Day 3
Started Today On: Page 53
Today, I read 33 pages that won me over entirely. Lily King creates a sense of speed that creates the illusion of a flip book. The train of thought trickles from row to row, and you’re in Casey’s mind, processing each thought before she has expressed it.
5 pages in the subway, 2 on the bus, 26 at home. I wish I could get into audiobooks. I have tried listening to Just Kids by Patti Smith. Wonderful narration, couldn’t do it. I’m starting to realize that all of my hobbies can be done while multitasking. Reading is the only one where I need to be still. It needs all of me.
Between the pages I managed to read, the plot is driven towards writing and its culture. We’re finally brought to the dinners, events, and conversations surrounding the existential dilemma that is being a writer.
‘Did David write his book?’ I ask.
‘He didn’t even start it.’ She blows on her tea.
‘And I’ve written two hundred and sixty pages since he left.’
Page 66
Writer’s block, impostor syndrome, the acceptance of writing as a side ‘thing’ that has lost esteem in the arts through mass consumption.
‘She looks embarrassed, sitting on that stool, to be who she is now. She seems pained by all the compliments Muriel’s colleagues are giving her. Success rests more easily on men.’
Page 74
King touches on everything involved in the life of a writer before they are willing to call themselves one. She explores the competitive nature of an art that is increasingly fueled to move faster than it did yesterday. Most significantly, she evokes the frustration of unrealized potential, the feeling of wasted time, and the ways in which we can transform a passion into a Sisyphean task.
‘But I can’t go out with a guy who’s written eleven and a half pages in three years. That kind of thing is contagious.’
Page 77
I have plenty of books on my June TBR list whose plots are driven by writing as a core theme and driver. I definitely made the right choice starting the month off with Writers & Lovers.
PS. I got my copy of The Unwilding! I´ll try to read more of my current read tomorrow so that I can start our Book Club pick soon.
It managed to be delivered right as I clocked out. The timing couldn’t have been more perfect. As I waited in line, this naturally caught my eye:
It was $20 and I had my current book to read, so I’ll wait until I’ve finished Writers & Lovers.
Were you able to make time to read today? Let me know if you did, and what you’re currently reading.
I’ll be back tomorrow with Day 4!
Started Today On: Page 53
Ended On: Page 86
Pages Read Today: 33
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