Seniors Creative Writing: Some Thoughtful Responses to the John Updike Interview

Quotes from your classmates:

There is this mistakenly presumed idea that creative writing needs to be outlandish and original in order to qualify as such. 

Just as Updike did, I grew up thinking I wanted to be something other than what I’ve chosen.

He quotes D.H Lawrence who says the purpose of novels is to extend a reader’s sympathy. It is through novels and literature we have a chance to come into contact with different walks of life that we would have been able to experience otherwise.

When you get asked by Harvard to teach a class it is hard to refuse. 

 Like any sport, hobby, or talent, writing requires practice and outstanding habits. “An hour say -- or more -- a day,” as Updike proposes, maintains consistency, an important characteristic of dignified authors. 

 This part of the interview made me realize that I have something in common with this amazing author: a love of reading at a young age.

John Updike mentions how he realizes how lucky he is to have grown up in an America where he doesn't have to be afraid of the government.

During the weekdays my routine was the same; get home from school, get a snack, do my homework, and get the book I was reading at the time to my “reading stump” in the woods down by the creek.

 As Updike states, you become a better person as a result of reading about people and things that are unfamiliar to you. 

Having all eyes on you growing up is a lot of pressure. 

 While thinking about what Updike said, I thought of how when one is afraid to speak, one thinks. A world that is quieter and closer to silence than noise is full of observations. 

It was humorous to me that he didn’t want to be a poet because there is no living there because I have always thought the same 

When writing fiction, John Updike mentioned how you can’t just write what you know. Something must be different so that your imagination is fully engaged, and you can invent another life to some extent

Nothing grinds my gears more than the improper uses of “there” and “their” or “your” and “you’re”. It probably all started with my second grade teacher, Mrs. Losito.

 I definitely agree with Updike’s assessment that fiction must be a combination of writing what you know and new twists that you incorporate with your own experiences

There is nothing worst than a group of elitists that won’t take criticism and advice from anyone else.

Sometimes we get so invested in characters and never want anything bad to happen to them—we care about them. 

 It would be wrong to teach kids that they can do anything they want and be successful in life. A better lesson for kids would be to work hard in school but never lose sight of what you love.

We as humans choose to find fault in ourselves and we move throughout life searching for the big moment that defines us. But really if we take the time to slow down it will become apparent that thing small daily occurrences are the big things. John Updike understands this. His writing pays attention to the average person and what their life entails. 

 Sometimes your thoughts don’t seem to make sense, but once you write them down, you are able to see them and process these thoughts more efficiently.

I have made connections with characters in novels before, but have not thought about them as people that I would unexpectedly meet at a cocktail party. 

 I loved reading someone else’s point of view being raised in a family unlike my own.

 He truly has a passion for his work, so much so that he can’t imagine life without writing. It’s not a job to him, nor a source of income. Rather, it is a root of contentment and pleasure. John Updike’s vocation is his vacation. 

I believe that it is important to extend our talents farther than our own experiences from time to time, allowing a writer to enhance his or her creativity

In Updike's story A&P, Sammy tries to be the knight in shining army for a girl he has only seen a few times. He puts his future on the line and just goes for it. Sammy quits and realizes that his world will become harder. Updike went into writing fictional stories knowing that it would be hard to succeed because he knew that not everybody who tried to write actually got published but he took the chance and eventually made it.

People love to laugh. There’s something biological about it that people can’t go without it. In some degree, it’s as vital as sleeping or even drinking water.

I want to be able to read about an adventure or a conflict that I would never get to experience in my life.

Books are my escape from reality at times when I need a break from the rest of the world.

 I hope to work on my ability to public speak more effectively throughout the years and improve just like Updike claims that he did.