Comments on: How We Spend Our Days: Daniel Torday

By: D. Torday

D. Torday — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 01:27:35 +0000

A thousand thanks to you for this kind post! Only two weeks until pub date:

http://nouvellabooks.com/launch-the-sensualist-by-daniel-torday/

By: Rigmarole

Rigmarole — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 00:50:22 +0000

Congrats to Daniel Torday for his book release! Happy Launch!

By: dtorday

dtorday — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 20:15:14 +0000

In reply to Sarah Laurence.

I love the idea of duct tape “being used to mend a family,” but you’re right– that’s what I’ve had in mind. I might just have to steal that one from you for jacket copy one day, if I should be so lucky as to have a jacket in need of copy…

By: dtorday

dtorday — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 20:14:11 +0000

In reply to Richard Gilbert.

A great question, Richard, and thanks for this. For me, I just basically say: If I work triple-time every weekday of the 4-month summer, that will be the rough equivalent of what I’d do if I was so lucky as to get to write full-time. But that’s also a little disingenuous, as I also feel like (forgive the bromide) I learn a ton from my students. Which is a lot less a bromide than it sounds– I mean, three hours talking to 12 very intelligent 21-year-olds about what makes a book like _Housekeeping_ or _So Long, See You Tomorrow_ tick– how could that not also inform one’s work? Honestly, I feel all that not-writing time during the semester is a blessing at times. Plus, I don’t get all summer-weird year-round from being isolated for more than those 4 months…

By: Richard Gilbert

Richard Gilbert — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 19:52:22 +0000

Great post, self-interview, reflection. I love your gratitude. And also your admission that a teaching load is not great for generating new work. I can plug along if I am teaching one class, but two and I waver. Even friends who have been teaching for years tell me that their writing projects go to sleep when they are teaching. I don’t mean to single out teaching, except that’s what I do. Its freedom is paired with a great deal of responsibility, if you take the work seriously. So when do you generate new material. Between semesters? Summers? Leaves? I wonder because when creating a first draft can take a year, say, a stop-and-start could really kill momentum.

By: Sarah Laurence

Sarah Laurence — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 01:44:27 +0000

Daniel, good luck finishing your novel! Duct tape is quite popular in Maine, but I’ve never heard of it being used to mend a family. Writing is challenging with young children. It gets easier with time. My kids now help me with my writing for teens.

Cynthia, thanks for the glimpse behind the pages. Best of luck to your son with college applications.

By: dtorday

dtorday — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 15:07:35 +0000

Wow– many thanks to you both! Sure hope you enjoy the excerpt from the novel in the Kenyon Review. I’m putting the finishing touches on the book as we speak, so here’s hoping there’ll be a complete novel to read, too, before long.

By: Rigmarole

Rigmarole — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 03:23:08 +0000

I love the way you’ve structured this post, Mr. Torday. Quite fabulous. I love “Gooseberries.” I love the picture of your daughter. I think a duct tape brother is brilliant. Best of luck to you in finding time to write. I’m going to stop gushing now and read your work.

By: Darrelyn Saloom

Darrelyn Saloom — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 02:01:35 +0000

While reading this brilliant piece by Daniel Torday, I wanted to highlight many lines I adored to copy into my comment. As I continued to read, I stopped analyzing and simply thought how much I liked this writer, a man who loves his wife and child. Then I got to the end and there was the picture of his daughter reading Harper’s. Now I’m a goner (as we say in South Louisiana) for Torday and am off to read his excerpt of The Duct Tape Brother in Kenyon Review.