5/22/2023 0 Comments Min jin![]() Though she struggles to interpret the ancient text as much as the next person (she reads The New International Version with commentaries), the practice gives her a deeper understanding of human beings, especially when certain passages trouble her. She’d heard that Willa Cather read the Bible before writing, and Lee figured she’d give it a try. When she first quit her job as an attorney to try to write fiction, Lee would read newspapers to “prime the pump,” but found it unhelpful. ![]() In the keynote, famed Seattle librarian Nancy Pearl interviewed Lee about her craft, which includes reading a chapter of the Bible before sitting down to write. “It’s been almost 30 years of hitting my head against the wall,” said Lee, referring to the time she spent working on writing her novels before publishing them. She thinks it might have something to do with the fact that because she took so long to “make it” as an author, she’s become somewhat of a “patron saint of delay.” While she’s pursued fiction writing since 1995 after a brief bout as a corporate lawyer, she’s only recently enjoyed commercial success. When I spoke with Lee in advance of the talk, she admitted that she was slightly shocked that she’d been asked to speak, since she’s not currently promoting a book. Last weekend, Lee shared insights about her process with hundreds of listeners at the A WP Conference & Bookfair, where she delivered the keynote address at the Seattle Convention Center. ![]() Discussing process at the AWP Conference in Seattle ![]()
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