Of teaching creative writing, Eugenides remarked in an interview in The Paris Review, "I tell my students that when you write, you should pretend you're writing the best letter you ever wrote to the smartest friend you have. That way, you'll never dumb things down. You won't have to explain things that don't need explaining. You'll assume an intimacy and a natural shorthand, which is good because readers are smart and don't wish to be condescended to. I think about the reader. I care about the reader. Not “audience.” Not “readership.” Just the reader."
I love this, esp. as I'm an inveterate letter writer. Sometimes this is how I warm up for a writing session. Time to fish out my quotes notebook for copying it. Thank you Gatz!
I'm glad you share my view, Vijaya. I wish I were more of a letter-writer myself.
This is brilliant, Gatz!! Thank you for sharing!!!
I love this too. I think I'd substitute the smartest (kid of age x) I know because my friends have vocabularies a five year old couldn't match, but yes. It's about that one reader who is a stand in for the rest.
I have a corollary to this: have your characters write each other letters. It is so illuminating to see what characters hide, what they reveal to one another.
I love the intimate relationship with the reader.
Thanks, Gatz. This goes in my quote file, too.
I love Eugenides's novels. Always intelligent, and deeply engaging.