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New York, 7:15 AM
Sun Nov 22
12 posts in the last 24 hours
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10/13/09
Does the cathartic process of writing a memoir, and then releasing it for public consumption + whatever rewards that brings--ultimately outweigh the toll such an act claims on personal relationships?
I imagine the cast of friends/family members/acquaintances you chose to include in your respective memoir narratives must have expressed disappointment or worse at some point.
I suppose a more boneheaded way to phrase this would be, "Has it been worth it?"
10/13/09
The idea of it being "worth it" is interesting. I don't know how to exist without writing. I started writing really young. I've never made very much money off of it. If you can be fulfilled doing just about anything else I would say you should do it. But when I'm unable to write (and when you write, if you're like most writers, you will be driven to publish) I'm miserable.
I did a longer essay called Why I Write. You can see it here. It might answer your question more thoroughly.
[therumpus.net]
10/13/09
First of all, congratulations on the publishing of this book and the success of the "pass it along" program. What's the most number of signatures you've seen on one particular copy of the book so far?
The excerpt featured in this post is great! You know something is enthralling when you start to wonder why it's taking you so long to read it and then realize that it's because every single sentence draws you in and makes it hard for you to say goodbye and move on to the next one. That's the best way that I can describe the above passage.
My question to you: What inspired the title of your book? I assume that you are/were taking Adderall -- do you feel that it helped to define you or some of the important moments in your life? Did it affect you in any significant way?
Thanks!
Matt
Forgot to add: I'm going to order the book now.
10/13/09
I'm still taking Adderall. I know people want the book to have this clear arc, and in many surprising ways it does. But life is messy and doesn't really work that way.
I think being a person who takes Adderall is something that has affected me quite a bit. One of the main things, though, is that it really seems to help me with depression. I have no idea who I would be without it, which is one of the tragedies of any drug use.
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At the same time, it's a ton of work. Managing the lending library was like having a job in customer service. And now I'm on a plane almost every day until December 9 when I finish in San Antonio (unless we add more home readings). As a writer you kind of have to ask yourself if it's worth it. I wouldn't do it for an anthology, for example. But The Adderall Diaries is my best book. I put everything into writing this book. So yeah, if I ever write something I feel this strongly about again, then I would probably do it.
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As a writer, for me, what was important was the pursuit of the truth. If you're writing memoir, and you're honestly trying to figure out who you are in this world, that's like a detective story, and the reader will follow you on your search. As long as you're honestly searching. People confuse writing honestly with not lieing, but that's not what it's about. It's about really looking hard, putting everything out there. But not just exposing yourself so much as examining yourself. Because your experiences, and how you process those experiences, are what make you unique. It's what you have to share with the world. And it's what other people can learn from.
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10/13/09
I think there are facts. Hans Reiser killed Nina Reiser, that's a fact. I entered the mental hospital August 30 (or 31, I have the paperwork somewhere) 1986. That's a fact. But the minute you try to put two facts together you enter a realm of memory and interpretation. For example, I say I ran away from home at 13 because my father was abusive. He says I was a spoiled child. My father remembers the group homes I was in as very nice places and I remember them as gladiator arenas where I got beat-up a lot. But, and this may sound crazy, his memories, and interpretations of those memories, are every bit as valid as mine. Your memories, and how you interpret them, are what define you. And when I think of the term "memoir" that's what it means to me. It's about memory.
You know, after my novel Happy Baby, my father launched a kind of campaign, calling journalists and telling them I was lieing every time I talked with someone about the group homes. I had to realize that our truths, though contrary to each other, could exist side by side. That my memories were true to me was what was important. And, I also had to realize that I loved my father anyway, in spite of everything.
So that's a long answer to your question. But as far as a memoir being pure fact? No, it's impossible. It doesn't exist outside the most narrow circumstances.
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10/13/09
At the same time, writers are always going to want to write. And if you write something good people will want to read it. A certain group of people. There's no book that appeals to everybody.
It's always weird to me to even use the term marketing, though I know it's totally accurate. I just want people to read my book. I'm sure it's not different from when cavemen did some wall painting and wanted other cavemen to check it out. Art, with some exceptions, is about sharing. So when I'm letting 400 people read advance copies of my book, more than anything else it's about sharing my work with 400 people. You hope that convinces other people to read the book, if the first group liked it enough. But it's not really about selling, it's, as you say, about connecting to readers.
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10/13/09
In some cities, like Richmond Virginia, I'm doing two different house parties. In other cities, like New Orleans, the hosts have organized it with an art gallery or a cafe.
In every way this is most interesting book tour I've ever done. I stay in these people's homes and really get to know them and they're community.
Nothing crazy yet. But I've only done four of them, plus two universities. I have more than twenty coming up. I'm hoping nothing goes seriously wrong, but that would be surprising.
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Somebody asked me the other day what my "elevator pitch" was. I said my elevator pitch is go see a movie. If you can sum up your book in one sentence then it probably shouldn't be a book.
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I feel like this might explain a little more than you think.
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