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The Writing Life
Celebrated author Ellen Gilchrist has played many roles-writer and speaker, wife and lover, mother and grandmother. But she never tackled the role of teacher. Offered the opportunity to teach creative writing at the University of Arkansas, she took up the challenge and ventured into unknown territory. In the process of teaching more than two hundred students since her first class in 2000, she has found inspiration in their lives and ambitions and in the challenge of conveying to them the lessons she has learned from living and writing. The Writing Life brings together fifty essays and vignettes centered on the transforming magic of literature and the teaching and writing of it. A portion of the collection discusses the delicate balance between an artistic life and family commitments, especially the daily pressures and frequent compromises faced by a young mother. Gilchrist next focuses on the process of writing itself with essays ranging from "How I Wrote a Book of Short Stories in Three Months" to "Why Is Rewriting so Hard?" Several essays discuss her appreciation of other writers, from Shakespeare to Larry McMurtry, and the lessons she learned from them. Eudora Welty made an indelible impact on Gilchrist's work. When Gilchrist takes on the task of teaching, her essays reveal an enriched understanding of the role writing plays in any life devoted to the craft. Humorous and insightful, she assesses her own abilities as an instructor and confronts the challenge of inspiring students to attain the discipline and courage to pursue the sullen art. Some of these pieces have been previously published in magazines, but most are unpublished and all appear here in book form for the first time.
226 pages, Hardcover
First published February 18, 2005
5 people are currently reading
130 people want to read
About the author
Ellen Gilchrist
70 books260 followers A writer of poems, short stories, novels, and nonfiction commentaries, Ellen Gilchrist is a diverse writer whom critics have praised repeatedly for her subtle perceptions, unique characters, and sure command of the writer’s voice, as well as her innovative plotlines set in her native Mississippi.
As Sabine Durrant commented in the London Times, her writing “swings between the familiar and the shocking, the everyday and the traumatic.... She writes about ordinary happenings in out of the way places, of meetings between recognizable characters from her other fiction and strangers, above all of domestic routine disrupted by violence.” The world of her fiction is awry; the surprise ending, although characteristic of her works, can still shock the reader. “It is disorienting stuff,” noted Durrant, “but controlled always by Gilchrist’s wry tone and gentle insight.”
She earned her B.A. from Millsaps College in 1967, and later did postgraduate study at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville.
She has worked as an author and journalist, as a contributing editor for the Vieux Carre Courier from 1976-1979, and as a commentator on National Public Radio’s Morning Edition from 1984-1985. Her NPR commentaries have been published in her book Falling Through Space.
She won a National Book Award for her 1984 collection of short stories, Victory Over Japan.
As Sabine Durrant commented in the London Times, her writing “swings between the familiar and the shocking, the everyday and the traumatic.... She writes about ordinary happenings in out of the way places, of meetings between recognizable characters from her other fiction and strangers, above all of domestic routine disrupted by violence.” The world of her fiction is awry; the surprise ending, although characteristic of her works, can still shock the reader. “It is disorienting stuff,” noted Durrant, “but controlled always by Gilchrist’s wry tone and gentle insight.”
She earned her B.A. from Millsaps College in 1967, and later did postgraduate study at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville.
She has worked as an author and journalist, as a contributing editor for the Vieux Carre Courier from 1976-1979, and as a commentator on National Public Radio’s Morning Edition from 1984-1985. Her NPR commentaries have been published in her book Falling Through Space.
She won a National Book Award for her 1984 collection of short stories, Victory Over Japan.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
August 5, 2013
I had no idea who Ellen Gilchrist was, but still wanted to read her opinions on writing (and this book was in my most recent speed-dating project.) It turns out she's a much bigger deal than I expected, but oh well, now I know. This is a book of essays about her writing life, rather than the more nebulous writing life. They are very personal and specific, but sometimes have useful tidbits. Some I found interesting and some I skimmed. They are divided into three sections - life, writing, and teaching. Since I am in the middle of a songwriting class, I found most of my gems there.
Some of her writing knowledge isn't new, it seems simple, but bears repeating:
"The way you start writing is by writing."
(I know, it is so obvious, right, but she says she struggles with it every. single. time.)
"When we let another person read a manuscript we want complete and instant praise. The artist is a two-year-old child. She does not want to be criticized in any way. That's what you have to deal with to be a writer. You have to love and nourish the child within who writes the stuff. You have to give the little witch chocolate candy and feed her nasty little ego and then you have to get tough and tell her to sit down at the desk and act like a man or there won't be any money for next month's trip to the mall."
Ha. I needed to hear that last one. I've been taking a songwriting class and any negative comment sends me reeling. Clearly I need to feed my inner writer child some candy and tell her she can't get up until she is done. :)
Some of her writing knowledge isn't new, it seems simple, but bears repeating:
"The way you start writing is by writing."
(I know, it is so obvious, right, but she says she struggles with it every. single. time.)
"When we let another person read a manuscript we want complete and instant praise. The artist is a two-year-old child. She does not want to be criticized in any way. That's what you have to deal with to be a writer. You have to love and nourish the child within who writes the stuff. You have to give the little witch chocolate candy and feed her nasty little ego and then you have to get tough and tell her to sit down at the desk and act like a man or there won't be any money for next month's trip to the mall."
Ha. I needed to hear that last one. I've been taking a songwriting class and any negative comment sends me reeling. Clearly I need to feed my inner writer child some candy and tell her she can't get up until she is done. :)
December 18, 2021
As If I couldn't love Ellen Gilchrist any more
August 5, 2009
This is a charming, generous book of vignettes about the writing life. Ellen Gilchrist humbly shares her experiences of winning the National Book Award, writing many books, and eventually teaching creative writing. She also throws in some advice on what to read and how to teach.
My overarching feeling was - I want to go to dinner with Ellen Gilchrist. Her love of reading Shakespeare aloud with a group of friends on Sunday nights coupled with her anecdotes about being a mother first and writer second really made me wish I could spend a little time in her company.
On a practical level, there is not much "nuts and bolts" writing advice in here. The strongest messages are "Writing is Rewriting" and to be discerning about what you read. Both of these statements I agree with, but already knew prior to reading this book. If you are looking for practical advice, this is not the book for you. However, if you are looking to gain some insight into a great writer's day to day life, this will be an enjoyable read.
My overarching feeling was - I want to go to dinner with Ellen Gilchrist. Her love of reading Shakespeare aloud with a group of friends on Sunday nights coupled with her anecdotes about being a mother first and writer second really made me wish I could spend a little time in her company.
On a practical level, there is not much "nuts and bolts" writing advice in here. The strongest messages are "Writing is Rewriting" and to be discerning about what you read. Both of these statements I agree with, but already knew prior to reading this book. If you are looking for practical advice, this is not the book for you. However, if you are looking to gain some insight into a great writer's day to day life, this will be an enjoyable read.
July 13, 2012
Ellen Gilchrist was the first writer who ever made me wish I could write. Almost every single sentence she has written has made me want to write one just as good. The first book I ever read of hers was Net of Jewels, in the summer before I started my sophomore year at college. It was a revelation in every way. I fell in love with Rhoda Manning and Ellen Gilchrist both, and since then I've read every single work of fiction she has published that I know of. I like the earlier work more than the later work but I still find sentences that I love in the later stuff.
This is a collection of her essays about writing and teaching writing that she wrote between 2000-2004. It's not an instructional writing book exactly, although there are some solid suggestions. I love reading her sentences so much and I adored this, too. I read it in a few hours. It made me want to move to Arkansas and try to enroll in one of her writing classes.
She is a national treasure.
This is a collection of her essays about writing and teaching writing that she wrote between 2000-2004. It's not an instructional writing book exactly, although there are some solid suggestions. I love reading her sentences so much and I adored this, too. I read it in a few hours. It made me want to move to Arkansas and try to enroll in one of her writing classes.
She is a national treasure.
August 4, 2009
I think that this is an excellent and insightful collection of essays. I found I have a lot in common with Gilchrist who is a writer, teacher, and a mother, and I was able to learn a bit about life from her experiences. The main point that I took away from this book is that we have time. We don't have to have everything we want, a career and a family, all at the same time. We need to enjoy where we are in the moment. We also need to look for opportunities to improve ourselves wherever we can and take them even if they were not in our plans. I think this book is intelligent and funny, and I would recommend it to anybody but especially a young mom. Gilchrist has a positive perspective on the balancing act we do.
May 1, 2018
On the cover of my copy of this book it clearly says "Autobiography/Memoir".
Having read a number of the reviews about this book and how some readers were disappointed
in the book because it failed to tell them about the mechanics of writing, all I can say is too bad.
And don't read "Moby Dick" and then complain because it was all about whales.
I really enjoyed this book. Ellen Gilchrist's writing always has lots of liveliness and energy.
I have never failed to enjoy her books and I certainly enjoyed this one as well.
The book is a collection of personal essays that reflect on her life, her writing, and her adventures
as a teacher. I found it honest and most enjoyable to read.
Having read a number of the reviews about this book and how some readers were disappointed
in the book because it failed to tell them about the mechanics of writing, all I can say is too bad.
And don't read "Moby Dick" and then complain because it was all about whales.
I really enjoyed this book. Ellen Gilchrist's writing always has lots of liveliness and energy.
I have never failed to enjoy her books and I certainly enjoyed this one as well.
The book is a collection of personal essays that reflect on her life, her writing, and her adventures
as a teacher. I found it honest and most enjoyable to read.
June 22, 2012
What. A. Dweeb. I thought we'd be alike until she talked about the joy of leaving the kids with her maid so she could play tennis all day. She IS the mother in "The Help" - even right there in Jackson Mississippi in 1965. Spoiled and rich and privileged, at the start. Too much about her insecurities as a teacher and little about writing. Another snot who sees genre writing as beneath human dignity and ordered a student out of her class for repeatedly writing on werewolves. I don't like her.
January 30, 2014
I enjoyed this memoir quite a bit, especially for Gilchrist's descriptions of her time in Jackson and her friendship with Eudora Welty. There were many insights into the life of the writer and balancing life and art as well.
November 3, 2021
The best things I came away with was her admonition to rewrite, her Shakespeare Group, and to read Hemingway onErnest Hemingway on Writing, a book which has languished on my shelves for years.
January 25, 2019
Simple, enjoyable essays on the life of a woman and a writer. I especially appreciated Ms. Gilchrist’s insights to what it means to look back on her life as a someone who was and still is both a mother and a writer.
June 16, 2018
I enjoy reading books about writing. This one was enjoyable and interesting. I plan to read more of her work. This book was read for my Mississippi book club.
June 12, 2007
Every once in a while it's comforting to hear Ellen Gilchrist's voice throwing caution to the wind to do what she wants to do. To say that she discusses work-family balance makes it sound as if she's written a self-help book, which she has not, but she has carved out her own philosophy on maintaining a sense of self in the face of family, daily duties, and worldly obligations. She also talks about the difficulty or near impossibility of writing and teaching at the same time. I appreciated her take because teaching has been all-consuming for me as well. It's not an issue of time so much as mental space. I get wrapped up in my students' stories, which ought to make for great writing except that I'm too wrapped up to write about them.
February 5, 2010
This is a fantastic foray into "the writing life," with essays about Ellen's teaching, her writing practices, and her pre-teaching life. She writes about overcoming addiction and also learning from her own students, and her writing really gives me the sense that she is an unusually caring teacher who wants to find the best way to help her students succeed. I couldn't put this book down, becuase her voice was so engaging and lively all the way through! If you are a creative writer of any kind, or a non-fiction writer/essayist, and you are interested in how a writer writes and all of the strange and beautiful and difficult things that come with being a writer, this book is one you will enjoy.
October 1, 2010
A memoir of sorts in three parts: Life, Writing, and Teaching.
I always love books on writing, personal accounts of the craft and experience, and I found plenty of assurance and encouragement in this book as I do in them all.
I read it alongside Gilchrist's first two story collections In The Land of Dreamy Dreams and Victory Over Japan, which I highly recommend doing. The parallels in her personal life and characters' adventures is interesting and intriguing. Where do the stories come from? Most writers will tell you, "I don't know. From somewhere beyond, I guess." Here is a sober and honest clue from this writer.
I always love books on writing, personal accounts of the craft and experience, and I found plenty of assurance and encouragement in this book as I do in them all.
I read it alongside Gilchrist's first two story collections In The Land of Dreamy Dreams and Victory Over Japan, which I highly recommend doing. The parallels in her personal life and characters' adventures is interesting and intriguing. Where do the stories come from? Most writers will tell you, "I don't know. From somewhere beyond, I guess." Here is a sober and honest clue from this writer.
August 11, 2010
What I learned from this book: That all artist's (myself included) are narcissistic, yet sensitive, bleeding hearts that essentially want everything, "their way." I saw a strange, sometimes frightening, reflection of myself in each chapter (excluding teaching and receiving prestigious awards).
Ellen Gilchrist is a powerhouse of emotion, Southern-ness, creativity and snark. Thank you Ellen, thank you for fiercely being you.
Ellen Gilchrist is a powerhouse of emotion, Southern-ness, creativity and snark. Thank you Ellen, thank you for fiercely being you.
August 1, 2008
this title is a misnomer. it should be titled A TEACHER S LIFE. it is more about her teaching of writing at the u of arkansau than about her life. i was a bit disappointed. i have ordered her journals and hope they are a bit more revelatory.
August 18, 2012
Got to love this woman for her strong opinions, love of writing and teaching, honesty in writing, and joy in living. On her recommendation I'm starting my own "Read Aloud the Complete Works of William Shakespeare" group.
April 2, 2008
I will always love Ellen, but it was in this book that I discovered that she is a Republican.
April 21, 2009
Nice read. Sometimes inspirational.
September 17, 2011
Eloquent, warm, and inspiring, this may be the book which gets the most reluctant middle-aged wannabe writer to finally get to it. As she says, "It's just typing."
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April 12, 2012Interesting woman, Gilchrist. I am a huge fan of her short stories, and I always like to see how another woman writer lives and copes. She's full of fire even now.
March 28, 2013
I love her...I love her writing. this inspired me to go back and revisit all her books...my rating is somewhat inflated by how much I have loved her crazy, nutty characters.
August 21, 2015
I read this several years ago, but I remember her coming off a bit snobbish in regards to genre writers.
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January 25, 20162006
February 24, 2011
Really interesting stuff for writing teachers.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews