I will get back to you on that. Thanks for the recommendation.

This is amazing. Thanks for going out of your way to get the link. It really makes writers a lot less intimidating. I kind of expect them to turn in perfect manuscripts but like people are saying, a good relationship with a good editor is key. Like Elton John and Bernie Taupin

Thank you. I have to read a book about learning to read again (see comment below) but I've got a lot to catch up on so thanks for the recommendations.

I wonder if anybody ever successfully sold books writing few words as possible. The closest I can think of is Hubert Selby Jnr not using any punctuation in requiem for a dream. That book tough. Me struggled.

The quilted blanket was a lovely analogy. I was just saying above that for me, it was like flying over a town where all these stories were happening in one day and I could only pick up bits of it as I flew over realising these seemingly ordinary lives, seen from above, were much more complex and interesting than I had remembered was possible

"writing is a dialogue between the writer and the reader" is an absolutely beautiful expression. I love that. It actually has exposed a major flaw in a lot of my creative endeavours because I love a monologue so I'm very guilty of it. I'm wondering to myself now if it's actually something you can learn because it seems to me that understanding is what made him so special and that's not something everybody can just do or understand. I'm gonna be thinking about this for a while. It's a great answer. Sorry about the late response

This is a great counter point. I think you're right about the American parables. Sometimes I wasn't even sure what I'd learnt or gained but instead i just sat with the empathy and I think that's what I've learnt about Carver in all the responses. It's the way he describes the little things like how an old man sits down like he's never going to get back up again or how somebody introduces themselves but doesn't leave a name. There is something existential in the ordinary things we can imagine or feel every day

I looked into this because it has been bothering me for years as I used to read quite a lot. It's a little ironic that I have to read a book that will help me read books. Let's hope I can get through it. If you don't mind, one day I might message you about it just to mention if it worked for me or not.

Thanks for this. Hope you enjoy Raymond Carver.

I will check them out. If you have any recommendations on which stories to start with let me know. Thanks for that. Sorry about the late reply. I have been checking the comments but I was out and my mind was affixed on carrot cake

Will definitely get it. Feel like reading again. And I think you're absolutely right about his characters, especially in these stories - there is a feeling of slight dissociation or something but maybe I'm projecting that because most of them start in the middle and have no conclusion so they feel ever so slightly out of time

I absolutely will. Thank you.

Ha. I liked it. It made me feel like life just by itself can be pretty interesting. Happy to have both sides of the coin here though

Ha thanks both! But not as intelligent as those I admire most! I knew what I loved about the story but I was just surprised by how impactful it was in such a short amount of time and I knew there would be a lot more people on Reddit that could say "well the doorbell represents his self worth at the time" or something that I would have never picked up on and then it would all make sense.

I've really enjoyed it though and I think I'll start reading again. Thanks for replying. The responses have been pretty enlightening

I think you're absolutely right and sometimes it seems like those gritty moments are so small or common that you wouldn't think to write about them but he does and it really makes you think about the meaning of a bottle clink or a brief conversation with a stranger.

Thanks for getting back to me. Sorry it took me so long to reply. I was out but I have been reading the comments and appreciating the wisdom imparted

Having finished the book of stories now, I feel as though each one took place simultaneously on the same day and I could only see a tiny part of their lives as I flew over and it reminded me that people are complex & fascinating even in their most mundane or ordinary environments. He really does get a lot out of very little.

P.s thanks for the great reply. Sorry about the late response. I'm just taking them all in now.