The Motivating Star that Shines Through
After sitting for about an hour listening to Sigrid Nunez’s talk, my mind began to wander. If it can be assumed that Nunez’s book, A Feather on the Breath of God, was pretty factual in describing her life growing up, then Nunez had it rough. She grew up in a lower class family, with a father who barely communicated with her, her sister, or her mother. To make matters worse, Nunez’s family had very little money. But today, she leapt over her obstacles and made it big; she accomplished her dream despite the hardships.
All authors have a different writing process: a plan in actually writing the book. But Sigrid Nunez’s writing style is very different than most authors, and has truly been affected by her upbringing. While most people in the literary world make an outline of the plot, summary, and characters, Nunez doesn’t. She begins by creating a character, and from there slowly develops the character’s way of life by creating friends, family life, and life challenges. This is similar to the way in which Nunez lived her life. When she was young, her parents didn’t have her whole life sketched out for her. Rather, she lived day-to-day, surpassing the challenges that she would encounter in school by being the “nerd”, and at home living between the constant fights between her mother and father.
However, Nunez also sets herself aside by her writing style as well. While she is writing, she is simple, and yet one can still grasp the entire scene of what is going on. This is comparable completely to Nunez herself. She looks nice and simple on the outside, but when one speaks to her, she reveals the richness of her personality. She is funny, and blunt, and really enjoys having a good time. For example, when everyone went over to get his or her book autographed, Nunez struck up a conversation with every student.
Challenges face us every single day of our lives, and it is our opportunity to embrace those problems, and make the most of them. Maybe we will follow Sigrid Nunez’s direction and write a story of our hard life, or not. But however we decide to shape our lives, Nunez’s story will always be shining through and motivating.