Emily in France 🇫🇷 I'm Writing Again
On fiction and truth.
When I began writing, it was because I wanted to write fiction. Novels, specifically. Journalism was, at first, just a bridge: to pay the bills, to hone my skills, and, yes, to process all the new, amazing things I was seeing and experiencing when I moved to France 15 years ago. The fact that most of my days, these days, are filled with non-fiction writing is a truth, and one that fills me, depending on the day, with fulfillment and frustration, and sometimes both at the same time.
I've been quietly working on a new fiction project for months, now, albeit in a very different way than I usually do. Generally deadline-motivated and goal-driven, I have deviated from what is usually a very structured practice, and, in the process, have written about 78,000 words, of which I strongly suspect none will make it into the final draft I show my sisters, my CPs, my agent. Without really knowing it, I've been following a bit of advice from one of my favorite writers, Neil Gaiman, who says that a first draft is just you telling yourself the story, and the second draft is all about making it seem you knew where you were going all along.
(It feels like an apt metaphor for life, but perhaps that's another train of thought for another day.)
I've been treating my book gingerly, these past few months, as though the muse were a particularly nervous animal I was afraid to spook. I didn't force the writing. I let it happen when it felt right; I abandoned it when it didn't. But in the past few weeks – and more and more, in the past few days –, I've begun stumbling upon advice from creators like David Yoon, who explores how to cultivate creative endurance, or Maria Mutch, on how to embrace uncertainty. And then, of course, there was Gaiman, again, who popped into my inbox by way of the Wordling, to share a frequently cited truism: the importance of writing what you know.
That Gaiman was the one to say it seemed ironic, to me: After all, the author of Coraline and Good Omens, deviates quite spectacularly from the known (or, if not, makes me want to know what he’s on). So I tried to consider what he meant, and what I stumbled upon, whether it was his intention or not, is what has motivated me and, I hope, beckoned the muse back in a way that feels far less ephemeral than it has so far this year:
Write, if not exactly what you know, at least the emotions that you know... and always leave space for magic.
Cheese of the Week
The squeamish among you may wish to look away now: The artisou is a favorite of mine from Cantal, named for the artisous (aka artisons or cheese mites) that colonize the rind to impart a nutty, tangy, unique flavor on the otherwise mild tomme-style cheese. A slight blue veining isn't necessary... but it's always a pleasant touch.
To discover more of my favorite cheeses, be sure to follow me on Instagram @emily_in_france and tune into the Terroir Podcast, where Caroline Conner and I delve into France's cheese, wine, and more one region at a time.
Where I'm Going
To Long Island, where I plan to hang out with my dad, eat ramen, go to the beach, and devour a pile of books.
What I'm Eating
Treize au Jardin is a massive café with a kitschy-chic interior and a gorgeous view of the Luxembourg Gardens. It doesn’t take reservations, a policy that usually sends me fleeing further afield (in addition to my father’s penchant for owning only enough cutlery and cups to feed myself, I have also inherited his hatred of queueing), but with the enormity of its sidewalk space and all of the tables within to boot, I’ve never found myself waiting when I stroll up to this 6th arrondissement staple just up the block from one of my favorite bookshops in Paris, the Red Wheelbarrow. Known for American fare and a Southern flair (including barbecue), it's a great spot for brunch or early evening cocktails. More on the blog.
Discover more of my foodie finds via Instagram @emily_in_france.
What I'm Writing
1. Part villa and part posh hotel, the Amavia Collection is trying something new in an industry that's due for some innovation. Find out more about this phenomenal private villa in Villefranche for InsideHook.
2. This Michelin-pedigreed pork chop from San Francisco's Sorella is the ideal addition to your next cookout – and I've got the recipe for InsideHook.
3. Cooking lamb properly isn't easy... but it doesn't need to be hard either, thanks to these tips I collected for TastingTable.
What I'm Saying
1. Did you know that most Americans only buy a bottle of sparkling a year? Champagne has something hallowed about it that transcends borders – even the French seem to find it a bit mystifying. To demystify it, then, this week on the Terroir Podcast, Caroline and I are joined by Christian Holthausen, the Franco-American founder of Westbrook Marketing Partners with over 20 years working in Champagne. Tune in here.
2. French feminism can be equally construed as being at the forefront and well behind the movement elsewhere in the world. To discuss this complicated discrepancy – as well as womanhood in general, in France – I'm joined on Navigating the French by Anna Malzy for a deep exploration of the word femme. Listen here!
What I'm Reading
1. I know I'm not the only Millennial girl whose soul felt changed by Regina Spektor, so maybe the other Weird Girls out there will love this profile with the singer as much as I did. Of particular note: Her views on what we as humans can comprehend and what we're probably missing, as well as her revolutionary and inspiring capacity for empathy. In Vulture.
2. Do you believe local food is better for the planet or that lettuce is good for you? Here's why you're wrong, in the Washington Post.
3. A century after Helen Keller, DeafBlind communities are creating a brand-new language that may force Americans to reckon with our aversion to touch. In the New Yorker.
A bientôt !