Sheila Heti, In Conversation with Herself
I understand these books as commonly defined by an experimentation with different forms of autobiographical acts for the purpose of gaining self-insight and promoting self-development. They explore various mark-making techniques that might make the inner world better known, visible for observation, and ripe for analysis.
Emilia Halton-Hernandez • The Marion Milner Method
I did it for myself alone, not for anyone else, and that was the difference. It didn’t matter if I found the words, and more than that, I knew it would be impossible to find the right ones. And because I accepted that what I’d once believed was possible was in fact impossible, and because I knew I would never show a word of it to anyone, I wrote a
... See moreNicole Krauss • The History of Love: A Novel
Roland Allen’s The Notebook: A History of Thinking on Paper . Allen points out that “people often start diaries in times of upheaval,”
Austin Kleon • Against prognosticating
On one hand, I know the self is a made-up concept of the mind, that identity should be kept small, and that trying to pin myself down usually does more harm than good. On the other hand, when I sit down to write, I feel like every sentence disproves this