Abigail Thomas, The Writing Life by Anne Dilliard

“How many gifts do we open from which the writer neglected to remove the price tag?” (552 Dilliard)

She mentions “price tags” and “uncut umbilical cord” by writers as the work someone puts into something (552 Dilliard). By chapter 2 she too is delving into the price tag of her own writing and writing life. To me as an outside observer in the reading of her book her price tag seems so expensive for a writer’s life. Not unlike other people who pay high prices for say a rather useless diamond ring, her life seems not worth it, to me, for such a high price. Her high price as she describes is like secluding herself to Spartan-small places so she can rely as much as possible on her imagination, which I guess is a reasonable theory. She also describes not taking much care for herself like poor sleep and it doesn’t sound like she eats well. It seems so much for so little return to me.
But even as she questions her own self as to why would she live this life, I consent that her own doings are nothing to give her grief for, as I assume someone reading about me, who’s interests differing greatly from me, would think maybe my life isn’t worth living, in such the way that I do.
I also liked how she describes two boys, Brad and Brian coming to her house and them explaining that they liked a story of hers about a moth flying into a candle (583-4 Dilliard). Their appreciation gave me some evidence for her compensation.

Writer is careful of what he reads because that is what he will write and the what he learns because that is what he will know (590 Dilliard).

I think Anne Dilliard identified with the stunt pilot Rahm after she too experienced the sensation of the rolls he did. She talked about her realization that he was just as exposed pressures that were to be overcome by the discipline and blank; the struggles as a writer as to the g forces of a pilot (Chap 7 Dilliard).

I do feel a writer’s affinity with her as she describes writing and writing and writing but tomorrow most of it she’ll have to delete.