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Startle and Illuminate: Carol Shields on Writing
Startle and Illuminate: Carol Shields on Writing | Carol Shields
16 posts | 2 read | 8 to read
In the course of her extraordinary career, which included the novels The Stone Diaries, Larry's Party, The Republic of Love and Unless, as well as poetry, short stories, biography and plays, Carol Shields was unfailingly encouraging of other writers. She read and commented on her friends' manuscripts. She taught writing classes and she spoke and wrote on the craft of writing. Her own discipline rarely faltered. Her daily practice was to write a new page, then edit the page written the day before, then repeat, until, after a year or so, her book was finished. Now in her own words, as clear and straightforward as a glass of water, comes Startle and Illuminate, the best possible guide to the writing process, from conception to publication. This essential work, drawn by her daughter and grandson from her voluminous correspondence with other writers, essays, notes, comments, criticism and lectures, is a last gift from one of our finest novelists meant for both aspiring and established writers. It helps answer some of the most fundamental questions about writing: such as, why we write at all, whether writing can be taught, what keeps a reader turning the pages, and how a writer knows when a work is done. For Shields's devoted readers, Startle and Illuminate reveals her own thoughts on why we read--to be the other, to touch and taste the experience of the other; and why we write--for the joy of the making, to reimagine our world, to discover patterns and uncover forms that echo our realities as well as interrogate them, to imagine alternate worlds. It is a beautiful legacy.
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RealLifeReading
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#jubilantjuly day 17: #sideprofiles
I was rather pleased to find side profiles across a variety of genres!

MayJasper What is the one in the bottom left corner? 7y
MayJasper Thanks 😊 it sounds interesting 7y
Jeg You are amazing. 7y
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RealLifeReading
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My Book Outlet package was supposed to arrive on Saturday. The tracking thingy said it had been delivered on Saturday morning (not true) and finally it turned up with today's mail (phew!). I'm so looking forward to this stack of books - an early birthday present to myself 😀

Mimi28 Happy early birthday 🎉🎊🎁🎂❤️📚!!! 7y
Redwritinghood 🎉🎉🎂🎂 7y
TrishB Great haul 👍 7y
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minkyb Hate that feeling when you think a package may be lost. Enjoy. 7y
RealLifeReading @TrishB love what one can dig up at Book Outlet! 7y
RealLifeReading @minkyb definitely! Just glad it finally arrived! 7y
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shawnmooney
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Pickpick

I loved Carol Shields—her personal warmth and her writing, both inflected with a whimsical twinkle—when I was in my 20s. Having recently read her debut novel for the first time, I was stunned by how awful it was. These essays about the writing craft were really good, and conjured up everything I love about her. But I am still left with this question: for all her wisdom and whimsy, was Carol Shields too nice on the page to be a truly great writer?

Lindy Niceness doesn't negate quality writing. It's a matter of readers' tastes: someone looking for snark won't find it. 7y
shawnmooney @lindy I think you know my tastes well enough to know I hate snark. I am reevaluating Shields' fiction based on whether she sufficiently embraced the dark side of human experience, not just the whimsical and positive. I hope so but I really felt Small Ceremonies was diminutive AND diminished by this flaw. I don't think I've heard you weigh in on Shields yay or nay, so what say you? ❤️ 7y
Lindy @shawnmooney I find her writing poignant, witty and wise. I've only read a few, not 7y
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shawnmooney @lindy I was really thrown by how bad her debut novel was. I need to reread some of her stuff I'd previously read, especially my favorite collection of her short stories 7y
Lindy @shawnmooney Well, it was good enough to be published, it can't have been as bad as all that. And her work got stronger afterwards, which is the usual way of it. That aside, I do appreciate how excited you get about literature, whether you love it or hate it. 😀 7y
shawnmooney Good enough to get published ain't saying much, I don't think, but that said, on the excitement and enthusiasm level, I am utterly delighted to belong to a mutual admiration club with Miss Jean Lindy! :) 7y
Lesliereads I see I'm going to have to look up this awful debut novel of hers - hoping it's not the one I'm currently loving😂❣️ 7y
saresmoore As I'm in the midst of Various Miracles, I am resonating with what @Lindy describes in her writing, especially poignant & witty. In many of the stories a potential for something much deeper, but undeveloped or merely implied is apparent. But I can also see that she perpetuates a relatively positive view of humanity. Good food for thought from both of you, as always! 7y
shawnmooney @Lesliereads The most diplomatic thing I can say is, I hope you enjoy it! 😍 7y
shawnmooney @saresmoore @Lindy I am going to re-read Various Miracles this year, and I am hoping it holds up after all these years. The fact that Sara is enjoying it now bodes well! 😘😘 7y
saresmoore @shawnmooney It's funny that you should say that, because I JUST read a story that I found to be tedious and a bit ridiculous about a man who invents caricatures of women and falls in love with them based solely on reading their first names. 😬But most of them I've really enjoyed. 😊🤞 7y
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shawnmooney
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shawnmooney
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💜💜💜
(I had to google that: the Munro story is 'Miles City, Montana.'

saresmoore This just struck me right in the heart. ♥️ 7y
shawnmooney @saresmoore Mine too. Have you read any Munro? 7y
saresmoore I haven't! Do you have a recommendation of where to start? I've been wanting to read 7y
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LeahBergen @saresmoore Get this one ... it has all of her best stories and it will match your Mavis (I think?) (edited) 7y
shawnmooney @saresmoore I think you could start pretty much anywhere. I haven't read all of her stuff but maybe my favorite of her books of short stories might be 7y
saresmoore @LeahBergen Yes, it does match! @shawnmooney Thank you both! 7y
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shawnmooney
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Dragon I do love a potboiler 😂 7y
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shawnmooney
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It's a special thrill to read one of my favorite writers's thoughts on another of my favorite writers! ❤️❤️

saresmoore 😍 I'm thankful that you introduced me to both women/writers! 7y
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shawnmooney
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saresmoore Yes, Carol, yes. 7y
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shawnmooney
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Julsmarshall Love it! 7y
LeahBergen This is fabulous! 7y
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shawnmooney
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I had never heard of this Canadian author. Carol Shields is right: she only ever published one novel, Sandbars, and died in 2006 at the age of 90. Has anybody heard of her, or read this book? She does have a Wikipedia page, but there isn't even a photograph of her online!

DivineDiana No, but I am intrigued! 7y
mcctrish Nope, but I'm with @DivineDiana and my curiosity is piqued 7y
LeahBergen No! 7y
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shawnmooney
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shawnmooney
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Oooh, I can't remember having ever heard Carol Shields say anything bad about anybody before! I'm pretty sure I have an inkling about what her beef might be with John Irving, but I hope she spells it out in this book! :-) And when am I finally going to get around to checking V.S. Pritchett out?

ValerieAndBooks If she does, let me know. I feel like I "should" like Irving, but have only liked one of his books! Bailed on the other 2 I've tried. I'm going to try him one more time when I get to Letter I for #litsyAtoZ. 7y
batsy Need to read this! I too have grave reservations about Irving. 7y
tournevis Irving. Guh. 7y
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shawnmooney
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Lesliereads I'm not familiar with this writer but this quote, as well as the title of the book makes me want to get acquainted! 7y
Lindy Great quote. 👍 7y
ReadingEnvy Wow I like that. 7y
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shawnmooney
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Having just finished reading the first essay in this collection, man do I ever miss Carol Shields! I need a hug. ❤️❤️

saresmoore Oh, wow, what insight! Virtual hugs are woefully inadequate, but I'll give as many as you'll take. 7y
Lindy I enjoy both, poetry that gives the vertebral crinkling, and the top-of-the-head blowing off kind. Sherri-D Wilson is a good example of the latter: 7y
LeahBergen I love this. 7y
ReadingEnvy I've never read her! 7y
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shawnmooney
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A friend picked this up earlier this year for me at a book launch, signed by the editors, Carol Shields's daughter and cutie-patootie grandson.

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shawnmooney
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Oh oh oh! Twitter just told me about this forthcoming collection of Carol Shields' writings on writing! She's one of my favorite writers and much-missed. Think my Winnipeg friend can get me a signed copy. Oh oh oh! And how about that pretty grandson eh? ;)

BkClubCare Oh oh oh! I was blown away by The Stone Diaries. Seriously, I have to take a moment. . . 8y
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