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The Workhorse and the Butterfly: Ann Patchett on Writing and Why Self-Forgiveness Is the Most Important Ingredient of Great Art

By maria popova.

In her magnificent memoir-of-sorts This Is the Story of a Happy Marriage ( public library ), novelist Ann Patchett offers one of creative history’s finest and most convincing counterpoints to this myth.

She writes in the introduction:

The tricky thing about being a writer, or about being any kind of artist, is that in addition to making art you also have to make a living. My short stories and novels have always filled my life with meaning, but, at least in the first decade of my career, they were no more capable of supporting me than my dog was. But part of what I love about both novels and dogs is that they are so beautifully oblivious to economic concerns. We serve them, and in return they thrive. It isn’t their responsibility to figure out where the rent is coming from.

Patchett, who knew she wanted to be a writer since her early childhood — “A deep, early love of poetry should be mandatory for all writers,” she asserts in one of her many piercing asides — first set out to figure this out by taking a number of freelance assignments for various magazines, writing essays and other nonfiction while dreaming with crystalline determination about being a novelist. She reflects on a curious duality — on the one hand, the fundamental differences between writing fiction and writing nonfiction; on the other, the surprising ways in which the craft of the latter recompenses the art of the former:

In my mind, fiction and nonfiction stayed so far away from each other that for years I would have maintained they had no more a relationship than fiction and waitressing. Writing a novel, even when it’s going smoothly, is hard for me, and writing an article, even a challenging one, is easy. I believe nonfiction is easy for me precisely because fiction is hard; I would always rather knock off an essay than face down the next chapter of my novel. But I’ve come to realize that while all those years of writing fiction had improved my craft as a writer across the board, all those years of writing articles … had made me a workhorse, and that, in turn, was a skill I brought back to my novels.

But of all the skills essential to the fiction writer that Patchett acquired while writing nonfiction — from having her ego tamed by the constant practice of seeing her sentences slaughtered by editors to mastering “the ability to fake authority” — perhaps most valuable was the unshakable understanding that the chief purpose of writing, whatever its nature or genre, is to serve for people as Neruda unforgettable “hand through the fence.” Patchett recounts:

In the years I made my living writing nonfiction, I thought of the work I did as being temporary, with a life span that would, in most cases, not exceed a magazine’s last tattered days in a dentist’s waiting room, but the essays kept resurfacing. People would bring them to book signings and show them to me. I read this when my grandmother died. Someone gave this to me when I got divorced. They told me my story was their story, and they wondered if there was more, something they might have missed… The job of these essays had been to support art, not to be art, but maybe that was what spared them from self-consciousness.

In one of the most illuminating pieces from the book, titled “The Getaway Car” and subtitled “A Practical Memoir about Writing and Life,” Patchett considers how this writerly self-consciousness dances with our cultural narrative about great ideas being all it takes to produce great art:

Logic dictates that writing should be a natural act, a function of a well-operating human body, along the lines of speaking and walking and breathing. We should be able to tap into the constant narrative flow our minds provide, the roaring river of words filling up our heads, and direct it out into a neat stream of organized thought so that other people can read it. Look at what we already have going for us: some level of education, which has given us control of written and spoken language; the ability to use a computer or a pencil; and an imagination that naturally turns the events of our lives into stories that are both true and false. We all have ideas, sometimes good ones, not to mention the gift of emotional turmoil that every childhood provides. In short, the story is in us, and all we have to do is sit there and write it down. But it’s right about there, right about when we sit down to write that story, that things fall apart. […] If a person has never given writing a try, they assume that a brilliant idea is hard to come by. But really, even if it takes some digging, ideas are out there. Just open your eyes and look at the world. Writing the ideas down, it turns out, is the real trick.

She illustrates the disconnect between myth and reality by recounting an exasperating, almost absurdist encounter with a woman — not a writer — who claimed that while not everyone has in them “one algebraic proof” or “one five-minute mile,” everyone has “one great novel” tucked into their inner life, waiting to be externalized in writing. Patchett — a writer, and thus a rightfully indignant unbeliever in this strangely selective assertion — voices her incredulity:

I couldn’t stop thinking about this woman, not later that same day, not five years later. Was it possible that, in everybody’s lymph system, a nascent novel is knocking around? A few errant cells that, if given the proper encouragement, cigarettes and gin, the requisite number of bad affairs, could turn into something serious? Living a life is not the same as writing a book, and it got me thinking about the relationship between what we know and what we can put on paper.

Living up to the book’s central disclaimer that it isn’t “an instructional booklet” but a subjective record of what has worked for her, Patchett echoes Tchaikovsky’s account of the “immense bliss” of ideation and relays her own experience:

For me it’s like this: I make up a novel in my head (there will be more about this later). This is the happiest time in the arc of my writing process. The book is my invisible friend, omnipresent, evolving, thrilling… This book I have not yet written one word of is a thing of indescribable beauty, unpredictable in its patterns, piercing in its color, so wild and loyal in its nature that my love for this book, and my faith in it as I track its lazy flight, is the single perfect joy in my life. It is the greatest novel in the history of literature, and I have thought it up, and all I have to do is put it down on paper and then everyone can see this beauty that I see. And so I do. When I can’t think of another stall, when putting it off has actually become more painful than doing it, I reach up and pluck the butterfly from the air. I take it from the region of my head and I press it down against my desk, and there, with my own hand, I kill it. It’s not that I want to kill it, but it’s the only way I can get something that is so three-dimensional onto the flat page. Just to make sure the job is done I stick it into place with a pin. Imagine running over a butterfly with an SUV. Everything that was beautiful about this living thing — all the color, the light and movement — is gone. What I’m left with is the dry husk of my friend, the broken body chipped, dismantled, and poorly reassembled. Dead. That’s my book.

Only writers, Patchett argues, bend but don’t break under this crushing dissatisfaction with how the gossamer perfection of the idea withers as it metamorphoses into the reality of the execution — and that is what sets them apart from those other people who die with their One Great Novel unwritten:

The journey from the head to hand is perilous and lined with bodies. It is the road on which nearly everyone who wants to write — and many of the people who do write — get lost… Only a few of us are going to be willing to break our own hearts by trading in the living beauty of imagination for the stark disappointment of words.

And yet that resilience isn’t something arbitrarily bestowed upon the lucky few by a fickle muse — rather, it is earned the only way any stamina is ever earned. (Annie Dillard, perhaps our most benevolent patron saint of writing, put it best : “You search, you break your heart, your back, your brain, and then — and only then — it is handed to you.” ) In a sentiment that calls to mind the exquisite example of how John Steinbeck disciplined his way to a Pulitzer , Patchett observes:

It turns out that the distance from head to hand, from wafting butterfly to entomological specimen, is achieved through regular practice. What begins as something like a dream will in fact stay a dream forever unless you have the tools and the discipline to bring it out.

Patchett pokes at the strange logic by which we exempt writing from the beliefs and standards to which we hold other crafts:

Why is it that we understand playing the cello will require work, but we attribute writing to the magic of inspiration? Chances are, any child who stays with an instrument for more than two weeks has some adult making her practice, and any child who sticks with it longer than that does so because she understands that practice makes her play better and that there is a deep, soul-satisfying pleasure in improvement. If a person of any age picked up the cello for the first time and said, “I’ll be playing in Carnegie Hall next month!” you would pity their delusion, yet beginning fiction writers all across the country polish up their best efforts and send them off to The New Yorker . Perhaps you’re thinking here that playing an instrument is not an art itself but an interpretation of the composer’s art, but I stand by my metaphor. The art of writing comes way down the line, as does the art of interpreting Bach. Art stands on the shoulders of craft, which means that to get to the art you must master the craft. If you want to write, practice writing. Practice it for hours a day, not to come up with a story you can publish, but because you long to learn how to write well, because there is something that you alone can say. Write the story, learn from it, put it away, write another story. Think of a sink pipe filled with sticky sediment. The only way to get clean water is to force a small ocean through the tap. Most of us are full up with bad stories, boring stories, self-indulgent stories, searing works of unendurable melodrama. We must get all of them out of our system in order to find the good stories that may or may not exist in the freshwater underneath.

With an eye to the deep rewards of practicing itself , Patchett addresses the obvious caveat:

Does this sound like a lot of work without any guarantee of success? Well, yes, but it also calls into question our definition of success. Playing the cello, we’re more likely to realize that the pleasure is the practice, the ability to create this beautiful sound; not to do it as well as Yo-Yo Ma, but still, to touch the hem of the gown that is art itself… I got better at closing the gap between my hand and my head by clocking in the hours, stacking up the pages. Somewhere in all my years of practice, I don’t know where exactly, I arrived at the art.

Returning to the question of transmuting inspiration into writing — one also addressed by another celebrated writer whose own relationship to butterflies was far from metaphorical — Patchett adds:

I never learned how to take the beautiful thing in my imagination and put it on paper without feeling I killed it along the way. I did, however, learn how to weather the death, and I learned how to forgive myself for it.

In this practice lies Patchett’s most empowering yet most difficult piece of advice:

Forgiveness. The ability to forgive oneself. Stop here for a few breaths and think about this because it is the key to making art, and very possibly the key to finding any semblance of happiness in life. […] I believe, more than anything, that this grief of constantly having to face down our own inadequacies is what keeps people from being writers. Forgiveness, therefore, is key. I can’t write the book I want to write, but I can and will write the book I am capable of writing. Again and again throughout the course of my life I will forgive myself.

This Is the Story of a Happy Marriage is a spectacular read in its entirety. Complement it with Patchett’s commencement-address-turned-book , then explore this evolving archive of great writers’ advice on the craft , including Virginia Woolf on writing and self-doubt , Cheryl Strayed on faith, humility, and the art of motherfuckitude , Elmore Leonard ’s ten tips on writing , Neil Gaiman ’s eight pointers , Nietzsche ’s ten rules , Walter Benjamin ’s thirteen doctrines , Henry Miller ’s eleven commandments , and Kurt Vonnegut ’s eight tips for writing with style , and Vladimir Nabokov on the three qualities of a great storyteller .

— Published April 27, 2015 — https://www.themarginalian.org/2015/04/27/ann-patchett-on-writing/ —

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Marcie McCauley

“The Getaway Car” (Ann Patchett)

This essay appears in her collection  This Is the Story of a Happy Marriage. Over the years, she was asked certain questions about her writing process repeatedly, and this essay is her well-honed answer.

The entire collection is worth reading. Some of the essays are interesting and some are beautiful; “The Getaway Car” is the most immediately relevant to me. (But the pieces about her dog and her grandmother are moving and memorable.)

Although I can imagine how easily she might have turned this work into a full-length book, I appreciate her concise and deliberate approach. This is a piece i plan to reread periodically, and its length makes that intention more realistic.

I appreciate its succinct reminders about things i already know. “Habits stick, both the good ones and the bad.” It has taken a lot of work to undo some habits which have interfered with my writing. And even though I’m more cautious now, having fallen into traps I have laid in the past many times, and now better equipped to recognise risks and pitfalls, I can always use reminding.

“This book I have not yet written one word of is a thing of indescribable beauty, unpredictable in its patterns, piercing in its color, so wild and loyal in its nature that my love for this book, and my faith in it as I track its lazy flight, is the single perfect joy in my life. It is the greatest novel in the history of literature, and I have thought it up, and all I have to do is put it down on paper and then everyone can see this beauty that I see.”

This pure affection for a work not-yet-begun is immediately recognisable. Sometimes it is paralysing. I have left drafts sitting, unouched, for years, because the gap between the imagined and the written was vast.

Ann Patchett, too, has struggled with the gap between the writer she wanted to be and the writer she grew into being. She has worked to adjust the balance.

“When I thought about the writer I had wanted to be when I was a child, the one who was noble and hungry and lived for art, that person was not shallow. I would go back to my better, deeper, self.”

She writes about the importance of fallow periods, about painful periods of growth.

“I am a compost heap, and everything I interact with, every experience I’ve had gets shoveled onto the heap where it eventually mulches down, is digested and excreted by worms, and rots. It’s from the rich, dark humus, the combination of what you encountered, what you know and what you’ve forgotten, that ideas start to grow.”

She considers the ways in which we work that do not revolve around a printed page.

“There may be no tangible evidence of the work I do in my head, but I’ve done it nevertheless.”

Ultimately, however, she is an experienced writer. “Somewhere in all my years of practice, I don’t know where exactly, I arrived at the art.”

Nonetheless, this piece offers useful advice for beginning writers too.

About the need for dedication and work. “If I wanted a better life for myself I was going to have to write it.”

About the need to understand one’s audience and market. “Magazines really do have personalities, and you should be able to figure out if your story might fit in.”

And about ambition and passion. “One more thing to think about when putting a novel together: make it hard. Set your sights on something that you aren’t quite capable of doing, whether artistically, emotionally, or intellectually. You can also go for broke and take on all three.”

The piece which I intended to find at the core of this reading, the one about her marriage, was considered and articulate. And, of course, ironic. For even if it was happy (and that seems questionable in this accounting), it is now over.

In the end, I was left feeling that her true marriage is to words.

Great stuff for writers.

Patchett, Ann. “The Getaway Car” in This Is the Story of a Happy Marriage (HarperCollins, 2011)

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Ann Patchett: The Getaway Car (2011) A Practical Memoir About Writing and Life

In one of her wonderful Friday Five Series  Jacquelin Cangro  mentioned Ann Patchett’s essay  The Getaway Car  that is only available in e-book format. How lucky I just got a kindle for Christmas and could put it into use for the first time. I’m really grateful to Jacquelin for mentioning this essay as it may very well be one of the most wonderful pieces on writing that I have read in a long time. On some 50 pages Ann Patchett combines memoir with some advice that is useful to anyone who has ever thought of writing or who was interested in the process of writing. All the fans of Ann Patchett will love this little book as well, I’m sure. I haven’t read anything by Ann Patchett so far but I certainly will sooner or later.

There were a few elements in this book that I would like to mention, still, the take home message from this post should be – go and read it for yourself. It’s brilliant.

Ann Patchett writes about those wonderful pictures we have in our mind and as soon as we start to write them down, they start to look pale. Like pierced butterflies in display cases. What we need in order to over come the disappointment of not being able to capture our own images is forgiveness.

I believe that, more than anything else, this grief of constantly having to face down our own inadequacies is what keeps people from being writers. Forgiveness, therefore, is key. I can’t write the book I want to write, but I can and will write the book I am capable of writing. Again and again throughout the course of my life I will forgive myself.

She writes about inspiration and that one of the most important works for her was Thomas Mann’s Zauberberg – The Magic Mountain that she read when she was very young.

I think what influences in literature comes less from what we love and more from what we happen to pick up in a moment when we are especially open.

She loved it so much that all of her own novels reproduce that basic plot of

a group of strangers being thrown together by circumstances and form a society in confinement.

She also writes about writing chronologically, about chapters and pacing and writer’s block which doesn’t exist, according to her. She does write about MFA’s and whether it is possible to learn creative writing. This is especially interesting for Europeans who, I think, frown when they hear someone has taken courses in creative writing or even acquired a MFA.

Something I found valuable as well is her take on research.

As much as I love doing research, I also know that it provides a spectacular place to hide. It’s easy to convince myself that I can’t start to write my book until I’ve read ten other books, or gone to ten other places and the next thing I know a year has gone by.

Here lies the answer to why she thinks there is no such thing as writer’s block but procrastination.

It’s a short essay but it’s very well written and contains a world of valuable suggestions and stories of her own life.

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37 thoughts on “ Ann Patchett: The Getaway Car (2011) A Practical Memoir About Writing and Life ”

Welcome to the kindle. How do you like it so far?

I see it as and addition, really, for free classics, books that are not available otherwise and maybe something I need This instant. But it’s not a replacement. It’s fun but I need to be able to write in a book, handwriting that is and I miss the covers and … but it’s great for short pieces and classics and the one or the other book I want to read but I will not re-read. I don’t think I’d like it for non-fiction, short stories or anything more literary.

The “search” function can come in handy at times. Sometimes I can remember a partial quote of a classic but not the whole thing or just where it is in an 800 page book, but the search function will take me to the quote in a couple of seconds. Like you though the Kindle is not a replacement,

That sounds great. I haven’t discovered all of its potential yet. It’s no replacement.

I never thought you’d get one, Caroline. I like the convenience very much, but I too miss the book covers and being able to leaf through the pages.

I didn’t either but then I thought I was just being stubben and wanted to see for myself. While I will do most of my reading in books, there are advantages, like finding something that doesn’t exist in paper. And who knows, maybe my first published book will be an e-book?

Oh I really love what she says about forgiveness. That certainly strikes a chord with me. I’d love to read this, but no kindle alas (and no intention of getting one). So that makes me even more glad that you wrote about this essay and gave us a taste of it.

I found this part about forgiveness so true, I think Jacquelin also underlined it. We are so unkind to ourselves and frankly, isn’t it disappointing when it looks so good in our mind and on paper it is so pale in comparison? I think each and every one of her recommendations make sense. The one about research too and there were more. I was so not sure about the kindle but now I see it has it’s advantages after all.

That beautiful cover is wasted on an ebook only edition!

Yes, that’s true, that’s something I do not like in the e-books at all. I really like nice covers.

This sounds really really interesting. Thanks for blogging about it, I hadn’t heard of it before!

You are welcome, Amy. I found it wonderful and will read it again soon. It’s better than many long books I’ve read or “how-to manuals”. There are a dfew details one one or two of her books and it is interesting to read how she wrote them and that she returns to the same basic plot.

I’ll second Guy: welcome to the kindle. Ok, there aren’t any covers. (well, there are, but you don’t see them as the book opens at the first page) However, that might be a bliss for writers burdened by ugly book covers that could be a put off for readers. And there are a lot of ugly covers too.

The find function is handy and so are the highlight one and the clipping file: no need to type quotes anymore!

But what about book spying? I love to see what others read in bus and train… But there certainly are ugly covers. In any case reading on the kindle will always be the exception but it’s nice for the classics, you can read it for free and then always buy it if you really love it.

Ah! Book spying, I love doing it but I also love book hiding. And the kindle is perfect for that.

Hmm book hiding… Hardly feel like doing that. I’m not displaying the choices but don’t mind others reading it. I discovered Keri Hulme through book spying. Will write a post on it one of these days. 🙂

Old habits die hard , you don’t suffer from the highbrow tag syndrome. Try business traveling with non-readers.

I think they would look moronic, so I wouldn’t care. I never had a weird comment because I was reading something too highbrow I rather think people feel ashamed.

Non readers aren’t morons, they are interested in other things. I don’t drink and I don’t dance, that draws enough of attention; no need to bring Proust or books in English into the mix. Plus jokes are also a way to hide embarrassment.

That’s not what I meant. I think it is moronic to mock someone’s reading taste, no matter what it is.

I agree with you Caroline!! No matter how I despise Twillight…I would never mock the reader, it’s their choice of read,I have to respect them

We had a misunderstanding, Emma thought I meant people who do not read are stupid which, of course, they are not but I don’t understand why anyone would mock someone else’s reading taste.

This sounds good. I love her idea about forgiveness. I read her book Run last year and thought it was okay. I can really see the influence of The Magic Mountain’s, which I haven’t read yet, concept of throwing strangers together in that novel. I haven’t purchase a kindle yet…but I am considering.

It is good, it was a bit like looking over her shoulder while she was writing. I haven’t read her books but found a lot of what she says about reserach interesting. She wrote about opera withouth knowing much. How to do it withouth being tied down by research and yes, how to forgive yourself when you think you have failed. That my explain why many people are harsh critics of . The compare the result to what they had in mind. I have two of her novels here and a memoir.

ah how fun, you have a kindle. I’d love to have one too but they don’t sell it in Indonesia.

what’s MFA

this book reminds me of SK’s On Writing. It would be interesting to read about writing from a woman’s perspective as I already read about it from man’s perspective. Reading on writing was my inspiration to start writing short stories.

That’s too bad. Some of the books are so much cheaper as e-books. I’m glad I have it. Don’t you even have other e-readers? Her books is much shorter but the idea is very similar. I liked it as much as On Writing and would have loved to read more. MFA is a Master of Fine Arts (or creative Writing in her case).

No,I haven’t seen other e-reader 😦 Thank you for explaining MFA 🙂

Wonderful review, Caroline! This looks like a wonderful book. Thanks for writing about it. I have heard of Ann Patchett’s novels but didn’t know that she wrote a book on writing. The only books on writing I have read are Stephen King’s ‘On Writing’ and Francine Prose’s ‘Reading Like a Writer’. After reading these two books, I fell in love with this genre. I loved this sentence from the book that you have quoted – “I think what influences in literature comes less from what we love and more from what we happen to pick up in a moment when we are especially open.” I wouldn’t have agreed with this sentence when I was younger, but I know now that it is true. Sometimes it is interesting to find out why our mind is especially open at certain times. The other day I was listening to a particular kind of music and reading a book and the two went together so well – like two musical instruments in a quartet – that I got more out of the book, than I would have got otherwise. It made me think on what kind of music goes with a particular kind of book – maybe I should do more research on this, or try experimenting a bit.

Wonderful to know that you have got a Kindle. Hope you are enjoying the reading experience in it.

Forgot to add one more thing. I love the cover – so beautiful! Made me remember the butterfly cover of Anne Fadiman’s ‘At Large and At Small’ and her essay on butterflies.

I hadn’t heard of Fadiman’s book. Yes, it’s a great cover and captures the books idea well.

Thank you Vishy, I like to read what authors write about writing. I was amazed that in only 50 pages she managed to say so much. Like you I liked Stephen King’s and Frnacine Prose’s books a lot. I’m trying to read all the books on writing that I have this year. I never noticed before that it has a lot to do with how open we are whether we are influenced or not but it is true. When I was travelling or on a holiday and read something I liked it stayed with me more than otherwise. I don’t to well with reading and listening to music but occasionally I listen to something that really manages to enhance he reading experience only I wouldn’t know what type of music and books. I’ll wait for the results of your research. 😉 Oh yes, the kindle, of course I said “never” less than two months ago… Now I like it.

Did you like the experience of reading on a Kindle? I don’t mind ebooks as much as I thought I would, but I still find myself nearly always reaching for a book than my Nook–which I really should as I have it loaded with lots of really good books. I like the sound of this essay/book, even though I am not a writer and don’t have any inspiration to try to write, but I like the things she says. Some of them are practical enough to put to use even in blog posts or life in general (like the forgiving yourself part and trying to just be happy with what you can do!). I read Anne Patchett’s Bel Canto, which was very good, and I have the biography/memoir of her friend who died, which I would like to read at some point. Isn’t it nice having access to these sorts of digital writings?

I think this essay is for more people than just for writers of novels. Some of it can be applied to blog posts, indeed. I also have that memoir. and Lucy Grealy’s as well. I enjoy the kindle because it’s all new and oh the many free books and things like this essay not otherwise available but I prefer reading a book for many reasons. The kindle is lacklustre. I like the sensual experinece of reading a book. Seeing the cover, smelling the print, feeling the pages, the weigth… In the kindle every book becomes the same, reduced to pure print, you could even have the same font. I’m going to write a post on it one of these days.

I missed hearing about this. I will have to look into it!

It seems to be rather recent. have you read Ann Patchett. I got Bel Canto and eally want to read it?

I’m so glad that you found The Getaway Car worthwhile. There are so many takeaways I found myself highlighting quite a bit. One of the most valuable pieces for me was about forgiveness. She was able to give words to what I’d felt for a long time about having the perfect novel in my head but being unable to get it to the page in the same way. You simply have to do the best you can and forgive yourself the rest.

You’d mentioned that many Europeans don’t find value in MFAs. I’m interested to hear more about that because there is a lot of discussion here in NYC, where I live, about that very thing. There was a long article in Salon titled MFA vs. NYC which discussed the pros and cons of the rigors of a master’s program versus writing from life experience.

On an unrelated note, I know that you’ve been reading war literature lately and thought you’d find this list of WWI novels interesting. Maybe there are a few you haven’t read yet. http://flavorwire.com/247793/essential-wwi-novels-for-downton-abbey-fans#1

Thanks a lot for the link. I was so glad I read Ann Patchett. Amazing that a short book can contain such a lot of valuable information. When you admit to take courses in creative writing you will end up being ridiculed in Europe, maybe less in the UK. I saw a discussion thread on a blog once and it was very interesting, I haven’t bookmarked it and wil try to find it again. The belief is that all books will end up looking the same and that you will not get “real art” anymore. My 18 year old self would have said exactly the same thing but that pure prejudice. Painters train as well and the time when there was a controversy between those who went to an academy and those who didn’t seems long gone. I think people do not know what happens in creative writing courses and how many drop out after just a few hours.

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writer, photographer, web person from Washington, DC.

The Getaway Car: Practical Writing Advice from Ann Patchett

UPDATE: The Getaway Car is no longer on Amazon! If it returns, I will update this page.

Ann Patchett provides practical advice on writing in  The Getaway Car: A Practical Memoir About Writing and Life .

I’ve written four books , numerous short stories and several screenplays . The questions I get most about writing are the practical ones. What do you write with? Where do you write? How do you find time to write?

Answers to these questions are supplied by novelist Ann Patchett in The Getaway Car: A Practical Memoir About Writing and Life . It’s like a FAQ for aspiring writers.

Writing is a Habit

Do you need to get an MFA in Creative Writing? Not if it means going into debt, according the prudent Patchett.

Should you turn your desk away from the window, to avoid distractions? “Desk positioning does not a real writer make,” according to the author.

Are you really a writer? Spend one hour a day for thirty days writing to find out. Sit down and do the work. You’ll be amazed at how much you can accomplish.

She also believes that writer’s block is a myth. If you were stumped by a complicated math problem, do you have math block? No, you’re still working on the problem, even if you have no evident progress.

Writing is Craft

Patchett also punctures the idea that “everyone has a great novel in them.” Would you say that everyone has a five-minute mile in them? Writing is a craft that must be learned.

Her description of plot is the best I’ve ever read:

The plot of a novel should be like walking down a busy city street: First there are all the other people around you, the dog walkers and the skateboarders, the couples fighting, the construction guys swearing and shouting, the pretty girl on teetering heels who causes those construction guys to turn around for a split second of silence. There are drivers hitting the brakes, diving birds slicing between buildings, and the suddenly ominous clouds banking to the west. All manner of action and movement is rushing towards you and away. But that isn’t enough. You should also have the storefronts at street level and the twenty stories of apartments full of people and their babies and their dreams. Below the street, there should be infrastructure: water, sewer, electricity. Maybe there’s a subway down there as well, and it’s full of people.

This rang true with me. A novel can’t be just about one thing. All your characters, even the most minor ones, are heading somewhere, pursuing their own destinies. They exist in a dynamic world and, if it’s a good novel, are worthy of stories of their own.

The Getaway Car: A Practical Memoir About Writing and Life is a Kindle Single. It’s a slim volume but at $2.99 is a bargain for anyone seeking answers on the craft of writing and the realities of the writing life.

Author: Joe Flood

Joe Flood is a writer, photographer and web person from Washington, DC. The author of several novels, Joe won the City Paper Fiction Competition in 2020. In his free time, he enjoys wandering about the city taking photos. View all posts by Joe Flood

5 thoughts on “The Getaway Car: Practical Writing Advice from Ann Patchett”

Hi thanks for the post. Where can I buy the book? I live in the US and cannot find it anywhere, not even on kindle.

I just noticed that too! I wonder why it’s no longer available.

Thanks for this post! I’m also looking to buy the book. 🙂 I called Amazon and they said it’s not available either because 1) there’s an error with the book and they are fixing it or 2) the author withdrew the contract with Amazon.

If you happen to have the Kindle single, are you able to share it? I could send you $2.99 for it via Venmo. 🙂

cheers, Lindsey H.

It doesn’t even show up on my Kindle anymore 🙁

To everyone who can’t find it: get This Is the Story of a Happy Marriage by Ann Patchett. It’s one of the essays in the book.

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Essay On Vacation | Vacation Essay for Students and Children in English

February 13, 2024 by Prasanna

Essay On Vacation:  A vacation offers everyone a break from work with a chance to relax and recharge oneself. Performing various tasks on a daily basis can stress anybody. It will even directly affect your mental abilities as well as physical stability. Thus, your mind and body will start destressing when you leave your worries behind for a couple of days. Besides, vacation is a few days of fun and pleasure with family or friends.

You can read more  Essay Writing  about articles, events, people, sports, technology many more.

Long and Short Essays on Vacation for Students and Kids in English

If you are searching for an essay on vacation, you will find below two different articles that you can use to complete your class assignments. Short essay on Vacation is ideal for kids of classes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 & 6. Long essay on vacation for the students of classes 7, 8, 9, and 10.

Long Essay on Vacation 500 Words in English

Vacations are something loved by a person of every age. Taking out time from your tedious days to go on a trip to a new place offers you a much-needed retreat. It is the biggest gift you can give to yourself to rejuvenate yourself from the daily hustle and bustle.Some people desire a long vacation amidst the mountains while others fancy a weekend getaway. Cities, small towns, forests, all have their own attractions to allure different tourists. People select the best location with the sole motive of enjoyment and recreation for a few days. Also, taking one vacation in a year is not a hard and fast rule. You can even go on 2 or 3 trips according to your convenience.

After all, it more about happiness than anything else.Either you go by train or flight, both have their own perks of appreciating the tour. In case you have a few days in hand, you can also plan a road trip to a nearby spot. It is an affordable and quick vacationing option. Regardless of your choices, all that matters is spending free time to unwind. From exploring monuments, relaxing beside a river, to beachside walks, and indulging in some thrilling activities, every kind of trip comes with its own fun element. Either you are planning to travel within India or internationally, no travel leaves your senses untouched. Thus, you can plan a vacation as per your preference that will make your holidays a pleasant experience. Moreover, when you go on a vacation with friends or family, it is an opportunity to enhance your relationship with them.

Holidays with loved ones can do wonders in rekindling the lost bond among you. Parents these days find it difficult to give time to kids due to busy life, vacation is your best bet to take out that time. Your kids need your time and an outing is equally important for them to develop their minds. Children even enjoy vacations the most because they do not have to spend time studying. Instead, they have fun and frolic days that they always desire. Furthermore, holidaying lets the youngsters spend some time in outdoor space, away from their gadget addiction. Parents also feel amused by seeing their kids happy.

Further, a tour to some new region allows you to expand your mind by interacting with the inhabitants. You can explore more about their tradition by relishing their cuisine, buying the popular souvenirs, visiting cultural and historical sites. No doubt, an expedition is one of the best ways to utilize your vacation. It is something you should never ignore. Thus, no matter how long are your holidays or where you want to head, vacation is essential once in a year for everyone to stay fresh. Do not think any more; coming holidays do go on a tour at some stunning location. You will definitely love to experience this every holiday season.

Short Essay on Vacation 200 Words in English

When the summer holidays arrive, going on a family vacation is the best option for a fun-filled time with family or friends. Whether you are a beach person or want to be lost around nature by going to any hill station, you have a lot of options for planning your next trip. There are several beautiful locations to choose from in both India and abroad. Going on vacation means you get to loosen up yourself without worrying about your daily routine life. Additionally, you get to experience new places and attractions that you never saw before. It gives you a chance to learn about a new culture and lifestyle. You can explore monuments, parks, theme parks, outdoor activities during your vacation. Vacations are also your reason to improve your bond with loved ones. Families can create a memorable trip by clicking lovely pictures and enjoying tasty food together. So, take your pick pack your baggage and get ready for a tour to cherish forever.

10 Lines on Vacation Essay

• Vacations let you socialize more with your family and friends.
• A trip to a new location introduces you to a new culture.
• You can have a better outlook on life by visiting new places.
• Always choose a tour destination that excites you and matches your preferences.
• You can go for a weekend getaway, mountain trekking, beachside vacation, or cultural trip as per your choice, convenience, and time.
• The most significant factor of holidaying is you get to unwind and refresh your mind.
• These days people even like to go on a solo trip to explore the new place all by themselves.
• People who take vacations have a lower risk of heart disease and stress.
• Vacations make children happy and they will love you more for this beautiful surprise.
• You can make a lot of delightful memories during the vacation.

FAQ’s on Vacation Essay

Question 1. Why should I go on vacation at least once a year?

Answer: The key to vacation is to enjoy and get a mental break by not focusing on work for some days.

Question 2. What is the best way to go on a vacation?

Answer: Always try to plan your trip ahead of time by deciding a spot, booking tickets, and packing bags. In this way, you can enjoy your vacation with peace of mind.

Question 3. If I have lesser time, how can I plan my vacation?

Answer: You can either go on a road trip or book your trip through the assistance of travel agents.

Question 4. What is the benefit of going on a tour with family?

Answer: When you go on a family vacation, you can give your kids more time, which is otherwise difficult to due to work life. Also, it builds the family bond.

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There is something about this time of year that makes me — and, it seems, a lot of other people — dream of being elsewhere. Here in New York City, on the eve of Christmas, the trees are bare and lack the compensating beauty of snow. The sky is unremittingly gray (when it’s not actually raining). The sun goes down at 4:30 in the afternoon. (Raise your hand if Noah Kahan’s sad-in-Vermont “Stick Season” resonates with you, too.)

When it comes to vacationing in the winter months, I think the world roughly divides into halves. There are the people who embrace a vision that involves snow and ice and seeing their breath when they step outside. And there are those who want to spend the day in their bathing suit and feel the warm sun on their shoulders. As The Times’s Travel editor, I feel a responsibility to both those groups. I personally might not dream of booking passage with 6,999 other people on the biggest cruise ship ever to launch, but there are those who do.

Special winter travel sections are something of a tradition for the Travel desk, and over the last few weeks, we’ve published two collections of articles filled with inspiration and advice. One was dedicated to readers who want to run toward the cold, and the other focused on those who want to escape it.

You may never book any of these trips, but I think one of the wonderful things about travel writing is that it lets us imagine all the lives we might have. I read our articles and fantasize: Maybe I am a person who spends Christmas in Vienna, ice skating under trees filled with twinkling lights and pausing to drink mulled wine. Or someone who checks into a fancy treehouse at a Vermont resort (a snowy one, not a sad one) and curls up with a book by the fireplace. Or who goes backcountry skiing in Colorado , climbing up and over mountain passes, then descending through fields of untracked snow.

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Home — Essay Samples — Geography & Travel — Travel and Tourism Industry — The History of Moscow City

The History of Moscow City

• Categories: Russia Travel and Tourism Industry

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Published: Feb 12, 2019

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Moscow Travel Guide: Best Things to Do + More [2023]

· everything to know about visiting moscow, including the best things to do and how to get around. ·.

Moscow is Russia’s vibrant capital city, and it also happens to be the largest city in all of Europe. The city’s long and infamous history makes it one of the most unique places we have ever visited.

The architecture ranges from centuries-old palaces to uniform, gray concrete buildings. The people range from cold and private to warm and welcoming. Moscow is a city is strong juxtapositions, and we learned a lot during our time there.

This post will break down all you need to know about visiting Moscow, including the best things to do, how to get there, how to get around, and more.

The Best Things to Do in Moscow

1. explore the red square.

The Red Square is the heart of Moscow. Most of the city’s top attractions can be found here, including just about everything on this list. The Kremlin, St. Basil’s Cathedral, and Lenin’s Mausoleum are all located here, and the State Historical Museum and GUM are not far from here, either.

The Red Square is a common home for parades, protests, and seasonal celebrations. There are massive Christmas celebrations here, with food vendors and carnival rides set up in numbers.

2. Check Out the Ziferblat

The Ziferblat is a café in Moscow that is unlike any café we have ever been to. While most cafes charge you for your drinks and food, the Ziferblat charges you for your time.

Upon arrival, you are given a clock. When you leave, the barista calculates how much time you spent in the café and charges you accordingly. This concept was created to help visitors to be more intentional with their time, and the cafe itself is incredibly charming.

For a detailed look at everything you need to know before you visit, make sure you read my post about visiting the Ziferblat Cafe in Moscow .

3. Marvel at St. Basil’s Cathedral

St. Basil’s Cathedral is one of the most iconic churches in the world, and it was the single thing we were most excited to see while in Moscow. Built almost 500 years ago, St. Basil’s Cathedral is recognized by its colorful domes and whimsical style. The church is of the Russian Orthodox faith, and the inside is just as wondrous as the outside.

St. Basil’s Cathedral is located on the edge of the Red Square, making it incredibly convenient to visit. Entrance for non-worshippers costs 800 rubles, and tickets can be bought at the church

4. Explore the Kremlin

The Kremlin is the largest active fortress in Europe, and it is the site of most of Russia’s government affairs. In addition to government buildings, the Kremlin Complex is filled with courtyards, towers, and museums that are open to the public. If you have the time, you could spend a couple of days fully exploring all that there is to see in the Kremlin.

5. Walk Through Lenin’s Mausoleum

Vladimir Lenin is one of the most important figures in Russian history, and his body is located perfectly embalmed in a mausoleum in the Red Square. The Mausoleum is open to the public to visit, and as long as you are willing to go through a few security checks, it is easily one of the best things to do in Moscow. Its convenient location in the Red Square makes it a can’t miss attraction.

There is absolutely no photography allowed inside the Mausoleum. Do not test this rule.

6. Wander Along Arbat Street

The Arbat is a very popular street in Moscow that is lined with stores, cafes, and other touristy attractions. It is one of the oldest streets in the city, dating back to the 1400s. This street is both quaint and trendy, and there are many walking tours that introduce tourists to the neighborhood’s wonders and highlights.

7. Catch a Show at the Bolshoi Theatre

As a lover of the arts, it is hard to think of Moscow and not think of ballet. Russia has always been a top dog in the world of fine arts, and Bolshoi Theater is one of the best places to catch a performance. We were lucky enough to attend an Opera here, and it is a venue that you don’t want to miss out on if you enjoy opera, ballet, or orchestral performances.

8. Visit the State Historical Museum

The State Historical Museum is one of the most respected museums in Moscow. Despite its name, it is not really focused on the history of Russia as a nation. Rather, it contains a collection of artifacts from all throughout Russia’s history.

The museum’s collection is very broad in nature. It houses some items from indigenous tribes that used to occupy the region, pieces collected by the Romanov family, and more.

9. Wander Around GUM

GUM is an absolutely massive mall within walking distance of the Red Square. It isn’t just the size that draws visitors here; it’s the sense of luxury. The mall is so beautiful inside, much like the metro stations.

While visiting a mall might not sound like it belongs on a bucket list, this mall does. You will not want to miss out on visiting GUM while in Moscow.

10. Admire the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour

While St. Basil’s Cathedral is the most iconic church in Moscow, it isn’t the only one. The Cathedral of Christ the Saviour is absolutely stunning, with massive golden domes. It is the tallest Orthodox church in the world, and it is the seat of the Orthodox Patriarch of Moscow.

It is located just about a mile from the Red Square, just south of the Kremlin Complex. You can walk to it from the Red Square in about 20 minutes.

How to Get to Moscow

Flying to moscow.

Moscow has three major international airports: Sheremetyevo (SVO) , Domodedovo (DMO) , and Vnukovo (VKO) . All three of them are directly connected to downtown Moscow by the Aeroexpress trains, which leave every 30 minutes throughout the day. By Aeroexpress train, you can expect to get to the city center in 25-45 minutes depending on the airport that you fly into.

Sheremetyevo is the biggest and busiest of the three airports, and it is the one you are most likely to fly into – especially if you are coming from outside of Europe or the Caucus region. We flew into Sheremetyevo on a direct flight from New York City.

I usually provide backup airport options, because flying right into the city isn’t always the cheapest way to get where you’re going. Unfortunately, when it comes to Moscow, don’t really have a choice other than to fly right into Moscow. It is a very remote city, and it is usually the cheapest place to fly into in Russia as a whole.

Since Sheremetyevo is so busy, you will probably find a great flight option anyway. I wrote in  my post about finding cheap flights  that using hub airports will lead to more affordable airfare, and the same logic applies here. Even though Russia’s national airline, Aeroflot, is no longer a member of the SkyTeam Alliance, Moscow is still a major hub connecting passengers from all over the world.

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Train or Bus to Moscow

Trains and buses are one of the most popular ways to get around Europe. However, they’re of very little use when you’re trying to get to Moscow.

Moscow is hundreds of miles from the nearest major cities. The only major European city that can even be reached within 8 hours on the ground is St. Petersburg, and even the Baltic capitals of Riga, Vilnius, and Tallinn are over 12 hours away.

If you want to get to Moscow, the best option is almost always to fly. While the train routes to Moscow are scenic, they simply take forever.

How to Get Around Moscow

METRO | TROLLEYS | TRAMS | BUSES

Moscow has one of the most memorable metro systems in the world. Its metro lines are very deep underground, and the stations are absolutely stunning. Each station has its own unique style, but all of them contain escalators that seem to go on forever.

The system was built in an effort to showcase the power of the Soviet Union and its bright future. The plans were a form of propaganda, but they resulted in what is still one of the most visually appealing subway systems on earth.

Moscow’s metro system isn’t just pretty. It is also very useful and accessible. The system has 17 lines that connect the city and its surrounding area.

But wait; there’s more!

The Moscow metro system is also incredibly affordable, with each ride costing less than a dollar. The metro is by far the best way to get around Moscow, as it is almost impossible to beat the connection times and the low cost to ride.

Tickets can be bought at electronic, English-speaking kiosks in stations, or directly from ticket counters at certain larger stations. There are also day passes available, which are a very solid option if you plan on riding the metro several times per day.

The metro is by far the best way to get around Moscow.

In addition to the metro system, Moscow also has a network of buses, trams, and trolleys. This system is nowhere near as convenient or well-connected as the metro, though, and is likely of little use to you during your trip. There is no Uber in Moscow, but a similar app named Yandex is available if you need a ride in a pinch.

How Many Days Do You Need in Moscow?

Moscow is the biggest city in all of Europe, and it is absolutely loaded with things to do. You could spend weeks in Moscow and still find new things to do. Of course, most travelers don’t have that kind of time to spend in one place!

I recommend spending no less than three full days in Moscow, and ideally closer to five or seven.

Moscow is very spread out, and it can take some time to get from one major point to another. There are also so many places that are nice to just sit back and relax, which is hard to do when you’re in a hurry trying to cram activities into just a few days.

If you only have a week to visit Russia, I’d advise spending all of the time in one city. If you decide to split your time between Moscow and St. Petersburg, I recommend not trying to squeeze in any day trips beyond those two cities.

When Is the Best Time of the Year to Visit Moscow?

There are two different ways to approach this question. Personally, I think the best time to visit Moscow is around Christmas and New Year’s Day. While the weather will be absolutely freezing, Moscow is a surreal winter wonderland in December and January.

We were in Moscow right before Christmas. While it was very cold, you can always bundle up. Exploring the Christmas markets and pop-up ice skating rinks throughout Moscow is one of my favorite memories from anywhere I’ve traveled, and I dream of going back to do it again.

If you aren’t fond of the cold, Moscow is beautiful in the summer. It tends to get pretty cold in the shoulder seasons, so if you want warm weather, you should plan to visit in the summer. Moscow actually gets pretty warm in July and August, and there are a bunch of fantastic places to soak up the sun within the city.

The best time to visit Moscow is either around Christmas or from late May to August.

Is Moscow Safe to Visit?

While Moscow is a truly wonderful city, there’s no denying that visiting Russia comes with risks. As the country is run by an infamous communist dictator, concerns about visiting are valid. While we didn’t experience any sort of threat or negative treatment during our time in Moscow, we visited in a peaceful time.

In our experience, Russia doesn’t seem to detain normal Americans or Westerners to use as pawns. As a regular person, as long as you don’t commit any crimes, there is a slim chance you will run into any issues. However, Russia will not hesitate to enforce its laws against foreigners, and illegal behaviors will likely land you in a very compromising position.

Russia will not hesitate to enforce its laws against foreigners, and illegal behaviors will likely land you in a very compromising position.

To make matters worse, Russia has a bad reputation for gang violence. While the Russian mafia has very little interest in normal Western tourists, they won’t hesitate to pick a fight with anyone who ventures into their sphere of influence. If you seek out illegal substances or activities, you could be a target of the mafia.

If you seek out illegal substances or activities, you could be a target of the mafia.

Finally, since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, things are all very different. Russia is currently at war, and there are battles raging within 8 hours of Moscow. While it is still relatively safe to visit, that could change at any time as the war with Ukraine continues.

Is Moscow Worth Visiting?

Without a doubt, Moscow is worth visiting. It is one of the most unique major cities we have ever visited, and we hope to make it back one day. The Russian Orthodox churches are stunning, the city’s history is unlike any other, and the food is to die for.

While many visitors prefer St. Petersburg to Moscow, I think Moscow deserves a lot of hype of its own. Moscow is the beating heart of Russian culture and history, and it’s a place I highly recommend checking out if you have the chance.

That’s all we have for you about Moscow! I hope this post was helpful as you plan your trip to Russia’s capital.

Have you been to Moscow? Or is this your first time visiting? Comment below if you have anything to add to our travel guide!

Hi, I'm Greg. I'm an avid traveler who has traveled to over 50 countries all around the world with my wife and kids. I've lived in Italy, Mexico, China, and the United States, and I dream of moving abroad again in the future. With this blog, I provide my audience with detailed destination guides to my favorite places and pro-tips to make travel as stress-free as possible.

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