Journaling and the Writing Process with Ruth Ozeki

Twenty Summers

“Ever since 1996, when I started working on my first novel, I’ve kept a detailed process journal, where I analyze and develop ideas, and write informally about writing. I think of my journal as a friend, one who never tires of listening to me whine, boast, complain and vent, who is a little bit wiser than me, and often finds solutions to the problems of plot or character that I’m struggling with. I will do a reading from my novels and share some of the corresponding excerpts from the journal. This is not material I usually share with the public, but I think the focus on process might interest the writers and other creative artists in the Twenty Summers community. It’s always fun to see the gears and cogs malfunctioning and to expose the ridiculous amount of effort it takes to make the work seem effortless!” Ruth Ozeki is a novelist, filmmaker, and Zen Buddhist priest, whose books have garnered international acclaim for their ability to integrate issues of science, technology, religion, environmental politics, and global pop culture into unique, hybrid, narrative forms.