Five things I learned from Theft by Finding by David Sedaris.
One: That diaries are not that interesting.
Two: They are necessary as a collection of your experiences that can be mined for better writing.
Three: They’re good to reflect on after years to see how very little you’ve changed and see that and develop strategies.
Four: his index will be helpful— and hopefully not too time-consuming—to see repeated themes and life events for easy reference. That’s something I’m going to work on this year.
Five: Quote:
“That’s the thing with a diary though. In order to record your life you sort of need to live it. Not at your desk but beyond it. Out in the world where it’s so beautiful and complex and painful that sometimes you need to sit down and write about it.”
I think the Visual Companion to this book will be super-interesting.
David Press 