Last night I had the opportunity to see John Updike at the Alley Theatre for the Inprint Brown Reading Series. The audience was treated to about forty minutes of reading and then another half hour or so was set aside for an interview.

For the readings, Updike chose two stories that he noted contain no dialogue. “Always a mistake in short stories,” he said. But he thought both were appropriate for reading in Texas. One (I believe) was called “Go West” (which got him wondering whether Texas is considered a part of the West or South) and the other was “The Family Meadow.”

During the interview, he was asked whether he thought there’s any hope for a young writer of non-genre fiction. He said yes, but placed qualifications on his answer. It’s good to start writing young, he said, but so much of being a good writer comes from living life. So, as one gets older, there are more experiences to draw from. While on that subject, he was asked if publishers ever reject him anymore. Yes, he said, for a couple reasons. First, magazines like The New Yorker are simply publishing fewer stories these days. He’s also bringing old news.

So, there’s a spectrum, then, to a writer’s career. On one end, you don’t know enough. On the other, you don’t know enough about what’s new. I think this can probably be avoided for the most part if a writer not only keeps up with current writing, but also continues to innovate. The danger lies in finding a form that works for most of one’s career and failing to recognize the moment it becomes stale.

Tags: john updike, reading, writers, Writing

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