read by David Means. The accompanying discussion with fiction editor, Deborah Treisman, made the man and writer all the more intriguing. The fact that at one point he was edited to within an inch of his originality is another bit of intrigue (thank you Norma Burke @n2oEnts) but that is for another day. Suffice to say that for me, Carver rocks!
So, when my chance to lead our writers’ group came about, I didn’t need to look very far. What about a taste of “Carver On Writing” washed down with a sample of his work and an exercise based on a section of one of his stories? Perfect. I knew I’d enjoy it anyway! #abitselfishmaybe
So, we took turns to read most of this article: http://bit.ly/1xqRa0V which gives Carver’s view on writing. I like how he has gathered lines to sum up the goodness and purity of writing! How about the quote from Isaac Babel, “No iron can pierce the human heart as chillingly as a full stop placed at the right time”?
Then, we had a look at his work from two stories, The Student’s Wife and Cathedral. In The Student’s Wife, the wife character talks about the things she likes. Click the link below
http://www.theguardian.com/books/audio/2012/dec/23/richard-ford-raymond-carver-wife) and hear her views at 8.54.
So, the EXERCISE (yes, I’m there, eventually!) was TO WRITE ABOUT THE THINGS YOU LIKE AND DON’T LIKE. Simple really! Have a go sure and let me know how you get on!
Oh, and get some Carver into you. Fast!
TÓL
tea and a peach 