Monday, October 06, 2008

yesterday was a life-changing day.

one of my bosses at work was able to score me two tickets to haruki murakami's interview at this year's new yorker festival. all i've got to say is, this event sold-out in eleven minutes when tickets went on sale a while ago and i was absolutely elated to be there. i NEVER in my life thought that i would ever be able to see or be in the same room as murakami. it's like expecting to go to a reading by vladimir nabokov---it's just not going to happen.

but with murakami it did happen, and i left the interview feeling inspired about life and my future as a writer. i'm pretty lazy as an aspiring writer because, well---i never write anymore. whenever i finish work and come home, the last thing i'm feeling is inspired to write. but i've got to figure out a new system to get myself inspired and get my thoughts in writing because i'm already 25, and i've got to start making shit happen for myself.

october 5, 2008, will forever be the day in my life where i got to see one of my literary heroes in person. i've met and seen countless celebs, but this is one of the very few that actually matter to me. i feel such a connection with him, especially after yesterday. some of his thoughts on life and the writing process are things that i also fully believe in and i got such goosebumps during the event.

here are just a few notes i came away with after the interview ended. murakami...

1. thinks he never dreams while he sleeps because writing is like dreaming, and that's how all writers dream---they write
2. writes without a plan. all he has is his opening scene of a book, and he just goes from there
3. wakes up at around 3-4 AM because that's when he does his best writing. a lot of his books have an underlying theme of a a dark underworld, and that's the time where he feels closest to that other world
4. says writers have to be tough in order to make it
5. said, "my imagination is my asset---my gift"

the best thing murakami said last night was, "if the protagonist is happy, there’s no story at all.” that pretty much sums up my life.

thank you, haruki murakami.

4 comments:

  1. HA! At first I thought you were referring to the other Murakami who designed the Louis Vuitton graffiti bags and the Japanese cartoons.

    I haven't read any of Haruki Murakami's books but I've seen them at book stores. Guess I will have to take a peek at it now.

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  2. BTW, have you found a new apartment yet?

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  3. god i thought the same thing as ming. i read your entry and thought 'why is he so worked up about an artist/handbag designer'?

    just shows where my head is...

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  4. You are so lucky and I'm really, really jealous! I did my undergrad thesis on a selection of his short stories (A Poor Aunt Story, The Ice Man, and The Second Bakery Attack). Have you read his latest book, "What I Talk About When I Talk About Running"?

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