I love the metaphor that working for Vogue was like training with the Rockettes. The Texas equivalent would be training with the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders!
I also liked the comparison of writing to sculpting, and how different mediums lend themselves to different feelings. Writing by hand puts my brain in a different space than typing, which is why this year I’m going back to taking meeting notes by hand.
Many, many thanks. I’ve never seen so much Didion captured in one place. She and her process shine more clearly and even more open to justified appreciation. Again, I love this one.
I’ve mentioned before how much I love Didion. it’s always a delight to see a new fan.
Appropriate of nothing, I have this underlined in my copy of Slouching Towards Bethlehem
“Self-deception remains the most difficult deception. The tricks that work on others count for nothing in that very well-lit back alley where one keeps assignation with oneself: no winning smiles will do here, no prettily drawn lists of good intentions. One shuffles flashily but in vain through one's marked cards- the kindness done for the wrong reason, the apparent triumph which involved no real effort, the seemingly heroic act into which one had been shamed.”
Wow, was not aware of those aspects of South and West. Will need to investigate that. Sounds like an even rougher cut of something like Dostoyevsky’s A Writer’s Diary. Which was quite illuminating in my view.
It’s interesting on its own, as a work unto itself. But it gets doubly so when you see it as a work in progress and even the source material for later work.
You have inspired me to read some of these books. The only one I’ve read is “The Year of Magical Thinking”, with a book group a few years ago. I really liked her writing, and it’s so interesting to learn about her process.
I’m very new to her, but I can’t recommend her highly enough. Where I Was From is my favorite book so far this year—and I’ve read about twenty. I binge read several of hers.
Oh I loved this! Keep them coming!!! :) Not sure if you know who Caitlin Flanagan is (another one of my fave writers). She met Joan Didion when she was young, at a dinner her father hosted, and later fell in love with her work.
She's written a bunch of essays since then about Didion's shyness and how her career and writing style slowly developed over time. This is one of my favorites - it sort of touches on some of the things you mentioned, but from a third-party perspective: https://archive.ph/TDlxz
Yah, I think they have her on a contract/retainer over there. She's great. When Didion died, she wrote an essay about traveling to all the places in California that are usually associated with Didion's work and life (called "Chasing Joan Didion," I think). You might enjoy that one, too!
Fascinating. I really don't know her work, but I think I need to invest some time getting to know her. I'm so impressed with the idea of typing out other writers' work to understand their language. True dedication
I can’t say that I have gone to the length of actually retyping the work of authors I particularly respect. Nonetheless, spending lots of time with the writers you love will help make your own writing better, even if you don’t precisely imitate what they do. I love Henry James and Joseph Conrad but I would never dream of trying to write like them. Joan Didion and Ernest Hemingway both have a superficially simple style which is actually the simplicity of density and extraction, of boiling down, and it is no easy thing to replicate it. Nonetheless I am more drawn toward that pole, to at least appear to be clean, clear, plain.
This post makes me want to reread something by her soon. I think that she will forgive me if instead, at least today, reading “The Duel” by one of her heroes, Conrad. Then I need to finish “Aftermath” by Rachel Cusk, which is superb. I don’t imagine Joan ever read anything by Rachel Cusk, but I wonder what Rachel thinks of Joan?
You’re right about the style. She’s so understated. Another thing that’s fascinating is her refusal to conclude. She brings her pieces to a close, but she rarely concludes. It feels like she opens up a world and then leaves you there in it. She doesn’t shut the door when she’s through.
It is part of her austere realism, similar to Conrad. She sees the tragedy of life, but does not become embittered, she sees the frailty of everything good, how even the best people live and work in the service of illusions and shared make-believe stories, and there is no getting out of that, it cannot be otherwise. And, yes, nothing ever really ends. Making a story end is for children. Adults know that everything spools out, backward and forward, unbroken, and endings are arbitrary and artificial. The living go on, the dead leave some pictures and some stories behind, before they too fade away. She is an adult writing for adults. She is not a cynic, she sees that realism includes love and beauty and heroic achievements, like the California water system. And these good and admirable things are the opposite of meaningless, they are rare and precious things in a very hard and unforgiving world.
I really want to read this but you know what? Joan fucking Didion did not make difference. She was just another cunt with her head up her ass. FU 'merica. FU.
Retyping Hemingway must be the writer’s version of transcribing John Coltrane. Hearing something and having it under your fingers are two different things.
I love the metaphor that working for Vogue was like training with the Rockettes. The Texas equivalent would be training with the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders!
LOL, yes. I thought that line was hilarious.
I also liked the comparison of writing to sculpting, and how different mediums lend themselves to different feelings. Writing by hand puts my brain in a different space than typing, which is why this year I’m going back to taking meeting notes by hand.
Yes, I’m fascinated by that subject.
Many, many thanks. I’ve never seen so much Didion captured in one place. She and her process shine more clearly and even more open to justified appreciation. Again, I love this one.
Thanks for reading, James. It was a delight to write.
You have sculpted Didion as artist of words. Beautiful.
Thank you! I’m glad to have succeeded because she certainly was that.
I’ve mentioned before how much I love Didion. it’s always a delight to see a new fan.
Appropriate of nothing, I have this underlined in my copy of Slouching Towards Bethlehem
“Self-deception remains the most difficult deception. The tricks that work on others count for nothing in that very well-lit back alley where one keeps assignation with oneself: no winning smiles will do here, no prettily drawn lists of good intentions. One shuffles flashily but in vain through one's marked cards- the kindness done for the wrong reason, the apparent triumph which involved no real effort, the seemingly heroic act into which one had been shamed.”
A great example of the magic she could conjure.
Wow, was not aware of those aspects of South and West. Will need to investigate that. Sounds like an even rougher cut of something like Dostoyevsky’s A Writer’s Diary. Which was quite illuminating in my view.
It’s interesting on its own, as a work unto itself. But it gets doubly so when you see it as a work in progress and even the source material for later work.
You have inspired me to read some of these books. The only one I’ve read is “The Year of Magical Thinking”, with a book group a few years ago. I really liked her writing, and it’s so interesting to learn about her process.
I’m very new to her, but I can’t recommend her highly enough. Where I Was From is my favorite book so far this year—and I’ve read about twenty. I binge read several of hers.
Oh I loved this! Keep them coming!!! :) Not sure if you know who Caitlin Flanagan is (another one of my fave writers). She met Joan Didion when she was young, at a dinner her father hosted, and later fell in love with her work.
She's written a bunch of essays since then about Didion's shyness and how her career and writing style slowly developed over time. This is one of my favorites - it sort of touches on some of the things you mentioned, but from a third-party perspective: https://archive.ph/TDlxz
Thanks for sharing that Flanagan piece! I’ve read some of her work over the years—pretty much all at the Atlantic. What a fun intersection here.
Yah, I think they have her on a contract/retainer over there. She's great. When Didion died, she wrote an essay about traveling to all the places in California that are usually associated with Didion's work and life (called "Chasing Joan Didion," I think). You might enjoy that one, too!
I need to check that out!
Wow!
My thoughts exactly. She was remarkable!
Fascinating. I really don't know her work, but I think I need to invest some time getting to know her. I'm so impressed with the idea of typing out other writers' work to understand their language. True dedication
I know! Impressive.
Outstanding!
I can’t say that I have gone to the length of actually retyping the work of authors I particularly respect. Nonetheless, spending lots of time with the writers you love will help make your own writing better, even if you don’t precisely imitate what they do. I love Henry James and Joseph Conrad but I would never dream of trying to write like them. Joan Didion and Ernest Hemingway both have a superficially simple style which is actually the simplicity of density and extraction, of boiling down, and it is no easy thing to replicate it. Nonetheless I am more drawn toward that pole, to at least appear to be clean, clear, plain.
This post makes me want to reread something by her soon. I think that she will forgive me if instead, at least today, reading “The Duel” by one of her heroes, Conrad. Then I need to finish “Aftermath” by Rachel Cusk, which is superb. I don’t imagine Joan ever read anything by Rachel Cusk, but I wonder what Rachel thinks of Joan?
You’re right about the style. She’s so understated. Another thing that’s fascinating is her refusal to conclude. She brings her pieces to a close, but she rarely concludes. It feels like she opens up a world and then leaves you there in it. She doesn’t shut the door when she’s through.
It is part of her austere realism, similar to Conrad. She sees the tragedy of life, but does not become embittered, she sees the frailty of everything good, how even the best people live and work in the service of illusions and shared make-believe stories, and there is no getting out of that, it cannot be otherwise. And, yes, nothing ever really ends. Making a story end is for children. Adults know that everything spools out, backward and forward, unbroken, and endings are arbitrary and artificial. The living go on, the dead leave some pictures and some stories behind, before they too fade away. She is an adult writing for adults. She is not a cynic, she sees that realism includes love and beauty and heroic achievements, like the California water system. And these good and admirable things are the opposite of meaningless, they are rare and precious things in a very hard and unforgiving world.
Many thanks indeed Joel, yet again. I don't know if you saw this news, but it will probably be of interest: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2025/feb/05/joan-didion-diary-notes-to-john
I really want to read this but you know what? Joan fucking Didion did not make difference. She was just another cunt with her head up her ass. FU 'merica. FU.
Retyping Hemingway must be the writer’s version of transcribing John Coltrane. Hearing something and having it under your fingers are two different things.
Stumbled towards your substack with this piece. Consider me sold. Thank you!
A great read. Thank you.