Who Are You

Invigorated after reading The Spellman Files by Lisa Lutz, I went back to the library to see what else she had written. Sadly, despite a prolific literary career, my branch only had one other book on offer: The Swallows.

I haven't finished yet so I can't really speak to the work as a whole, but I'm loving it. Lutz's style is very noir without being heavy-handed. I didn't realize how much of a mystery was being told, because you're always very interested and invested in what is happening on the page at every moment, rather than waiting to get through the "boring" bits in order to get answers. This is a pitfall in books with multiple narrators, and I think this is one of the only times I've ever been interested in hearing every perspective on the matter.

In any case, my topic for the day is to follow the writing exercise assigned early in the novel, anonymously answering the following 5 questions:

1. What do you love?

2. What do you hate?

3. If you could live inside a book, what book?

4. What do you want?

5. Who are you?

Since I am only one author on the blog, the only way I can answer anonymously is to write it several times, and not indicate which one is the true answer.

The other sets of answers are for people I have made up, or book characters, or people I know. Who do you imagine when you read the answers? A man, a woman, or someone else? Someone who is happy? Frustrated? Stuck? Bored? Excited?

1. What do you love? Painting, unburdening my heart

2. What do you hate? The inside of my mind, my landlord

3. If you could live inside a book, what book? A Hymnal

4. What do you want? To be successful and loved. I want to be healed. I want someone else to see the world with me.

5. Who are you? Unrecognized

1. What do you love? Being alone, reading, drinking tea.

2. What do you hate? The public, being open, having to deal with my emotions, doing work.

3. If you could live inside a book, what book? The Martian

4. What do you want? For all humans to die

5. Who are you? I'm more mature and in control than I let on. I'm duplicitous.

1. What do you love? Music, plants, hurting, running. Tequila. Colorado.

2. What do you hate? Submitting, admitting that I'm wrong. Cats.

3. If you could live inside a book, what book? Shantaram

4. What do you want? To die and be alone

5. Who are you? Stubborn

1. What do you love? Cats, books, feeling passion, being successful. Rainy days.

2. What do you hate? Hypocrisy, injustice, people who get away with things

3. If you could live inside a book, what book? The Golden Compass

4. What do you want? Strength, a personal library, to be accomplished

5. Who are you? I'm a waste of potential

1. What do you love? Sleeping, running, exercising. Food, the internet. Talking shit about other people.

2. What do you hate? Anyone outside my house, when it rains.

3. If you could live inside a book, what book? Winnie The Pooh

4. What do you want? Freedom, independence, my own room. Attention.

5. Who are you? I'm a spoiled princess

I feel like the more I write these, the more true they can be. Even if I'm not writing about myself.

It's a good character building or personal building exercise, a fun way to try and fall into someone else's head. And a good way to discover your own perspective on who you think someone is vs who they think they are.

Try it yourself.