7/17/2000

A Conversation with a Storyteller

The Education Q&A takes a unique turn this week to feature a conversation between fellow writer, Mike Covello and Wally Lamb, now writing a fascinating new book. But don't let me spoil the surprise ... read on.

Wally Lamb, Storyteller Extraordinaire
By Mike Covello

The story of Wally Lamb would make a great Hollywood movie; just don't ask him to write the screenplay! After graduating from the University of Connecticut in 1972 he returned to the high school he attended where he taught English and creative writing. To help occupy his summers he started crafting his first novel, and soon found himself drawn into the process. While She's Come Undone received critical acclaim, it languished on bookshelves until Oprah Winfrey tapped him for her book club.

The national publicity generated by Wally's appearance on Oprah helped sales of his book skyrocket. When I Know This Much Is True received the unprecedented honor of being the second book from the same author to be inducted into the Oprah book club; once again, The New York Times featured Wally's name on the best-seller list.

I caught up with Wally in our hometown of Storrs, Connecticut as he just finished the screenplay for She's Come Undone.

Mike: I enjoyed hearing your keynote speech at this year's Hartford National Writer's Workshop; it was very inspirational. Not only were your words very eloquent, but also your delivery was captivating.

Wally: Thank you. I taught high school for 25 years, so I guess I am more mindful of what an audience expects.

Mike: What do you enjoy most about being a writer?

Wally: I enjoy being a fiction writer very much. The chief payback is that I get drawn out of my own skin. I guess I do more research than most novelists. In the process I get to wear the skins of the fictional people. By the end of this long process I know more about what it must be like to be another person. Writing gives me a chance to broaden my perspective.

Mike: How is a screenwriter's job different from that of a novelist's?

Wally: They are quite different. At first, I wasn't convinced I could pull it off because it is so different. I worked full time on it for over a year. There are two chief differences.

First, you have to think in terms of visual images as opposed to things that a novelist would think about. Such as what a character is thinking internally.

Second, you need to think of economy. I needed to tell my 500-plus-page story in just 120-screen pages. The general rule of thumb is that one page of script is equal to one minute of screen time. In order for the movie to be successful commercially, the script needs to be about 120 pages.

I had to learn ways to tell the story as efficiently as possible. I learned a lot about editing.

Mike: Do you think that will carry over into your next novel?

Wally: I don't know. I think so.

Mike: You will turn 50 this year. Any thoughts on reaching half a century?

Wally: In some ways I feel younger than I did 10 years ago. Turning 50 helped me to set priorities. It seems that the more miles on the odometer, the more experience you have, and the better you get at focusing your energies on the things that matter. Things seem to go faster, and you realize you have less time available.

Mike: I know what you mean. Charles Shultz had a great quote. "When you get over the hill, that's when you pick up speed."

Wally: That's right. The culture does it to us. Like, when you turn 30 you get black balloons. But really, as we get older, the whole world opens up to us.

Mike: I know you are not planning on retiring any time soon, but what are your retirement goals?

Wally: I am getting ready to broker a deal for my third novel. My literary agent told me that I could get a whole lot of money if I sign a three or four book deal. But I don't want to mortgage the next 10 to 25 years for the sake of novels I might not want to write. Then you're only working for the money. I like the open-endedness. I have no plans to retire from writing.

I wasn't suffering from burnout. I taught high school for 25 years. I started writing 10 years into that period during the summer vacation and got sucked into the process. I started caring about and worrying about my characters. When the Oprah stuff happened suddenly I was on a much bigger stage. There were more demands for my time.

Following a high school teacher's schedule was something I became less and less able to do. I tried for years to balance the two, but I'm the sort of person who likes to teach wholeheartedly. It wasn't fair to the students that I would only be there every other day.

I thought that teaching college was the answer. I did a two-year stint at the University of Connecticut but I found I wasn't getting any writing done. Within a month of leaving I started on my third novel.

I was thinking that this one should be set in a prison. Then, just by coincidence I got a call from Marge Cohen, a librarian at the York Correctional Institute for Women in Niantic. She said that there was a lot of sadness there in the past year. There had been several suicides and attempted suicides. We thought that writing could be used as a healing tool, a tool for greater self-awareness.

I've been teaching there for about a year. It's been a real mix of research and instruction. These women have some incredibly sad stories.

Mike: When my wife heard that you were teaching in a prison she was curious to ask if walking into this very different, controlled environment you felt like a stranger in a strange land?

Wally: Definitely. It is very intimidating for even a visitor to hear that metal door clang shut. And you know that you are going to get out in a couple of hours. You have to walk through all sorts of metal detectors, and doors that can only be opened by other people. It's spooky at first.

Initially I knew my students for their crimes versus who they are as people. But shortly into it, apprehensions and stereotypes dropped away. Now they are giving me more then I am giving them ... much more.

Mike: Any advice for people contemplating retirement?

Wally: You are never too young or too old to begin writing. If you have any inclination to write at all, I strongly encourage you. Scientific studies have surfaced that there are physiological benefits from writing. Things like asthma have begun to dissipate from the introspective act of writing.

Mike: That's great advice. Thank you very much for your time.

Wally: You're welcome. I enjoy reading your automotive stories in the Willimantic Chronicle.

Please send questions or comments to bbruno@snet.net.