Keeping On Keeping On
Alan Bennett

Questions Raised – As a fan of Alan Bennett’s play, “The History Boys,” as well as the highlights of his diaries excerpted occasionally in the London Review of Books, I eagerly dove into this collection of a decade of Bennett diaries and essays. His unmistakable voice, keen observational skills and well-honed talent for turning a tale are on full display here. I finished reading the 500-plus page book asking a lot of questions. In part, I left wondering why the diary excerpts in the LRB seem to pack more of a wallop than the experience of reading the more voluminous, comprehensive presentation here? Might have something to do with "portion size." But, this minor query led me to think more deeply about the stories we tell, their size and shape. Just how do we know whether something is a short story, a novel or a novella? And how do we know when it should end? And just how do we know how long this play really should be? Some of these fundamental mechanics of writing remain a mystery to me. When I write I rely on inspiration and instinct; the idea and the story sort of speak to me. As strange as that might sound to people who don’t write, it’s something I commonly hear from people who do write. You just know. The question is: If I relied less on inspiration (to begin writing) and instinct (to know the scope of the story I’m telling), would I write more – and better? What if I approached writing more like an architect, and a carpenter?