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Write Your Essay

I have no gift for writing fiction; I don't think I'll ever get great joy from inventing scenarios from thin air (although I like telling my son some stories about princes and princesses and castles).

I do very much like essays, both personal essays and critical essays. I think I won't ever run out of interest in these forms, which is a comforting thought. I'm always on the lookout for advice in this realm, and here are some of the things I've stolen:

*Take a well-loved thing and tear it apart. Some of the most famous essays are "Against Nature," "Against Love," "Against Joie de Vivre," George Orwell's thoughts on Gandhi, some contrarian thoughts on Mother Teresa. People have a tendency just to accept various bits of conventional "wisdom." It's inspiring to look at closely at the wisdom and to show when the emperor actually has no clothes.

*Force yourself to draw lessons from experience. Writers are sometimes timid about telling a personal story; they don't want to suggest a greater meaning. But the greater meaning is the point of the essay. Even if you reach for the meaning and come up with something banal, there is still something moving just in the attempt. When I wrote about Audra McDonald, I saw a difference between my current self and my 35-year-old self. The difference? Today, having watched my exuberant husband, I would approach Audra and speak up. That's the point of the essay.

*Worry less about what happened. Worry more about "HOW did it happen." In the opening pages of "Fun Home," Alison Bechdel tells us--baldly--that she had a closeted dad, and that he killed himself. So many other people would hoard those bits like buried treasure. But Bechdel knows that the scandal isn't really the point; what will hold our interest is Bechdel's thoughts, her search for meaning, and her recording of insights into Dad's character. A story can be: My dog escaped for approximately four minutes. People read for the characters and the insight; they don't actually read for the events. (Even if they *believe* otherwise.)

That's what I think about writing. Good luck to you! Have fun.
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