Why Do We Read? Or, the Results of My Existential Crisis

Book sculpture at The Green in Charlotte

It’s a simple question, really. Why do we read? More specifically, why do you read? Why do I read? As simple as these questions are, the truth is that their answers are pretty complicated–and can force us to take a look at ourselves from a new perspective. I’ve recently battled a quarter life crisis of sorts and have faced the fact that, while reading is a great hobby, it’s one that can be just as destructive as it can be beneficial.

Reading is a gateway to experiences that we could never have in our own lives but that we can learn from through stories. William Styron writes in Conversations with William Styron:

“A great book should leave you with many experiences, and slightly exhausted at the end. You live several lives while reading.”

Still more quotes showcase the importance of reading as a means of experiencing life:

“Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers.” — Charles William Eliot

“Do not read, as children do, to amuse yourself, or like the ambitious, for the purpose of instruction. No, read in order to live.” — Gustave Flaubert

“Man reading should be man intensely alive. The book should be a ball of light in one’s hand.” — Ezra Pound

But at what point do we block out our own experiences while enjoying those of the characters of our books, of the subjects of our non-fiction? I have found, and I’m quite certain that I’m not the only one, that reading can become a way to not only experience the emotions of others but a way to block out those aspects of our own lives that we are afraid to confront.

Books will never leave you.

Books will never say you aren’t good enough.

Books will never turn away without explanation or cause.

Books can become a crutch, a way to block out emotions when we don’t want to deal with them by immersing ourselves in the experiences that authors share. I can distinctly remember, when in college, picking up a book in the middle of a fight with an ex-boyfriend because I just didn’t want to–and, at the time, couldn’t–deal with the emotional issues that were wreaking havoc on my relationship. Instead of confronting my problems and allowing myself to experience the things that were happening in my life I retreated into my books, into the one thing that would never make me feel as though I didn’t meet whatever standard I was being held to.

This same pattern emerged with the next relationship I had, except the issue was that he and I were living two separate lives despite inhabiting the same house. I passed the time he didn’t want to spend together with my books. Though I eventually realized just how far we had drifted apart, I wonder how much sooner I would have noticed had I not turned to books as an emotional support–as a substitute for real-world experience.

During the aforementioned existential crisis I confronted these issues and have, since, come to appreciate the importance of experience–both that gained through books and that gained through personal life events. I’ve since decided that I can only bring meaning to my life by these experiences and that, ultimately, I need to focus more on the real world side of things. Does this mean I will give up reading? Not a chance. But I have become more aware of the fact that I need to become a better rounded person, and I have been working on this for the past few weeks.

So to all of my fellow readers, I implore you to think about why you read and what reading means to you. To me, reading is a way to experience things I never could in my own life while learning about human nature, history, and the myriad other subjects upon which books speak. Reading is an activity I love, but it is one that I cannot let overrun my life. So here’s to maintaining a healthy reading habit and to soaking up all of the experiences–good and bad–that life has to offer.

Crime and Punishment Discussion

Today I’m leading the discussion of Crime and Punishment over at Unputdownables!

The Perfect Highlighter

I am one of those readers who highlights. I highlight passages I like, most often those that I want to feature as quotes here on Trees and Ink, as well as anything that I feel is important to the story (this is particularly true for books I read for the read-a-longs over at Unputdownables, as marking these passages makes it easier to add to the discussion each week). So of course I have gone through my share of highlighters. As I consider myself a bit of a connoisseur, here are a couple of things I’ve learned over the course of what I have dubbed The Great Highlighter Crusade.

• Yellow highlighters are the worst. These are wonderful at first, as they mark passages without obscuring the words; however, they fade over time. First it becomes difficult to see the highlights in certain lighting. Then, a few months later, the marks are completely gone and who knows what you found important about the story! Using yellow highlighters can, in this way, result in adding a few rereads to your TBR shelf. You’ve been warned.

• Dark highlighters (purple, blue, orange) ruin books. These highlighters cover the text instead of gently calling your attention to it–and they often bleed through the page and cause a lot of confusion when you are trying to remember which passage you actually wanted to mark (especially if you are revisiting the book awhile after first reading it). While this isn’t as bad as the fading away of yellow highlighters, it’s certainly a headache.

• Green highlighters are the best. Hands down. Now, I’m a bit biased because green is my favorite color. But this favoritism aside, there are several reasons why a great green highlighter is a reader’s best friend. First and foremost, the color is just dark enough not  to fade yet not so dark as to cover the words you want to one day revisit. Additionally, the green isn’t going to bleed through the paper and it’s easy to detect when flipping through the pages of the book looking for noted passages. So do yourself a favor and stock up on these, as I’ve found that they are more difficult to come by than any of the other colors (on second thought, maybe I shouldn’t share this…).

• If green highlighters are completely out of stock and you can’t wait, a pink highlighter is the next best thing.

• Highlighter packages are worthless because they only come in yellow or multicolor packs. As we have established the futility of using a yellow highlighter, that option is out. Why don’t companies package single colors in bulk (i.e. four green highlighters)? The only option left to the discerning consumer is to buy these tools individually, and of course Staples and Office Max are slow to restock  their individual highlighter inventory (trust me, I’ve already depleted Staples’ supply).

So there you have it, the results of The Great Highlighter Crusade. All joking aside, though, I think it’s important to highlight meaningful passages for the purpose of revisiting these ideas later. How can you do that if your highlights disappear over time or bleed onto other pages? What about you all–how do you keep up with important quotes?

Crime and Punishment at Unputdownables

This week I led the discussion of Crime and Punishment over at Unputdownables. Wallace is hosting a read-a-long of this book during February, March, and April and I am delighted to be involved! Head on over to hear some of my thoughts and, if it piques your interest, please join! Wallace has created a great reading list for this year and the discussion is always fascinating.

Point of View Waltz

The Point is a movie that holds a long list of life lessons (if you can get passed the fact that the whole things seems to be a massive acid trip). I absolutely love this movie, and think that P.O.V. Waltz is a great song and is a wonderful reminder to look at stories from different angles.

For those of you who are interested, here’s my favorite song from the movie. From the lyrics to the animation, it’s fantastic.

Waiting for the Muses to Strike

This is where I turn when inspiration decides to shine upon me. Or when I need to remember half-baked ideas while they are simmering in the brainpan.

Everyone has always told me that, to be a “real” writer, you have to write every. single. day. No matter what you have to say–or even if you have anything to say–you have to sit down before work, after work, during lunch, in line at the grocery store, whenever, to record observations, thoughts, and stories.

Now, I’m sure that this is very good advice. I mean, many successful writers have found this tactic to work for them. But I find that my ideas are more…impressive (for lack of a better descriptor) if I let them marinate for awhile. You know, settle into the brain juices and simmer until they are done.

That’s a disgusting image. I’m sorry about that. But you get the point.

Of course, I have to take my own opinion with a grain of salt. As a writer by trade, not just passion, I write a variety of things each day. Each document, of which I’m sure there have been thousands over the last almost three years, allows me to exercise my writing skills and learn new grammar rules that I never knew I was breaking. Resumes, press releases, website content, blog posts, articles, you get the picture. So yes, I AM writing every day–but creative writing is different. Creative writing is draining; it comes in waves, emerging and receding with a strong current.

Hemingway is one of my favorites, his craft so straightforward yet laden with significance. While A Moveable Feast isn’t my favorite of his work (“The End of Something” is, arguably, one of my favorite pieces he’s written), it’s chock full of his ideas about writing and, for this reason alone, is invaluable. Here are a few of my favorite quotes regarding writing from Papa from this particular volume:

“Do not worry. You have always written before and you will write now. All you have to do is write one true sentence. Write the truest sentence that you know” (p. 12).

“I was learning something from the painting of Cézanne that made writing simple true sentences far from enough to make the stories have the dimensions that I was trying to put in them. I was learning very much from him but I was not articulate enough to explain it to anyone. Besides it was a secret” (p. 13).

“After writing a story I was always empty and both sad and happy, as though I had made love, and I was sure this was a very good story although I would not know truly how good until I read it over the next day” (p. 6).

What about all of the other writers out there? Do you write religiously or do you ponder your ideas before putting them to paper?

Bonus: I will always picture the Muses like this:

Characterization Vs. Plot Development

While I was reading The Night Circus, my boss just happened to also be working her way through the same book. I was loving every minute of it, but she had an issue with the character development. After thinking about it, I realized that she was right: the development just wasn’t there (In fact, I thought that Isobel was Celia in disguise when it was commented that Isobel was not who she seemed, they were so alike in their personalities). After dwelling on this for awhile, I started to wonder if, for this story in particular, it even mattered. Despite the lack of character development I was thoroughly enjoying the book.

The realization that such a prominent issue, one that I normally take very seriously, could be so easily overlooked intrigued me. I’m normally a stickler for the building of believable, strong characters. In fact, this is what drives most stories. But The Night Circus is not about Celia or Isobel, or any of the other characters; The Night Circus is about, truth be told, the circus that comes at night. A growing, changing, arguably living entity, this is the main character of the novel and it is through the development of the circus (read: the plot) that the story drives onward.

So I have come to the conclusion that, while the very best of books have both a great plot and solid character development, good books can have one or the other and, in rare cases, make it work. The Night Circus, I believe, showcases this. The story is engaging and never got old, but the characters were secondary to the actual events taking place.

What about you? Do you think that characterization or plot development can drive a story on their own, or do you put down a book if both aren’t present and accounted for?

Happy New Year!

Celebrating the New Year with one of the best dinners I’ve ever had.

As we ring in 2013 (Well, rang. It’s taken a few days to get this post together), I’ve set aside a few moments to reflect on last year’s reading habits. During 2012, I discovered that my love for non-fiction runs deeper than I once thought and have since dedicated a great deal of my time to learning more about history, art, psychology, and other topics. In addition to actually reading up on them, I’ve also taken to learning a bit more about them in general. Case in point: Siri Hustvedt’s Living, Thinking, Looking rekindled my love of museums and prompted me to visit the Giacometti exhibition at the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art. But I have also come to realize and appreciate the convenience of an ereader and, after getting a Nook, have taken to reading “lighter” picks at the gym and in between classic and non-fiction books. As a result, I’m pretty pleased with how diverse my bookshelves–both literal and virtual–have become.

The year was also chock full of changes in other aspects of my life, which prompted me to find a better balance between all of my commitments and, as a result, I read a bit less. But I’m alright with that. I feel as though I got a great deal out of what I read and found a better voice, if you will, as a reader. For the first time in years I didn’t finish a book I didn’t like and, surprisingly, was okay with it. I’ve learned that, with my TBR pile literally never ending, I don’t need to waste time on a book that doesn’t speak to me just for the sake of saying I finished it. This, I think, is the most valuable book-related lesson I learned this year.

So here’s to 2013–to the authors, publishers, editors, publicists, booksellers, and readers who keep the literary world turning. I hope everyone has a wonderful year!

Happy Holidays!

Photo Credit: http://www.bookpatrol.net/2010/12/happy-holidays.html#.UNTga3c1B8E

I hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday season thus far! Tomorrow I am back off to Florida to spend Christmas with my family, so I’m going to take off until the new year rolls around. See you in 2013!

Author Interview: Edmund Jorgensen

Edmund Jorgensen, author of Speculation, was kind enough to do an interview with me about his work. If you haven’t read it yet and are interested in philosophy, I highly recommended picking up this book (you can find my review here).

1. What kindled your interest in philosophy?

Speculation is dedicated to the memory of Jim Devlin, a kind of planetary presence in my life from as far back as I can remember, first a friend of the family and then a friend of mine and a
once-in-twelve-lifetimes sort of teacher.  He is still who I think of when I hear the word “philosopher,” the Platonic Ideal that springs to mind, and he’s the one who made me understand that philosophy was something sublime and dangerous.  It was through him that I fell in love with philosophy, and through him that I realized I would never be more than a philosophical tyro.

In fact the character of Sothum is an homage to Jim, though of course a pale reflection at best–both because Jim’s essence was too difficult, too contradictory, too immense to capture in full, and also because people simply wouldn’t have believed a lot of true stories about him if I had appropriated them wholesale (he did, for example, appear to break an MRI machine with his brain, as Sothum does in the book).

2. Did you know in the beginning of the book which option Andy was going to take, the money or the envelope?

No.  The original ending of the book was quite different, and I changed my mind a number of times regarding which Andy would choose and what that would mean to his life.  I even flirted with the notion–it’s painful to admit this now–of ending the story before he’d chosen either.  But as the character of Andy developed, I ultimately felt there was only one choice that he would have made.

3. Why did you choose to write the story from Andy’s perspective?

Well, I could say I chose Andy’s perspective because his experience is closest to mine, but the actual hard truth is that his experience is probably closest to mine because I chose his perspective.

Really I chose his perspective because I was writing a book about four people who are all smarter than I am, and I figured I had the best shot of pulling off the narration if I chose to inhabit the narrator who had the fewest “smart points” on me.  I guess I might have been able to attempt Buddy as well, but his psyche doesn’t seem like such an enjoyable place to live in long enough to write a haiku, let alone a novel.  Sothum and Cheryl would simply have been beyond me.

4. Who is your favorite philosopher? (Okay, top three? Top five? This is a hard one!)

Plato set off a lot of fireworks in my adolescent brain, convincing me the world was a shadow.

Aristotle turned me into something vaguely resembling an adult as he showed me how it isn’t.

Fast forwarding a couple thousand years (no big deal among friends, right?), Heidegger and Nietzsche knocked me on my butt and then helped me up again, articulating better than I ever could some of my dim but urgent suspicions and hopes about the role of creativity in the universe.

Charles Hartshorne, on whom Speculation’s Kingsley Featherstone is loosely based, took off the top of my head and shuffled my brain around before replacing it.

5. What authors have inspired you?

A bunch of the usual suspects, of course.  Faulkner, Bellow, Mann.

Borges in binges.

Mark Helprin of the short stories and Winter’s Tale.

Speaking of winter and tales, Isak Dinesen, whose “Babette’s Feast” makes me despair of ever writing a good short story.

William Gibson, Stanislaw Lem, and Philip K. Dick.

And the criminally under-known Russell H. Greenan, especially his It Happened in Boston? and The Secret Life of Algernon Pendleton.

6. Are you anticipating the release of any more novels?

I’m pecking away at something longer that I hope to get out next year. In the meantime there are a few shorter stories that are getting antsy to leave home and seek their fortune.

Edmund Jorgensen was born in Chicago, studied Ancient Greek and Latin in Boston, fell in love in Mexico, and now resides with his wife–happy but considerably chillier–in Watertown, Massachusetts.

Speculation is his first novel.

You can contact him at ewj (at) inkwellandoften (dot) com.

To learn more about Jorgensen’s work, and see his tips for self-publishing, visit www.edmundjorgensen.com. You can follow him on Twitter at @tomheon.