Overview
This conversation with Richard Powers explores the craft of writing fiction, focusing on character, drama, voice, structure, and the interplay between literature and the non-human world. Powers shares insights on empathy, process, sentence construction, dialogue, and the evolving relationship between solitude and creativity.
Character, Drama, and Story Types
- Drama emerges from conflicts: individual (person vs. self), interpersonal (person vs. person), and environmental (person vs. environment).
- Character is built from outward traits, mannerisms, and core inner values, often coming into conflict.
- Pushing characters to choose between competing values creates meaningful, dramatic tension.
- Interior (psychological), sociological/political, and environmental/conflict with nature are key narrative axes.
Empathy, Research, and the Non-Human World
- Developing empathy for non-human characters involves drawing on childhood wonder and mythological/indigenous stories.
- Powers’ research for "The Overstory" involved scientific reading and personal observation of trees.
- Fiction can revive empathy for the natural world, challenging adult detachment.
The Craft of Voice, Language, and Description
- Voice arises from word choice (register, diction) and sentence structure (syntax, pacing).
- Sentence forms—front-loaded, delayed, or split predications—achieve different emotional effects.
- Descriptive writing benefits from revision and intentional use of animism or metaphor.
Writing Process, Revision, and Solitude
- Writing is an iterative process with continuous revision and adaptation.
- Solitude enables imaginative depth, while engagement with the world tests a work’s resonance.
- Powers’ daily routine has shifted from strict word counts to prioritizing immersion in the external world for inspiration.
Dialogue and Realism
- Effective dialogue is stylized for efficiency, not a direct transcript of real speech.
- Reading dialogue aloud helps ensure authenticity and emotional impact.
- Admiration for varied dialogue styles, such as Anne Patchett’s realism and Don DeLillo’s artifice.
Structure and Form in Narrative
- Narrative tension maps as hook, exposition, rising action, climax, and dénouement.
- Structure arises from managing stakes/tension and reflecting character choices and consequences.
Final Craft Insights and Daily Practice
- Craft blends intuition and intellect; different tools and formats (typing, dictation, handwriting) suit different creative needs.
- The goal is integration: aligning all elements (voice, tension, character, description) to support the narrative.
- Powers now seeks growth through engagement with nature, letting experience drive writing rather than fixed targets.
Key Quotes and Takeaways
- Stories are more persuasive than arguments for changing hearts and minds.
- Attention to detail and openness to wonder deepen meaning and creativity.
- Writing is a perpetual process—embrace revision and the lack of finality.