“I
think almost always that what gets me going with a story is the atmosphere, the
visual imagery, and then I people it with characters, not the other way around.” – Ann
Beattie
An American short story writer and
novelist born on this day, Beattie is noted for her dry, matter-of-fact irony –
particularly in writing about the members of our Baby Boom generation (she and
I were born in the same year). Her keen
style, especially reflected in Distortions,
her first book of short stories, won her several awards for excellence in
writing, including from the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters.
Her first novel, Chilly Scenes of
Winter, was also made into a film. “I don't write about things that I have
the answers to or things that are very close to home. It just wouldn't be an
adventure. It wouldn't have any vitality,” she said about her particular style.
The Edgar Allan Poe Chair of the
English and Creative Writing Department at the University of Virginia, she is married
to the Virginia painter Lincoln Perry, and has also collaborated with him on a
book about his works.
Beattie has this advice for writers
who are trying to determine who should be their story’s narrator. “Quite often my narrator or protagonist may
be a man, but I'm not sure he's the more interesting character, or if the more
complex character isn't the woman. You
have to figure out who the right person is.
People who are very self-aware will only sound as if they are
pontificating if you choose them to tell your story.” So how does the voice of your character
sound? Believe it or not, you, as the
writer, have the ability to listen before you put those words into his or her
mouth. Listen carefully and happy writing.
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