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Mona Simpson, a graduate of Columbia's MFA program, is an English professor at the University of California, Los Angeles. Her first novel, "Anywhere But Here," was adapted into a feature film in 1999 starring Susan Sarandon and Natalie Portman. Simpson went on to write five more novels, including "Off Keck Road" and "A Regular Guy." She visits Writers Talk to discuss her latest novel, "My Hollywood," which took her 10 years to write.

Markers Transcript

00:00:12	Introduction of Mona Simpson.
00:00:51	About "My Hollywood."
00:05:11	The autobiography of a novel.
00:10:48	Mona Simpson's process as a writer.
00:12:47	What Simpson learned from dead authors.
00:16:21	What did editing for the Paris Review teach the author about writing?
00:25:08	What the author is working on next.

00:00:08	>> FROM THE CENTER, FOR TEACHING AND WRITING AT OHIO STATE
00:00:15	UNIVERSITY, THIS IS "WRITERS TALK."
00:00:21	MONA SIMPSON IS THE AUTHOR OF SHORT STORIES AND FIVE NOVELS,
00:00:25	INCLUDING THE BEST SELLER, "ANYWHERE BUT HERE" WHICH WAS
00:00:30	MADE INTO A MOVIE. SHE FOLLOWED THIS WITH "THE LOST
00:00:35	FATHER," "A REGULAR GUY" AND "OFF KECK ROAD."
00:00:49	SHE IS ONE A LITERATURE AWARD AND IS A PEN FAULKNER FINALIST.
00:00:55	WELCOME. >> THANK YOU.
00:00:56	ABOUT "MY HOLLYWOOD" YOU SAY IT TOOK YOU TO LONG BECAUSE IT
00:01:09	MEANT SO MUCH. >> IT HAD A LOT OF CHALLENGES.
00:01:14	MORE THINGS KEPT HAPPENING TO ME.
00:01:18	I WOULD GET TO A CERTAIN POINT AND REALIZE THERE WAS SOMETHING
00:01:22	ELSE I WANTED. >> THAT IS A DANGEROUS THING TO
00:01:25	DO. IT IS SET SOMETHING YOU
00:01:27	RECOMMEND FOR YOUR WRITING STUDENTS?
00:01:29	>> IT IS A FINE BALANCE. YOU DO NOT WANT TO COME POSSIBLY
00:01:34	REWRITE THE FIRST CHAPTER, OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT.
00:01:38	ON THE OTHER HAND, YOU HAVE TO TRUST YOUR INTUITION TO SOME
00:01:42	EXTENT. THE BOOK RIGHT BEFORE "MY
00:01:45	HOLLYWOOD" I WROTE VERY QUICKLY, IN JUST A MATTER OF MONTHS, AND
00:01:51	I KNEW THAT WAS DONE. >> "OFF KECK ROAD?'
00:01:56	>> YES. I THINK IT HAS TO DO WITH THE
00:02:01	SCALE. THERE ARE THE EXTERNAL THINGS,
00:02:07	AND THEN UNDERNEATH, WHICH IS SOMETIMES DOES NOT EVEN SHOW.
00:02:10	>> OK. TELL ME ABOUT THE LINE WHERE YOU
00:02:15	ARE INVOLVING MANY PEOPLE YOU KNOW, OR FAMILY MEMBERS, AND HOW
00:02:20	YOU FICTIONALIZED IT ENOUGH SO THAT YOU ARE COMFORTABLE WITH
00:02:24	IT, OR THEY ARE COMFORTABLE WITH IT TURNED >> -- WITH IT.
00:02:29	>> MOST OF MY NOVELS HAVE SOME LEVEL OF AUTOBIOGRAPHY.
00:02:33	PEOPLE ASK IS MY FIRST NOVEL IS AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL.
00:02:40	I FELT LIKE SAYING THIS IS THE PG VERSION.
00:02:46	I MOVED AS A CHILD FROM THE MIDWEST TO CALIFORNIA.
00:02:49	THE CHARACTER IS NOT MY MOTHER. THE CHILD IS NOT NEED.
00:02:55	A LOT OF IT IS VERY DIFFERENT. THE MOST BIOGRAPHICAL I HAVE
00:03:01	WRITTEN WAS A CO THE LOST FATHER" WRITTEN BASED ON A
00:03:07	CHARACTER I DID NOT KNOW. IT HAD A FUNNY QUALITY ABOUT
00:03:13	SEARCHING FOR SOMEONE I DID NOT KNOW.
00:03:15	I WAS NOT WORRIED ABOUT HURTING ANYONE BECAUSE I WAS NOT TAKING
00:03:23	REAL TEST OF THEIR LIFE FOR CHARACTER.
00:03:25	THE ONLY TIME ANYONE HAS GOTTEN UPSET WITH ME IS I WROTE A PIECE
00:03:31	THAT WAS MEANT TO BE NONFICTION. ONE OF THE MAGAZINES HAVE ASKED
00:03:37	ME TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT A HOME, AND AT THAT TIME I RENTED AN
00:03:42	APARTMENT, SO I WROTE ABOUT MY GRANDMOTHER REDECORATING HER
00:03:48	HOUSE IN THE 1960'S, AND ACCORDING TO MIKE AND I GOT
00:03:51	EVERYTHING WRONG. >> THIS IS -- MY AUNT, I GOT
00:03:56	EVERYTHING WRONG TO >> THIS IS BASED ON HOW YOU REMEMBER
00:03:59	EVERYTHING? >> I ACTUALLY DID RESEARCH, BUT
00:04:02	I GUESS I GOT IT WRONG. >> OK.
00:04:05	I FOUND A COMMENT ON YOUR WEBSITE INTERESTING.
00:04:09	HE DISCUSSED THE RESEARCH SAY MANY WRITERS TALK ABOUT THE
00:04:15	DILATION OF CHILDHOOD, AND HOW DEEPLY SOUNDS AND SIGHTS IMPRINT
00:04:22	UPON THEIR IMAGINATION, AND FOR ME THIS HAPPENED TWICE.
00:04:25	I FELT AN OPENNESS TO IMPRESS THE FIRST TWO YEARS OF MY CHILD,
00:04:32	TOO. THE LANGUAGE IS THE MUSIC UNDER
00:04:37	THE WORDS OF THIS NOVEL. AFTER THAT, ESSENTIAL GIFT, I
00:04:42	READ A LOT OF BOOKS TO READ HERE IS A STEP, BUT NOT ALL OF THEM.
00:04:47	HE THEN LIST 30 BOOKS. -- IF YOU THEN LIST 30 BOOKS.
00:04:52	I THOUGHT THAT IS FASCINATING TO ME THAT YOU WOULD LOOK AT
00:05:00	SOMETHING LIKE THAT AND SAY THIS ADDRESSES.
00:05:03	>> WHAT STARTED ME OFF WAS I WANTED TO -- I WAS THINKING --
00:05:11	HOW WOULD I SAY THIS? IT RELATES TO YOUR LAST QUESTION
00:05:16	ABOUT AUTOBIOGRAPHY. OFTEN, THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF A
00:05:20	NOVEL IS DEEPLY HIDDEN. FOR EXAMPLE, IF YOU JUST READ
00:05:24	THIS AND MANY AT A COCKTAIL PARTY, YOU WOULD THINK SHE IS
00:05:29	THE NERVOUS YOUNG MOTHER WHO WAS HAVING TROUBLE BALANCING HER
00:05:33	LIFE. SHE IS A WHITE WOMAN.
00:05:35	SHE HAS A CHILD PARISH'S UPPER MIDDLE CLASS, WHATEVER.
00:05:39	SHE IS EDUCATED. AND EFFECT, -- IN FACT, THE
00:05:48	AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF THIS BOOK, THE GENESIS OF IT, IS A CERTAIN --
00:05:57	TO CERTAIN FEAR IS YOU ARE DISPENSABLE.
00:06:02	I WAS NEVER A NANNY OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT.
00:06:05	WHEN I WAS YOUNG, MY MOTHER WAS A SPEECH THERAPIST, EVEN WHEN I
00:06:11	WAS NOT YOUNG. SHE IS GIFTED, AND WE LIVED IN
00:06:16	LOS ANGELES. ONE VERY WEALTHY FAMILY FOUND
00:06:21	HER TO BE THE ONLY PERSON THAT COULD GET THROUGH TO THEIR SON.
00:06:25	HE WAS A VERY DIFFICULT CHILD FOR THEM, BUT NOT FOR HER,
00:06:31	PARTICULARLY. SHE WAS THE ALL THE PERSON THAT
00:06:33	COULD MAKE HIM CONCENTRATE AND -- THE ONLY PERSON THAT COULD
00:06:38	MAKE AND CONCENTRATE AND FOCUS. WE BECAME FRIENDS WITH THEM
00:06:45	ALSO, AND OFTEN IF THEY WOULD GO AWAY THEY WOULD HIRE MY MOTHER.
00:06:51	SHE WAS HIS SPEECH THERAPIST, BUT THEY HIRED HER BECAUSE SHE
00:06:55	WAS THE ONLY PERSON WHO COULD TAKE CARE OF HIM.
00:06:58	SO, WE WOULD MOVE INTO THEIR HOUSE, WHICH WAS THIS HUGE
00:07:03	MANSION, AND WE WOULD LIVE THERE FOR THE WEEKEND.
00:07:06	I WAS JUST ALONG. THE KIDS WERE COMPLETELY OUT OF
00:07:13	CONTROL. THEY WOULD DISAPPEAR FOR HOURS
00:07:17	AT A TIME. WAS A HUGE PROPERTY.
00:07:22	>> THERE WERE ROUGHLY THE SAME AGE AS YOU?
00:07:24	>> THEY WERE YOUNGER. I WAS MAYBE IN JUNIOR HIGH
00:07:28	SCHOOL. I JUST REMEMBER THE FEAR, AND
00:07:37	THE CREEPY AS PART WAS SHE DID NOT WANT TO FAIL.
00:07:41	IN FACT, IT WAS NOT HER FAULT. SHE WAS GOOD AT WHAT SHE DID,
00:07:46	BUT THE KIDS WERE OUT OF CONTROL.
00:07:48	RIGHT BEFORE THE PARENTS WOULD COME BACK, IF THEY WERE HIDING,
00:07:56	THEY WOULD APPEAR AGAIN, AND IT WOULD BE THIS BEAUTIFUL --
00:08:02	BEAUTIFUL SCENE OF DOMESTIC TRANQUILLITY THAT WOULD EXIST
00:08:05	FOR ABOUT A MINUTE. I THOUGHT ABOUT WHAT IT WAS TO
00:08:10	BE WORKING IN SOMEONE ELSE'S HOUSE.
00:08:13	THAT IS PROBABLY THE DEEP BIOGRAPHY.
00:08:15	I DID READ MANY BOOKS AND TRANSCRIPTS ABOUT NANNIES.
00:08:22	>> IT SEEMS LIKE IT WOULD HAVE AN IMPACT ON YOU, AND IT SEEMS
00:08:28	LIKE IT STILL HAS THAT IMPACT ON YOU WHERE YOU SAY THIS WAS
00:08:32	SOMEBODY ELSE'S HOUSE. >> IT IS NOT ABOUT A HOUSE.
00:08:37	I DO NOT KNOW -- IS AN ODD THING TO BE THE HELP'S KID.
00:08:47	YOU ARE A KID, AND YOU'RE USED TO HAVING YOUR OWN NEEDS BE MET
00:08:52	BY A MOTHER, SO IT IS COMPLEX. >> IN WRITING A BOOK LIKE THIS,
00:09:00	HOW YOU BALANCE THE RESEARCH YOU ARE DOING?
00:09:04	>> I DO NOT. I JUST READ THE BOOK.
00:09:07	FOR EXAMPLE, I HAVE FROM THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS, A WONDERFUL
00:09:14	TROVE OF LETTERS FROM DOMESTIC WORKERS ALL OVER THE COUNTRY WHO
00:09:20	WERE RUNNING -- WRITING TO MRS. ROOSEVELT, OR THE PRESIDENT, OR
00:09:24	THE SECRETARY OF LABOR, ASKING TO BE INCLUDED IN THE
00:09:34	RESTRICTIONS AND THE LAWS, WHICH BY THE WAY THEY'RE STILL NOT
00:09:39	INCLUDED IN. BUT, YOU KNOW, I'VE PUT IN ONE
00:09:50	FRACTION OF A LETTER. >>
00:09:57	>> IT IS ALSO BASED ON THE EXPERIENCE THAT YOU HAD.
00:10:01	>> YEAH. CERTAINLY, I GOT A LOT OF
00:10:11	PHRASES FROM THOSE PEOPLE. BUT IT IS A KIND OF MONOGAMOUS
00:10:18	OF THEIR STORIES. >> WHEN YOU SET UP TO WRITE
00:10:21	SOMETHING, YOU SET OUT TO WRITE A NOVEL THAT PROGRESSES OVER 10
00:10:28	YEARS, IT MUST BE DIFFICULT TO KEEP TRACK OF ALL THAT YOU ARE
00:10:32	DOING. WHAT IS YOUR PROCESS?
00:10:35	ANY PROJECT THAT IS THAT LONG, HOW DO YOU KNOW WHERE YOU ARE
00:10:41	IN IT AND HOW DO YOU KEEP TRACK? WAS IT A LINEAR PROCESS FOR YOU?
00:10:46	>> I USUALLY KNOW WHAT I AM DOING AT WHAT TIME.
00:10:52	>> WHAT IS YOUR PROCESS? DO YOU HAVE REALLY REGIMENTED
00:10:59	IDEAS? I MUST GET UP AT 7:00 A.M. AND
00:11:03	RIGHT FOR FOUR HOURS, OR IS IT MORE OF AN ORGANIC STRUCTURE?
00:11:07	>> I HAVE TO GET UP. I LIVE WITH SMALL CHILDREN AND A
00:11:13	DOG. THEY HAVE TO GO TO SCHOOL.
00:11:17	YES, I GET UP EARLY. I DO NOT WRITE FIRST THING.
00:11:22	I USUALLY GET BREAKFAST AND TAKE CARE OF THE DOG AND GET THE
00:11:28	CHILDREN TO SCHOOL. BY 8:00, I USUALLY WRITE.
00:11:32	>> HOW LONG DO YOU GO? >> IT DEPENDS ON THE FACE OF THE
00:11:39	BOOK. IF IT IS THE FIRST DRAFT, I GO
00:11:43	AS LONG AS I CAN CANNOT TAKE A BREAK, AND THEN DO SOMETHING
00:11:47	ELSE. -- I GO AS LONG AS I CAN, TAKE A
00:11:52	BREAK, AND THEN DO SOMETHING ELSE.
00:11:54	IN LATER DRAFTS, I CAN WORK PRETTY LONG BECAUSE THERE ARE
00:12:01	DIFFERENT LEVELS OF WORK THAT NEED TO BE DONE.
00:12:03	>> WHEN YOU COME BACK FOR THAT LATER STUFF, THE LEVEL OF WORK
00:12:08	IS A HIGHER LEVEL? >> IT DEPENDS.
00:12:13	>> YOU ARE MAKING IT HARD FOR ME TO BUILD A SPECIFIC CASE.
00:12:17	>> I THINK I TRY TO GET AS MANY STARTS IN THE DAY AS I CAN.
00:12:26	I TRIED TO GO BACK AGAIN. AFTER YOU SLEEP OR TAKE A BREAK
00:12:31	OR TAKE A RUN, -- IN A WAY, A IS LIKE STARTING AGAIN.
00:12:36	SOMETIMES YOU GET A BURST. >> YOUR FAVORITE PART OF IT IS
00:12:42	TO RESTART AGAIN IN THE DAY. OR THAT IS JUST THE WAY THAT YOU
00:12:48	WORK? >> IT IS SO HARD TO GET BACK IN.
00:12:52	>> YOU HAVE SAID THAT YOU HAVE NO MAJOR INFLUENCES BUT YOU READ
00:12:58	A LOT -- BUT YOU LEARN A LOT FROM READING DEAD AUTHORS.
00:13:02	SO YOU DO NOT THINK -- SO YOU DO NOT SEE YOURSELF COMING OUT OF A
00:13:11	PARTICULAR WAY? >> OH, GOD NO.
00:13:20	I THINK IT IS SORT OF LIKE NURTURE NATURE.
00:13:30	THE SENSIBILITY THAT YOU HAVE, AND THEN YOU ARE INFLUENCED BY
00:13:35	YOUR EDUCATION. I LIKE TO READ PREDICTABLE
00:13:42	PEOPLE. I LOVE READING EORGE ELLIOT.
00:13:53	TOLSTOY, I LOVE. VIRGINIA WOOLF.
00:14:02	>> THERE IS A LOT OF MODERN IN THERE.
00:14:05	NOT IN THE LAST 50 YEARS -- >> I READ " THE GREAT
00:14:20	GATSBY." IT IS HARD TO LIST.
00:14:22	I AM THINKING OF IT -- YOU KNOW HOW IT IS.
00:14:31	YOU READ TOO MUCH. IF IT IS HARD TO SAY.
00:14:37	>> WHEN I WENT THROUGH GRAD SCHOOL, IT CHANGED EVERYTHING
00:14:41	THAT I USED TO LIKE. >> REALLY?
00:14:44	WHAT DID YOU USE TO LIKE? >> IT WAS NOT THE SAME SORT OF
00:14:51	STUFF THAT I ENDED UP WITH. THE STUFF THAT I ENDED UP WITH
00:14:57	-- >> YOU ENDED UP WELL.
00:15:00	>> I AM A BIG "HARRY POTTER" FAN BECAUSE I THINK IT IS VERY WELL
00:15:10	DONE. IF IT CHANGES YOU.
00:15:12	I THINK RED SCHOOL -- I HAVE THE SUSPICION THAT IT IS A DIFFERENT
00:15:18	KIND OF OPERATION. THAT GIVES YOU A DIFFERENT
00:15:25	VARIETY. >> INTERESTING.
00:15:28	>> NOW I AM GOING TO BE OSTRACIZED BY BOTH CAMPS FOR
00:15:35	THAT. >> COLUMBIA IS A BIG PROGRAM SO
00:15:38	IT MAY HAVE A DIFFERENT CULTURE. >> IT IS ALMOST LIKE IT HAD MORE
00:15:44	BAMORE.NG I WAS ALWAYS FASCINATED BY
00:15:52	CREATIVE WRITING. WHAT MAKES YOU DO THIS AND WHY?
00:15:56	NOT HELPFUL FOR SOMEBODY INTERESTED IN WRITING.
00:16:04	I WENT INTO SOMETHING ELSE. WE ARE REALLY HEAR ABOUT YOU.
00:16:10	YOU ALSO EDITED FOR JOURNALS. .
00:16:15	>> YES. I ASSUME THERE MIGHT BE A COUPLE
00:16:23	MORE IN THEIR. >> WHAT HAS EDITING TEACH YOU
00:16:28	ABOUT WRITING? >> I STARTED DOING IT IN MY
00:16:34	GRADUATE SCHOOL YEARS. IT WAS A WONDERFUL THING, TWO
00:16:37	DAYS A WEEK. IT WAS IN A TINY ROOM.
00:16:41	THERE WERE FOUR OF US. WE EACH HAD A TELEPHONE AND A
00:16:48	DESK ATTACHED TO EACH OTHER. I JUST SAT THERE AND READ
00:16:59	MANUSCRIPTS AND PICKED OUT SOME THAT I LIKED.
00:17:04	>> DID YOU HAVE SOMETHING IN MIND FOR A CRITERIA?
00:17:10	>> NO. IT WAS WHAT I LIKE AND WHAT I
00:17:15	WANTED TO KEEP READING. GEORGE WAS THE FOUNDER AND THE
00:17:23	GUIDING FORCE, THE EDITOR IN CHIEF.
00:17:28	IF HE DID NOT LIKE SOMETHING, YOU COULD TRY TO PERSUADE HIM.
00:17:31	BUT THAT WAS THE ONLY PERSON THAT YOU HAD DID TO GET PAST.
00:17:37	>> YOU ONLY HAD TO GET PAST ONE REVIEWER.
00:17:39	>> I WAS A 25-YEAR-OLD SITTING IN A CHAIR EATING A SANDWICH.
00:17:49	>> HOW DID YOU GET A JOB LIKE THAT WITH THAT KIND OF POWER?
00:17:54	>> I DID NOT GET THE JOB THAT I MOST WANTED.
00:17:57	I WANTED TO TEACH IN THE SCHOOLS BUT THERE WAS ONLY ONE SLOT.
00:18:02	THEN THE PROGRAM TOLD MAY -- I WENT OVER.
00:18:11	IT WAS A YOU DO EVERYTHING KIND OF JOB.
00:18:18	>> DO YOU THINK THAT IT CHANGE YOU COMMENT DOING ALL OF THAT
00:18:24	READING? -- DO YOU THINK THAT IT CHANGED
00:18:29	YOU, DOING ALL OF THAT READING? >> I DON'T KNOW.
00:18:38	PROBABLY SOME OF THOSE CHANGES TOOK PLACE.
00:18:42	I THINK THE MAIN THING THAT INFLUENCES MAY OR THE PEOPLE.
00:18:50	I WORKED WITH THREE OTHER PEOPLE.
00:18:51	I THINK THE FATES OF THEIR LIVES WERE MORE REMARKABLY VIVID TO
00:19:03	ME. EVERY WORKPLACE IS A LITTLE
00:19:13	MORALITY PLAY. >> I LIKE THE IDEA THAT THE
00:19:17	WORKPLACE IS A MORALITY PLAY. >> I USED TO WRITE LETTERS TO
00:19:21	PEOPLE. SOME OF THEM, I HAD LONG
00:19:27	CORRESPONDENCE WITH. SOME OF THEM HAVE GONE ON TO
00:19:32	HAVE GOOD CAREERS. THEY CERTAINLY DO NOT OWE IT FOR
00:19:39	TO ME. THE ONES THAT DID GET IN, WE
00:19:48	DISCOVERED A FEW PEOPLE. NOT THAT MANY.
00:19:50	>> LET'S GO BACK TO COLUMBIA'S PROGRAM.
00:19:55	WHEN YOU GO INTO A PROGRAM LIKE THAT, THEY WANT TO WREAK SOME
00:20:02	CHANGE UPON YOU. YOU WANT TO DO SOMETHING WITH
00:20:09	THAT PERSON. WHAT DID COLUMBIA DO FOR YOU?
00:20:12	HOW DID IT CHANGE YOU AS A WRITER?
00:20:16	WHAT DID YOU LEARN THERE THAT REALLY AFFECTED YOU?
00:20:20	>> THAT IS A HARD QUESTION. I THINK A LOT OF WHAT YOU DO IS
00:20:29	JUST REALLY DOING IT. YOU LEARNED SOME FROM WHAT
00:20:34	COLLEAGUES SAY. BUT IT IS PROBABLY NOT THE SAME
00:20:39	FOR EVERYBODY. I JUST RECENTLY WAS WRITING A
00:20:48	LITTLE MEMOIR OF ONE OF MY COLLEGE WRITING TEACHERS.
00:20:52	I WAS SAYING -- I WENT TO BERKELEY AND THERE WAS A
00:21:01	DEPARTMENT OF MANY GREAT WRITERS.
00:21:03	FOR FICTION, I TOOK WORKSHOPS SEVERAL TIMES.
00:21:09	THEY RAN IT COMPLETELY DIFFERENTLY.
00:21:12	ONE WOULD GET THE STACK AT THIS PODIUM IN FRONT OF THE CLASS AND
00:21:19	HE WOULD READ THE FIRST LINE, THE FIRST SENTENCE OF THE STORY
00:21:24	ON THE TOP. THEN HE WOULD PAUSE.
00:21:25	THEN HE WOULD GET A VERY DISCRIMINATORY LOOK AND SAY WHAT
00:21:32	IS WRONG WITH THAT? THEN HE WOULD PAUSE.
00:21:36	PEOPLE WOULD SHYLY GUESS. THEN HE WOULD THROW THAT STORY
00:21:44	ON THE FLOOR. THEN HE WOULD GO TO THE SECOND
00:21:47	1. THE SAME THING HAPPENED.
00:21:50	IF YOU GOT TO THE THIRD SENTENCE IN THE FIRST PARAGRAPH, IT WAS A
00:21:55	TRIUMPH. ONCE AT THE END OF THE QUARTER,
00:21:58	HE GOT TO THE END OF THE PAGE. >> HOW DO YOU LEARN FROM THAT?
00:22:03	>> YOU DID BECOME INCREDIBLY -- YOU HEARD RIGHT AWAY CLICHES
00:22:10	THAT POPPED OUT AT YOU. A PASSIVE VERBS, A FANCY WORD
00:22:15	THAT DID NOT DO ANYTHING BUT SOUND PRETENTIOUS.
00:22:18	IT WAS KIND OF YOUR TRAINING -- EAR TRAINING.
00:22:27	BUT THE BEGINNING OF THE MIDDLE OF THE QUARTER, THE STACK ON HIS
00:22:35	PODIUM WAS MUCH SMALLER. TO THIS DAY, I AM A BETTER
00:22:42	WRITER AND I UNDERSTAND SENTENCES WITH A MUCH DEEPER,
00:22:47	MORE CELLULAR LEVEL. >> BUT NO ONE WAS WRITING AT THE
00:22:52	END OF THE COURSE. >> THAT IS ABSOLUTELY TRUE.
00:22:57	ON THE OTHER HAND, IN THE OTHER WORKSHOP, THERE WERE 40 PEOPLE.
00:23:04	THE FIRST TIME MY STORY WAS DISCUSSED, I WAS ECSTATIC.
00:23:08	THIS IS GREAT. LET'S HAVE SOME MORE.
00:23:13	I FELT EXTREMELY HAPPY UNTIL HE CRITIQUE THE NEXT PERSON WHICH
00:23:18	WAS EQUALLY ENTHUSIASTIC. HE BASICALLY SAID REALLY GOOD
00:23:22	THINGS ABOUT EVERYONE'S WORK. ONCE IN AWHILE, HE WOULD SAY
00:23:27	SOMETHING PROVOCATIVELY ON THE LEVEL OF MAKING YOU THINK ABOUT
00:23:31	RACE OR GENDER OR CLASS. I WONDER WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF IT
00:23:38	WAS TOLD FROM THE POINT OF VIEW OF A WOMAN?
00:23:41	THAT WAS THE WAY HE WOULD EDUCATE US.
00:23:46	BUT THE WEIRD THING ABOUT THAT CLASS WAS BASICALLY WITH ONLY
00:23:52	ENCOURAGEMENT AND NO SPECIFIC CRITIQUES, EVERYONE STARTED
00:23:56	WRITING, AND EVERYONE WROTE MORE AND MORE AND MORE.
00:24:00	PEOPLE GOT BETTER. >> DID YOU TAKE THESE TWO
00:24:04	CLASSES AT THE SAME TIME? >> YOU WOULD TAKE ONE DURING 1/4
00:24:11	AND ANOTHER DARING ANOTHER. >> WHAT APPROACH DO YOU TAKE
00:24:15	WITH YOUR STUDENTS? >> SOMETHING IN THE MIDDLE.
00:24:17	A STORE WAS TOLD AT A WRITERS' CONFERENCE RECENTLY.
00:24:24	-- A STORY WAS TOLD AT A WRITERS' CONFERENCE RECENTLY.
00:24:28	SHE SAID I WAS GOING TO QUIT BECAUSE I WAS NOT IMPROVING.
00:24:36	THE THERAPIST SAID I DO NOT KNOW WHAT YOU ARE LOOKING FOR.
00:24:42	THE WRITER WALKED OUT OF THE SESSION THINKING I WOULD TAKE A
00:24:49	TIP. I AM NOT SO PROUD THAT I WOULD
00:24:52	NOT TAKE A TIP. WE CAN GIVE THEM SHORTCUTS
00:24:57	SOMETIMES. WE CAN HELP THEM A LITTLE BIT.
00:25:00	IT IS NOT AS IF WE ARE GOING TO -- I AM NOT GOING TO TURN
00:25:05	SOMEBODY WHO WANTS TO WRITE ONE WAY.
00:25:08	I JUST WANT TO MAKE THEM BETTER AT WHAT THEY INHERENTLY DO.
00:25:13	>> IN THE SHORT TIME THAT WE HAVE LEFT, I WANT TO GO BACK TO
00:25:18	ONE THING. THE THING THAT YOU ARE WORKING
00:25:20	ON RIGHT NOW IS AN OUT RIGHT LOVE STORY.
00:25:24	AN "OUTRIGHT" LOVE STORY. >> I THINK YOU SAW THAT IN AN
00:25:38	INTERVIEW ABOUT A LOVE STORY BETWEEN A NANNY AND A CHILD.
00:25:42	>THIS STORY IS GIRL-BOY LOVE. THE NANNY IS A TEENAGE BOY.
00:26:02	>> NOT THE MOST RELIABLE AND NARRATOR.
00:26:07	>> HE JUST DOES NOT HAVE TOTAL ACCESS.
00:26:13	>> HOW FAR ALONG -- >> ALMOST FINISHED.
00:26:17	>> IT IS COMING ALONG MUCH FASTER.
00:26:19	ONE OTHER THING -- YOU SAID YOU ARE GOING TO BE -- ARE YOU
00:26:26	THINKING OF DOING MORE SHORT STORIES?
00:26:28	WHAT PUTS YOU IN THE MOOD FOR SHORT STORIES?
00:26:31	>> I AM NOT SURE WHAT PUTS ME IN THE MOOD FOR SHORT STORIES.
00:26:41	>> WE WILL FIND OUT WHEN YOU PUBLISH AGAIN.
00:26:43	MONA SIMPSON, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR BEING HERE ON "WRITERS
00:26:48	TALK." KEEP WRITING.

Note : Transcripts are compiled from uncorrected captions