Isabelle Allende's Process: "Thanks for coming."

Interviewed on both the Tavis Smiley and Jim Lehrer's News Hour, Isabelle Allende responded to questions about her writing process for her newest book about the historical Haiti: Island Beneath the Sea. On Smiley's show, she spoke of the four years she researched Haitian history. She also mentioned that she always begins a new book on January 8th, the date she began her first novel, The House of Spirits. But, she emphasized she can't begin until her main character shows up.


To understand what she means by "showing up," we have to turn to the News Hour. Allende amazed Jeffrey Brown with two comments: "Women are more interesting than men [to write about]." Opening and then closing his mouth, Brown smiled as he said, "I won't go there." But Allende totally rocked Brown back in his chair when she said, "My character must [arrive] for me to begin writing. I dreamed the main character in Island Beneath the Sea, her entire story." Most of us are familiar with J. K. Rowling's inspiration while traveling on a train--the entire Harry Potter story come to her at once. We may also remember Alice Walker's tribute to her characters in The Color Purple: "Thanks for coming."


Anne Patchett's The Magician's Assistant depends in good part on the Dreamtime to connect the living with the dead. Readers learn true magic occurs through the interaction between the realm of spirit and the third dimension, so difficult at times to live in. For the truly creative writers of our day, Allende's comment about needing her character to "arrive" appears not such a surprise as it was for the New Hour's interviewer.


From Allende and other writers, we can learn about creative process, which is sorely needed at this time in the Gulf oil spill--not just technology. As a nation, perhaps the entire world, we ought to be turning to the spiritual realm that infuses much modern writing. If we really want to stop the spill and clean the waters, why haven't we en masse appealed to Spirit with a unified, non-denominational day of prayer--leaving how the spill's resolution may occur to Spirit, which may inspire us with new, workable solutions? Instead, we're waiting for drilling of interceptor wells and other technology that will possibly take until August and beyond.


In both interviews, Allende alluded to Pablo Neruda's influence on her writing career. Allende became a novelist rather than continuing her journalistic career based on Neruda's advice. He told her that she was making up the journalism and should switch to fiction, which he believed she wrote quite well. It's an amusing anecdote and perhaps clarifies what should happen on Fox News--though I don't see that Fox is in any way influenced by positive spiritual assitance--having its name changed to Fox Fictions.


Politics aside, Allende clearly began her recenlty published book well before the earthquake. We all can benefit from better understanding Haiti, its history, and its people in order to appreciate the Haitian's admirable resilience in facing true hardship. Maybe we can stop minimizing Haitians as stereotypes and begin to appreciate them as the real people they are through reading Allende's historical novel infused by Haitian spirit.