[How to Write a Novel Book 1] "Pity the Reader: On Writing with Kurt Vonnegut"
By Kurt Vonnegut & Suzanne McConnell
(Translated by Mizuhito Kanehara and Fumiko Ishida) / Film Art Inc. (2022)
Vonnegut taught us to loathe war, to sympathize with the characters in our own work, to respect people, to doubt rigid thinking, to care deeply, to be kind, and to laugh. And he taught us to tell useful lies.
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How widely is Kurt Vonnegut read in Japan now, in the mid-2020s?
I first learned of this American author 40 years ago, and it was through Japanese manga. It was in the "PALM" series by Tamaki Shin, and the subtitle of the second volume, "Nothing Heart," was taken from Vonnegut's masterpiece, "Slaughterhouse-Five."
“Everything was beautiful, and nothing hurt”
(Everything was beautiful, and nothing hurt)
This phrase appears in "Slaughterhouse-Five," accompanied by an illustration. The feeling I had when I first read that page—a mixture of sadness, poignancy, warmth, and impermanence—is something I think of as an important reading experience from my youth... I suppose. Though I just remembered it for the first time in a while.
This book, "Pity the Reader," looks back at Vonnegut when he was teaching creative writing at the University of Iowa after he had become a writer but before he had achieved success (that is, before he released "Slaughterhouse-Five"), and introduces the content of his lectures at the time.
Co-author Suzanne McConnell was a student in that class. She later became a writer and maintained a lifelong friendship with Vonnegut. In other words, she was a real student of Mr. Vonnegut.
This book is composed mainly of recreations of Vonnegut's creative writing lectures from that time, along with a biography from McConnell's perspective, covering his life at the university and his way of living as a writer.
Vonnegut's words are collected not only from his lectures but from everywhere—letters from the time, magazine interviews, and excerpts from his novels and essays—conveying his personality and his sincere attitude toward creation.
McConnell's gaze toward her mentor is filled with love and respect, but it is interesting that she also includes critiques, such as noting when he "says something different than before" or uses "convoluted phrasing." And sometimes, she even refutes her mentor's words.
McConnell calls this way of writing "endarkenment." She says it originates from a concept put forward by a man named Will Schutz.
If alternatives, paradoxes, warnings, or contradictions appear regarding advice or ideas previously presented, it is intended as "endarkenment." Through this term and method, I hope to deepen the understanding that truth (unlike facts) has many sides, and that Vonnegut was a human being, not a dogmatic god.
I thought this was an approach to a biography and lecture record that was fitting for Vonnegut.
With a volume of over 500 pages across 37 chapters, it begins by considering "writing" in a broad sense, not limited to novels, and from around Chapter 23, the practical novel-writing lectures finally begin.
From tips before writing, how to write an opening, how to create plots and characters, to the importance of revising after you've written something, the content is standard for "how to write a novel," but because everything is in the Vonnegut style, it has a twist. And naturally, lectures on jokes are mixed in as well.
Toward the end, the discussion expands to how to live as a writer, including how to make a living, how to maintain a healthy mind and body, and the importance of family and friends. For those who are about to become writers, I'm sure this part is also practical.
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There is a famous phrase from "Slaughterhouse-Five": "So it goes." It is an impressive and thought-provoking phrase repeated every time one of the characters dies, and it's the one Haruki Murakami also borrowed in his early works.
Regarding this, McConnell makes this critique:
Some readers find the repetition of the phrase "So it goes" irritating. (...) I sometimes find it irritating, too.
I thought it was full of love, and it made me grin.
So, from now on, I plan to post my thoughts on the 'how-to-write-novels' books on my bookshelf, little by little.
The 'PALM' series is available on Kindle Unlimited, so please check it out if you're interested.
Although 'Nothing Heart' is labeled as (1), the series actually starts from volume 0, so it is effectively the second volume. I can't guarantee whether you'll find it interesting, but I loved it back then. The author previously used the pen name 'Tamaki Shin,' but later changed it to the incredible pen name 'Yasei Kemonogi.' Surprisingly, this work, which began in the 1980s, is still ongoing today.