Overview
Paul Harding, Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist, discusses his writing philosophy, teaching approach, and the craft of literary fiction, emphasizing the value of patient observation, ambitious reading, and unique voice over plot-driven storytelling.
Writing Process and Philosophy
- Harding prioritizes describing reality and consciousness over traditional plot or character arcs.
- He treats writing as improvisation, favoring discovery through process instead of pre-planned outlines.
- Observing the world with patience and curiosity is foundational to his method.
- He encourages writers to avoid clichéd, habitual language and to seek fresh, vivid expression.
- Authenticity comes from working through sensation and memory rather than imposing received ideas or ready-made phrases.
- Revision is iterative and essential; Harding often writes and discards hundreds of pages to find the right expression.
- Precision in language is key; he strives for sentences that are both lucid and dense with meaning.
Teaching Approach
- Harding models thoughtfulness and self-awareness, guiding students to find their own writing processes.
- He resists prescriptive teaching, instead offering a wide array of methods and encouraging individual exploration.
- Central advice to students: "slow down," be patient, and give sustained attention to observation and revision.
- He believes good writing comes from honest, patient self-examination and a willingness to make mistakes.
- He accepts any genre in his classes, focusing on improving work according to each student’s goals and style.
Reading and Influence
- Harding advocates for ambitious, deep reading and learning from great literature.
- He believes a writer’s work can only be as good as the best books they have closely read and studied.
- He draws inspiration from Emerson, Melville, Shakespeare, and the Old Testament, striving to add to literary tradition while finding his unique voice.
- He reads the dictionary daily, exploring etymology to enrich his vocabulary and understanding of language.
Crafting Fiction
- For Harding, plot should emerge naturally from character and consciousness rather than dominate the narrative.
- He aims for his novels to provide a layered, immersive experience that invites rereading and deep engagement.
- He avoids explicit lessons or messages, seeking instead to open questions and evoke recognition in readers.
- Character and description are intertwined; sensory detail is refracted through the perspective of each character.
- Precision and richness in description are achieved through iterative revision and attention to the literal and figurative.
Artistic Values and Ambition
- Harding values artistic humility combined with the ambition to write at the level of literary greats.
- He encourages writers to embrace their individuality, comparing each mind to a fingerprint.
- Writers should write for perceptive, open-hearted readers, not for mass or indifferent audiences.
- He sees the act of writing as a generous, respectful engagement with the reader’s intellect and feelings.
Action Items
- TBD – Paul Harding: Continue modeling diverse creative processes for students.
- TBD – Students/Writers: Practice patient observation, iterative revision, and ambitious reading.