Sherman Alexie Says...

..in the opening paragraphs of his recent book, War Dances, a collection of short stories about contemporary Native American life:

"Back in college, when I was first learning how to edit film--how to construct a scene--my professor, Mr. Baron, said to me, 'You don't have to show people using a door to walk into a room. If people are already in the room, the audience will understand that they didn't crawl through a window or drop from the ceiling or just materialize. The audience understands that a door has been used---the eyes and mind will make the connection--so you can just skip the door.'

"Mr. Baron, a full-time visual aid, skipped as he said, 'Skip the door.' And I laughed, not knowing that I would always remember his bit of teaching, though of course, when I tell the story now, I turn my emotive professor into the scene-eating lead of a Broadway musical..."

I've just pulled out the splintered manuscript of my first novel. It's two years beyond the bad joke I made when it was 21 and "old enough to drink legally." It's 23. It deserves a life of its own. I'm attending a local writers' group tonight for the first time. Most of the writers in the group are working on fiction or memoir, and I'll be working on the albatross...uh, novel...as we move along. I'm also registered for an online class with the superb teacher Jordan Rosenfeld for an eight-week session on "Making a Scene." That's the flaw, I think, in the manuscript, the injured wing that keeps my albatross from flying. As much as I can, I'm clearing the decks of other obligations and responsibilities so that I can use the next few months to finish the thing. If that doesn't work, I'll invite you all to the bonfire.

Alexie is one of my favorite writers. His ink comes from the heart. He creates a modern American, often urban, Native who leaves the reservation for the city. His humor is rich, his insight deep, and his language luscious. Anything he's written is Recommended Reading, on my list!