Tom Wolf introduces this segment about the prolific young writer, John Gardner who wrote and wrote long before anyone took notice of his work. His father composed sermons behind the plow and Gardener said that they were wonderful. Gardner started writing poems at a young age, about a boy and a dog, to attract attention. Gardner had boxes of manuscripts and one, Mickelsson’s Ghosts took 20 years to work over and get published. He talks about studying a gesture, a moment to get it right, and that all fiction takes some reality in the nature of a person or mannerism. "Take six months on a short story of 20 pages, until it's right and brilliant and perfect....And when that's done, you've got everybody beat. You're the best writer in town." You want to have the most vivid idea, the most unique. Persistence is key, whether you start your own small magazine, or try to get published in the Atlantic Monthly or some other publication. Don’t worry about getting a publisher until you have something worthy of publishing.
Side Notes:
- July 21, 1933 - September 14, 1982
- Gardner was a gifted poet and a critic who published several books on Old and Middle English poetry
- His reputation was established with the appearance of Grendel September 17, 1971. The novel was a retelling of the story of Beowulf, told from the perspective of the monster.
- Gardner died in a motorcycle accident
The Writer's Workshop features 15 major talents in contemporary literature who met in a one-on-one forum with well-known author William Price Fox and University of South Carolina creative writing students. Each writer discussed his or her personal writing methods, furnishing insights into the highly individualized process of literary creation. Other authors include George Plimpton, James Dickey, James McPherson, John Gardener, John Hawkes, John Irving, Kurt Vonnegut, Nora Ephron, Pauline Kael, Reynolds Price, Stephen Spender, Susan Sontag, Tom Wolf, William Price Fox, and William Styron.
