In Loitering With Intent, a delicious little piece of metafiction about writing, Muriel Spark tells us via Fleur Talbot:
I was finding it extraordinary how, throughout all the period I had been working on the novel, right from Chapter One, characters and situations, images and phrases that I absolutely needed for the book simply appeared as if from nowhere into my range of perception. I was a magnet for experiences that I needed. Not that I reproduced them photographically and literally. I didn’t for a moment think of portraying Sir Quentin as he was. What gave me great happiness was his gift to me of the finger-tips of his hands touching each other, and, nestling among the words, as he waved towards the cabinet, ‘In there are secrets,’ the pulsating notion of how much he wanted to impress, how greatly he desired to believe in himself.
I was a magnet for experiences I needed. I’ve read Spark repeat this word, magnet, in interviews and other writing. She comes back to the image a lot. Muriel Spark believed she was a magnet for the things she needed to write. This has always resonated with me. There’s something a little magical about it.
Which, yes, I believe in magic. Of course. At the very least I strive to.
Put differently, what she’s saying is very mundane: I know I can use whatever I notice. It’s less fun, but appeals to my pragmatic side. In this version, I am a Depression-era housewife who knows how to make scant butter last the entire week. I can inhabit this world on my less bright-eyed days.
But let’s say it’s a good day and I am a magnet. I can write fiction because the images and objects and emotions and details I need will come to me. They’re all around me. Rushing to me! I am the magnet!
There I am in the center of it all– the sidewalk, the person across the street, the soft sound my umbrella makes swinging next to the stroller– but I’m listening to a podcast or checking the weather. What I’ve been wondering lately (bent over my phone, clawing at the screen the way people do) is, does my phone count? As a magnet?
On one hand, of course it does! The right podcast at the right time is glorious. The right Tik Tok, tweet, text from a friend. One might argue that I’m a more powerful magnet, actually, because I am no longer limited by proximity.
On the other hand, I know I’m preoccupied. Sometimes I’m preoccupied with something interesting or necessary... Most of the time it’s as if I’m reveling in a kind of boredom with the sole aim of discovering deeper layers of boredom. My children say, “Put down your phone!” and I just go, oof. The trouble is, child, I can’t. I mean I can. But I’m so bored and boring and this feels like the only thing I can do right now.
It helps to remember that objects are largely neutral. What matters (for the magic) is the kind of spell on the item, and the heart of the person employing it. If my attention is on my kids or my food or my nail polish, none of that is bad. My phone isn’t automatically bad either. I think if I can keep the magnetic part of my brain alert, I can use my phone and set it down just fine. The trick will be determining when I’ve crossed to the bad side, I suppose.
What would Muriel Spark have done? I have no idea. My guess is she would’ve been an absolute slut for her phone, but who knows?
As for reading, here’s a short list of books I started but didn’t finish due to excessive scrolling:
The Hero Of This Book by Elizabeth McCracken
Red Pill by Hari Kunzru
Meander Spiral Explode by Jane Allison
Also, huge thanks to Rachel's sister, Rebecca Greco, who designed our new logo and banner! Rebecca is a very talented quilter, cross stitcher, designer, and illustrator and we're so grateful she shared her awesome talent to help make Pub Cheerleaders look more legit. To see more of her work, you can check out her Instagram.
I hope that this week, you are an absolute magnet for everything you need to write. <3