Learning How to Write Well | Yann Martel | Big Think
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- Опубликовано: 24 июл 2024
- Learning How to Write Well
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There’s no formula to writing. The key thing is simply to read, says the novelist. "The best teacher is a cheap, little Penguin classic."
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YANN MARTEL:
Yann Martel is the author of The High Mountains of Portugal and Life of Pi, the #1 international bestseller and winner of the 2002 Man Booker (among many other prizes). He is also the award-winning author ofThe Facts Behind the Helsinki Roccamatios (winner of the Journey Prize), Self, Beatrice & Virgil, and 101 Letters to a Prime Minister. Born in Spain in 1963, Martel studied philosophy at Trent University, worked at odd jobs-tree planter, dishwasher, security guard-and traveled widely before turning to writing. He lives in Saskatoon, Canada, with the writer Alice Kuipers and their four children.
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TRANSCRIPT:
Yann Martel: The standard, the usual suspects. All the great, dead, white males, then, you know, some women, everyone, you know, everyone from Yukio Mishima the Japanese writer, Knut Hansun the Norwegian writer. The living writer I admire the most, don’t know if he influences me much, but is J.M. Coetzee, the South African, well, now Australian writer. It’s amazing what he does with so few words. The most monumental book I’ve ever read, I believe, would be "The Divine Comedy," by Dante. I love all the Russians. Dostoevsky, to me, is not necessarily a great novelist, but he’s a great writer. Tolstoy is both a great writer and a great novelist. But I also like sort of the slightly lesser known, you know, Turgenev, Gogol, Goncharov all of those, you know, the usual 19th, you know, to me, the apogee of English language writing was 19th Century English writing, those great, you know, naturalistic writers like Thomas Hardy, Charles Dickens, Joseph Conrad, and then moving on to 20th Century American literature. So, as I said, the usual suspects, you know, the Hemingways, Faulkners, Sinclair Lewis, all of those. Willa Cather, you know, so all those. You know, I have no, I can’t say there’s any writer, you know, in "Beatrice and Virgil," I used Flaubert, I used Diderot, the play within the novel is very much in a Beckett kind of mode. But none of those are gods to whom I kneel every day, each has their strength, each has their weaknesses.
Question: What advice would you give to an aspiring writer?
Yann Martel: I don’t know. Maybe letting go, like go at it and then, or maybe take a break. Not let go, but take a break. Try to figure it out and take a break and get back to it. I’m saying that actually because I recently heard Martin Amis, who now as an older writer, where as a younger writer, he would just force himself to work through, whereas now, as soon as he has a problem, he gets up from his desk and gives himself time. So, maybe that. I don’t know, you know, I think there’s no formula to writing, so, the key thing, I’d say to anyone who aspires to write, would be to read. The best teacher is a cheap, Little Penguin classic. Read beyond what you want to write, so if you want to write romance, great, but also read science fiction, read classics. If you aspire to be a literary writer, if you aspire to be the next John Updike, read Harlequins. You know, read outside, read beyond the narrow ken of what you, what your particularly like. So, read, read, read.
Question: What’s the hardest part of being a writer?
Yann Martel: It’s so damn cerebral, you’re just in your head. You’re in a sitting position in your head. I love the physicality of dance, the physicality of painting. I love the emotional immediacy of music. It’s so in your head, so that... that drives me crazy at times. I wish it were more physical, which is I suppose why, in some ways I love theater, because it’s spoken. Now, the playwright is still sitting, but the end product is more physical. So I guess that, that that is very, now I say that in the conversation that it’s, there’s no greater representation of reality than a great novel, nothing can beat a great novel, nothing. Not cinema, not music, not painting. They all have their strengths, but if you want to capture a past reality, you know, Russia in the 19th Century, nothing will do it better than a great novel by Tolstoy. It’ll give you, it’ll capture that past reality better than a painting, better than a symphony, nothing can beat a great, great novel. It is the greatest mode of representation. It doesn’t mean it’s...
Read the full transcript at bigthink.com/videos/learning-... 
Наука
How to write good.
1. Avoid alliteration. Always
2. Prepositions are not words to end sentences with.
3. Avoid cliches like the plague. They're old hat.
4. Comparisons are as bad as cliches.
5. Be more or less specific
6. Writers should never generalize.
Seven: Be consistent!
8. Don't be redundant; don't use more words than necessary; it's highly superfluous.
9. Who needs rhetorical questions?
10. Exaggeration is a billion times worse than understatement.
TriZane 01 6) Don't get writing advice off You Tube.
+TriZane 01
1. Avoid alliteration, see Kerouac.
2. Prepositions are not words to end sentences with - this rule I could do "without".
3. Avoid cliches... ok, "I agree you hit the bull on the head here."
It was a joke lol
It was a joke sir. Hopefully you knew that.
+Brennan Stultz Thank you for the #1. Sometimes it's how you use it that means more than what rules you're suppose to obey.
The hardest part of writing is looking at what you've done, maybe 1,000, 3,000 words, or more, and realizing that it's just no good and you have to do it over. A few times.
+Philip Mann A few dozen times even :P
+Philip Mann I'd do you over a million times.
For some of us that’s the easiest thing and the hardest thing is to stop messing with it after a thousand drafts and trust that someone else might like it.
its endless emotional torture. I imagine that is the nature of anything creative.
The first draft is the best part, the rest just kills all the fun of writing.
"A human who has no stories is someone who has not been loved and not been able to love." Fits better than I would like. Never connected it with not having stories to tell.
It doesn't mean necessarily loving someone, as in people. It can be some thing, idea, pursuit, an activity...
He speaks very well for a writer. His explanation of the novel as the greatest mode of representation was clear and unpretentious.
I totally agree that the hardest part about being a writer is that you have to be in your own "world," sometimes. That's why I'd say its important to do a physical art as well. Dancing, acting, and drawing are great for writers block and to get yourself out of your own mind so much. Haha!
well nothing does action better than a movie, nothing can beat music in energy and unity, nothing is more physical than dance, nothing more immersive than a video game, nothing can convey as much as a painting with so little ... all the mediums have their strenghts ... writing however seems to be the purest form of storytelling there is. its like telling a story, while being able to think about every word and for the listener to take their time when they have it and really focus and listen
+Marc Kael The great thing with a book, is that the reader can perceive his/hers own movie, music, colours and moves just from those printed words. Just using some homegrown fantasy, at no cost.
Idk why but after a busy day about, for some reason interview clips like this can be very calming and serene to hear
In terms of the question "Whats the hardest part of being a writer?"...He nailed it on the head. I was actually thinking about this the other day... My social circle and my upbringing is primarily made of artists of different mediums; painters, musicians, thespians, etc. Being a writer is sometimes so frustrating to me because whereas my friends and family can quickly produce a physical expression of what they are getting at, I, as a novelist, cannot. The only time I can get remotely close, is if i finish writing my book. And doing that, is no small or quick feat for me. And even once my work is done, it still takes time and dedication to read the work lol.
You're lucky. I'd kill to be surrounded by other artist.
I'm awash on an atoll surrounded by gulls with no interest in any of it :P.
true! I've tried a couple of times. My mom is very good at it and I've envied that lol. I'm not too bad but i find that the plots i think of are never really appropriate for short stories. My style is pretty detailed so its better suited to novels or at least novelettes. I just end up writing too much for it to be considered short story-worthy. Maybe i just don't try hard enough to condense my work or to think of plots that work as short stories. its a good idea though.. Im sure ill try to do it again sometime.
ecaepevolhturt that sounds like an interesting exercise, i think i should try that! it would be useful for working on concision..thanks
IF YOU ARE NOT CREATIVE OR DONT MAKE TIME THAT MAKES YOU A BAD WRITER
Everyone has a story in their head and they think is worth telling. It is like looking at a sunset and realizing it is beautiful and wanting to put that beauty onto canvas. The trick is: how do you do that? I don't think that knowledge can come from writing classes. No matter what kind of instruction, or how much practice, it is unlikely that a random person can climb into a racecar and be competitive.
I used to read a lot from the "classics" and knew of a lot of writers. The last decade, though, I have read very little.
That saddens me.
Then read...
Try comic books.
Yann Martel, Life of Pi was amazing! My teacher used our class as a guinea pig for your newly-published book back then, and that was fantastic!
good advice brother. same deal with music - the only thing that makes a good musician is if they're also a good listener
I missed the year he was writer in residence at my local public library. I had nothing finished then, barely started even. Now I’m finishing my second novel.
Great and elegant conclusion at the end, thank you.
Here is an advice for writers:
Write your story and when it is finished, put it away for a few weeks, then go back to it and read it. You will find plenty holes in your story as well as grammatical errors. You have to do that a few times to produce a well-written story..
I agree with the idea of writing the story, then putting it away for a few weeks and then going back and examining it. Most of the grammatical flubs can be found and weird sentences can be redone. But it still will not put artistry into the writing. The story may be wonderful but if the writing does not contain a richness, the public will not read the story.
Remembering Saul Bellow, one of the greatest writers in the English language, Ever! Henderson the Rain King, Herzog, Augie March, Mr. Samler's Planet etc.........
I'm Nigerian. I loved The cave and Cain, and All the Names to an extent. I hope that changes your perspective. Underrated is not necessarily the same as overly exposed.
When he said that the best kind of storytelling is religious in nature, I couldn't help but think of Ghost in The Shell. What did you think?
when you lost your ego, you became believeable
Haven't read the book, Life of Pi, but I've seen the movie. Incredible story!
I love good horror. Doesnt matter what medium, what you have to realise is what you want to do with your work. Books, movies, music and videogames are just tools. Personally I love works that combine as much as possible is the right balance. That itself is something like a symphony.
Reading beyond yourself is great advice, imo. That's rare in a lot of writing programs, I'm thinking.
My all time favorite Character will always be Roger Brook in the Travels of Roger Brook! There were so many adventures in France and other parts of Europe, I couldn't put them down for very long!!"
Dante! His _Inferno_ is just a piece of art!
I think art gives something that a story cannot - a stream of experience that transcends the symbol (which is what a word is)
I loved Dante Devine comedies maybe not to read as much, I only fond one or two stanzas of Dante Infernomelodically pleasing, but going through the references of Greek and Roman mythology is just about the most fun you could have with a book. Plus I love how the Russian writers are so intense and striped down of redundant parts. I get them explained to me I tried reading some would do it again if I were not so fuuuuuucking lazy.
“Sitting position in your head” , describes me at work, only I am not a writer, and am not all that much cerebral in what I do.
He lived in England much of his life, especially important is that he lived there when he wrote. English may not have been his first language, but he wrote in English. Most of his writing came from his time in the English Navy. Thus, he has to be considered an English writer who was born in Poland.
He wrote in English...there's actually an anecdote about him becoming severely depressed b/c some critic (or editor) mocked his english speaking/writing abilities (and he was too long removed from his Polish language roots to write well using that language).
"Read outside what you like." Jesus, how hard that actually is. I love my Lee Child and Walter Mosley and Robert B. Parker and Dennis Lehane...but to read Rushdie or Junot Diaz or Coehlo? Hard, man.
I have never read a book. EVER!, except for picture books, I do read on the internet. But it would be called casual. oppose to feeling pressure from myself to intake information and read a novel, I love to write also, its a lot of fun. But seeing what you wanna write and knowing you can't write it down is even better.
I want an help from u sir i am not too gud in mathematics so plz make a video on making maths interesting and easy
is there a written interview for this?
This guy's first few words were commendable in this segment. He said what the fuck he wanted and what he thought. Think about it, what he said wasn't racist at all.
Kenan Johnson Everything is racist now. Even calling Shakespeare a white male will get you the racist badge.
I really wish this video was entitled 'How to Write Good'...
I think the idea is to read what you want to write, but not limit yourself to that specific genre. You may find, say, the way a character in a romance novel explains the beauty of his/her lover striking. You may decide to use a similar approach describing the horror of a murder from the murderer's point of view. Or something.
Thank u all very much
Read, read, read. I respect the Faulkner reference -- that's really the only advice you can give.
Read until your brain fills with words to the brim, then they cannot help but spill out onto a new page. You get pulled by the writing, rather than trying to push it along.
"let go". best thing he said in the whole thing, what he didn't think about too much and talk over himself with.
Letting go can be the hardest part.
That's actually a good, and very honest quote. Men do indeed prefer to read books written by men, and women like books by female authors better. In fact, the differences in style and content between male and female texts are so readily quantifiable that there even exist computer algorithms that can tell the difference with a high degree of accuracy
I tried reading Hemingway I couldn't finish, the same with Faulkner
I was just laughing at the statement. It's a funny way to word it.
My relative Henry Cary wrote the translation of Dante into English. I wonder if it was his version that Yann read? I'd love to know seeing as it was the most monumental book he has ever read.
Practice, practice, practice, submit, submit, submit, practice, submit! :)
I like music the most, in the second is the writting
Good to know. Next read Blindness and The Double. ;)
God that Findlay Toyota guy has no humiliation.
He won the nobel prize in literature. I don't know what underrated means.
Aaah I love Sinclair Lewis!
Interesting that he didn't mention Scliar, the writer he plagiarized from to write Life of Pi.
Diego Lopes school me please
James who ?
Did anyone else get the name of the writer he was speaking about at 0:27 ?
J.M. Coetzee
Yann Martel is great.
Excellent
What he says is very true.
If a picture paints a thousand words, a novel paints an album
referring to the language, not the origin. Conrad did write in English.
Make it simple so everything will be good
Nothing can beat a great novel... Which includes music. :| As a producer... CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!
Well.
oh yeah thanks!!
I'm a writer, I'm the observer, not the observed.
saramago is so under rated
Well, that's another point of view.
He's smarter and more interesting than Jonathan Franzen in person -- but his literature just doesn't get the same respect. #PleasantSurprise
Yann Martel. Wrote an obscure, much forgotten little book called Life of Pi..
"Dennis Wheatley will always be my Mentor, and even though he's dead and gone to most?? He still lives in England!!"
"It's so damn cerebral."
There's a hell of a lot of great non-white male writers too. Its unfortunate that they're not more well known because people are missing out.
Do you live in Bethesda for real? I live in Germantown.
if you can swim through the first two minutes of name dropping.....
Charles Dickens, "naturalistic"? He is (or was) the wordiest sonofabitch of the Victorian age, and dry dry dry. Wilde certainly wrote some long-winded monologues, but at least his were interesting and insightful. Conrad, by comparison, was far more terse, and in my view, rich, for not having all of Dicken's fluff.
it doesn't sound like you know what naturalistic means.
If one uses the definition of "pertaining to nature" then Dickens does not qualify. If one uses the definition as being realistic descriptions, as in as close to their real nature as can be described, Dickens only does this some times, and other times, not. Such as when he uses symbolism. For example when he wrote "Implacable November weather. As much mud in the streets as if the waters had but newly retired from the face of the earth, and it would not be wonderful to meet a Megalosaurus, 40 feet long or so, waddling like an elephantine lizard up Holborn Hill." Descriptive, sure, but not literal or naturalistic at all.
Later he writes "The raw afternoon is rawest, and the dense fog is densest, and the muddy streets are muddiest near that leaden-headed old obstruction, appropriate ornament for the threshold of a leaden-headed old corporation, Temple Bar." This is more poetry than prose, and certainly not naturalistic. While there is nothing wrong with the style, Dickens goes ON and ON.
kev3d en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naturalism_%28literature%29
hth
By that description we read "...Literary movement that sought to depict believable everyday reality, as opposed to such movements as Romanticism or Surrealism, in which subjects may receive highly symbolic, idealistic, or even supernatural treatment."
How does Dickens qualify, given his mixed use of symbols and clearly supernatural references, especially in A Christmas Carol, arguably his most popular work? Even a Tale of Two Cities, often cited for being realistic, often invokes the spiritual notion of Resurrection.
I loved Life of Pi
I think everything has a story, the universe has a story, but it has nothing to do with love. What makes humans unique is actually the ability to stand upright and bend backwards, no animal has ever been able to that.
i has no stories :(
It is sad that no one ever lists Edgar Rice Burroughs as an important literary influence. One of the all-time great Novelists.
......RVM45
I just read Tarzan and I loved it!
I agree that he is one of the most influential writers of science fiction, if not the one guy who started it all, but when thinking about him, I always have to remember one quote: "He was a great storyteller, but a miserable writer."
What that means is that the worlds he created are absolutely amazing, and is ideas fantastically new, but when looking at the actual quality of his writing, it's not really that impressive.
3027085 I disagree with that comment, however. It's a bullshit comment made by someone who is upset that no one appreciates how great their own writing is. Certainly, his writing was not high art in itself, but there was nothing that made you groan. It was serviceable, and trying to separate the writing from the storytelling I think is dumb. He told great stories--what do you think he did that with? He did it with his writing.
(I hope you realize I'm not arguing with you, all my comments are directed toward the person you were quoting.)
Fair point. I guess calling him a great writer depends on what you value most in a book, the plot or the writing. If you want to learn how to create a full and interesting world, Burroughs is the man to read, but if you have plentiful ideas but don't know how to make them nice to read, you might want to look at someone else.
Yann Martel reminds me of chef Marco Pierre White for some reason. The way they talk is oddly similar.
3:44 I disagree! Music can do it MUCH better, the difference is that moveable type has been around since about 1000 A.D. and music/audio recording since the 20th century!!!!
The Guy talks very Erudite, but I have never heard of him. What did he write?
HoldenNY22 Life of Pi.
I enjoy anyone who writes well but does not let me guess what will happen next, as well as the ending. Agatha Christie is one of the only ones like this. Stephen King is a good writer, when he is not in 'automatic mode', but still, I can basically guess what happens in most of his books.
It's even funnier because he didn't actually disagree with him in the first place.
He meant English language. Conrad was English naturalised anyway.
Why is every sentence a question? Is he asking or telling?
I would disagree that the hardest part of being a writer is opening the door and having people see what you've created. Because it's usually at that moment that all that work really comes to a head by what the person is going to say about it. It may sound petty and needy but as Stephen King pointed out, "Writers are needy people by nature."
(Yes, but his most well-known works were written in English...so that's one of those "one the border" concerns...)
"All the great dead white males"? Referencing the play? I'm confused. Someone please explain.
+lawrence moran I felt like he was being ironic, as many of the literary greats of the past were white men.
Joseph Conrad a naturalistic writer ... The funniest thing I've heard in years.
economy of words.
If impreciseness economizes words, then yes.
Maybe he's just human so he made a mistake.
Dushan Stojchev Maybe I'm also human and I find mistakes funny.
He said white? Like Charlton Heston made a point of saying at the end of Bowling For Columbine? Subtext. Bet this guy hated Keenen and Kel.
Are you giving Keenen and Kel as an example of a great work of Black literature? XD XD
I've noticed that he doesn't mention Shakespeare ONCE!
Shakespeare is overrated. 😉
Wittgenstein's Illegitimate?
"The saddest, saddest thing, in human terms, is to have a human being with no stories. Cuz a human who has no stories, is someone who has not been loved, and has not been able to love."
....well....fuck me.
Big Think is the fukin best
Best teacher is to experience and method writing, like method acting. Period. Don't go to any school.. open RUclips learn all the rules and beak the jeez Outta em.. though.. if u know not Marcus A, or Tolstoy or Tagore , or Tesla.. it's fine.. as long as your belief is hardcore nothing will work.. sacrifices are side dishes
Did he just say read HARLEQUINS??
Dysfuntional Visionary yeah he said harlequins!
Captivating.
who is he?
lol i noticed that too
Who is this guy?
Yann Martel. Life of Pi.
Well, he taught himself English and moved to England to write. He's certainly not categorized under Polish literature.
Who is this dude?
Conrad was Polish, but he wrote in English not Polish...just saying.