"What I want to do is nab something of life in motion. All too frequently, however, the shape of the sentences elude me, the tone of voice for them eludes me, the characters who will be strong enough in themselves to bear the weight of what is on my mind elude me. What remains undone is what art can do when it lays its light hand on the heavy materials of life. I know that although the passion for communication drove me to become a writer in the first place, passion does not always guarantee progeny. I am impatient with myself, annoyed that it is taking so long, that I cannot yet capture even the shadow of what I have begun to see. But it may be that I will have to settle for nothing less than a full-term pregnancy."
-- Ingrid Bengis,
"The Middle Period"
from
"The Writer on Her Work
Seventeen Essays
by Twentieth-Century
American Writers"
Yes yes yes!..."what art can do when it lays its light hand on the heavy materials of life..."
Fantastic book! Whether you are interested in writing, or what women think, or what women think about writing. Highly recommended.