Garp's Lessons on Writing

Writing is a major subject matter within The World According To Garp for several reasons. Obviously if you’re reading a book it was written by someone, and for that reason tips and techniques on writing can be learned simply from reading the text, regardless of what it’s about. So far, there are three characters with a strong focus on writing, all of which contribute to the lessons Irving was trying to give to the reader. Garp, Jenny, and Alice all focus on writing and provide numerous insightful quotes and opinions on the process of writing, here are a few I’ve found, along with a brief explanation of my thoughts.

“‘And you’re always telling me,’ Helen said, ‘that autobiographical fiction is the worst kind.’” Pg. 225
This quote doesn’t specifically say a lot about writing as a whole, but I found it quite humorous considering how ironic it is. While Garp is a fictional character, after doing some research I discovered that many of Garp’s traits and actions are reflective of Irving’s, making The World According To Garp somewhat of an autobiography itself.

“…he would learn all his life, nearly everything seems a letdown after a writer has finished writing something.” Pg. 170
Another pessimistic point of view from Garp, this serves as a letdown from the temporary high provided by completing a writing project.

“You only grow by coming to the end of something and by beginning something else.” Pg. 223
While this could easily be taken as a negative lesson, I like to look at it with a sense of optimism. It’s like trial and error, sure you may have to fail a few times, but it is determination and willpower that will eventually push you past the failure and into the success you’ve been seeking all along, and those are both traits evident in Garp’s character.

“But he bitched about the reviews of Procrastination, and he moaned about the sales. He carped at his mother and roared about her ‘sycophantic friends.’ Finally Helen said to him, ‘You want too much. Too much unqualified praise, or love—or something that’s qualified anyway. You want the world to say, ‘I loved your writing, I love you’ and that’s too much tow ant. That’s really sick, in fact.’” Pg. 196
“’What do you expect?’ John Wolf wrote him. ‘If you want to be rich and famous, get in another line. If you’re serious about it, don’t bitch. You wrote a serious book, it was published seriously. If you want to make a living off it, you’re talking about another world. And remember: you’re twenty-four years old I think you’ll write a lot more books.’” Pg. 195
Both of the above quotations go well together, and suggest a similar point. Writing isn’t about others loving your work, it’s not about praise, and it’s certainly not about money. If you’re seeking those you’re likely in the wrong profession. Writing is about doing what you want, and being proud of your own work. Focus on what you’re goals as a writer are, not how the public views you. More importantly, don’t forget that your first efforts are likely to not be perfect, remember that you’ll have several more chances to prove yourself.

“It is only the vividness of memory that keeps the dead alive forever; a writer’s job is to imagine everything so personally that the fiction is as vivid as our personal memories.” Pg. 167
One of my personal favorite quotes from the book, in my opinion, this near perfectly depicts a writers task. This proves to be a daunting challenge for all writers, but serves as an excellent goal for the writer to one day successfully reach.

“…but writers, Garp sadly knew, were just observers—good and ruthless imitators of human behavior.” Pg. 225
This excerpt shows an extremely pessimistic view on writing, but one with great truth behind it. Writers gather their inspiration from their observations, and spend their careers attempting to capture the essence of human behavior onto paper. The melancholy tone also fits well into Garp’s general characteristics.