I'm reading a book of essays (meditations actually), written after and in response to September 11, 2001 ...
I've never been a huge fan of Barbara Kingsolver's fiction (or anyone's fiction for that matter, with the exception of J.R.R. Tolkien ... who actually was strongly "influenced" (ahem) by various mythologies ... but I digress). Yes, well, I very much liked Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, so when Don spotted her Small Wonder in the used book store, I was all in.
So far I've read half of one essay, skipped over another, and enthusiastically read three or four more. There's much to like and I'm making note of quotes such as this one:
" ... writers will go to stupefying lengths to get the infernal roar of words out of their skulls and onto paper ... "
Or blogs, as the case may be. I fortuitously discovered during my time at the Eastern Virginia Writing Project that my mind was very good at thinking up words to write, even when I was fast asleep. I came to trust the process, realizing that the words would wait to be written down, racketing around in my brain until I got around to it.
None of which has anything to do with "purple prose" except that I really wanted to make a purple patch. And write about writing. And how the only way I ever get the music to stop in my head (see yesterday's post), is to imagine the words I want to write ... purple or otherwise.
Yes, this is how my mind works. It's a crazy place.
And with all due respect (as she might not appreciate the comparison), I feel like Barbara Kingsolver is a kindred spirit with quotes that range from ...
"Political urgencies come and go, but it's a fair enough vocation to strike one match after another against dark isolation, when spectacular arrogance rules the day and tries to force hope into hiding."
to ...
"Mosquitoes, I have been told, are important pollinators in the Arctic. So good, they have their place in the grand scheme ... but it's taking me some time to get to that emotional plane where I can love a mosquito."
I can't wait to read the rest ...
