I’ve read dozens of books about writing over the years, maybe hundreds. Textbooks, how-tos, memoirs, and more. And I like nearly all of them. This is the first I can remember that I couldn’t appreciate. The short book consists mainly of meditative, extended metaphors about writing and rambling stories with not much justification other than a “writing is like this, too” conclusion. It seemed to me pretentious and a little self-serving, and I didn’t find much substance or anything to take away.

In one section, writing is compared with wrestling with an alligator. Dillard then recounts an alligator wrestling match in Florida in front of a paying crowd. A young man grappled with the alligator, belly to belly, until both man and beast disappeared beneath the surface of the water. Then bubbles came up; then blood; then the water stilled. The crowd of onlookers quietly dispersed. “This is your life. You are a Seminole alligator wrestler.” Really makes you want to be a writer, eh?

I listened to the audio, which could be part of the problem. I wasn’t keen on the narration (not the author); it sounded inauthentic to me. Reading the text for myself might result in a different experience.