Writing Theory

[Paul Mackin]

It's my impresssion that during the "writing stage" beginning writers
can't overly dwell on just how or in what form their stuff will eventually
be published. Probably they're always on the look out for a publication
opportunity and the sooner the better. If one arises sooner rather than
later they will take advantage of it with a short piece. Later, when the
opportunity arises, the same material may relatively seemlessly be
made to fit into a longer piece. They won't hesitate to do this.  I think
this may explain some of Pynchon. I remember reading recently the New York
Times review of V. (It was on line in their series about prominent
writers). Anyway, though I can't remember it exactly, the review
speculated that P in forming the book had probably pulled together a
number of pieces that may have been independently written so to speak.
Cleaning out his desk in other words.  This wasn't meant negatively
exactly. Just an observation based on the "set piece" feel of the various 
episodes. I think I would agree with it. And I loved V.

			P.

On Mon, 28 Feb 2000, Watson wrote:

> I don't know much about the theory of writing, but I wanted to ask a
> general question. I'm writing a thesis on Mason and Dixon, and I keep
> contextualizing it against both GR and Vineland. All mainstream reviews
> of MandD take their time to get in at least one negative comment about
> Vineland, something I lament because I feel that Pynchon had to write
> Vineland to write MandD. This leads to my question...is there anything
> written about the idea that novelists write "pre-writes" in the form of
> smaller novels before their bigger works, ie no V without the story from
> Slow Learner, no GR without TCOL49, no MandD without Vineland. It's as
> though P writes an introduction or outline for what he wishes to write
> later, and it still gets published.
> 	Perhaps that is an oversimplification, but I wonder if this has
> come up in discussion. Best,
> 					Graham
> 
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>     " All this talk about architecture and art is very dangerous: it
>     brings the ears so far forward that they act as blinkers to the eyes."
> 					
> 						-Edwin Luytens
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> 
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