Writing as an act of conception- that was my take-away when I read Jorge Luis Borges’s short story ‘Circular Ruins.’ Tackling classics isn’t always easy for a contemporary reader. Even though I mostly read 19th and early 20th century books early on, I’m hooked on modern writers and their easy prose, gripping plots and characters that defy stereotypes.
But if you’re a passionate reader or a writer, Borges is an absolute must. He doesn’t inhabit the real, material world- this story and the other ones published in his work ‘Ficciones,’ are deeply philosophical and allegorical.
‘Circular Ruins’ is about a man who is able to ‘imagine’ another person into life. He does this only in his sleep, after his regular day. When I read this, it felt so much like what my life has been as I write my novel. I inhabit two realities: the real world with all its flaws, which I can’t control; and the world in my imagination, which exists in its own plane, with its own internal logic, rounded characters, and where every word, action, sentence, exists only at the service of the story.
For me, writing isn’t my full-time job. That actually works in my favor. I can live both sides of my life completely, without one draining the other. My logical, pragmatic everyday life can help me detach from the temptation to spend my life writing and re-writing my novel.
Each time I sit and write, I infuse some of my essence into my writing. Even though I’m almost done, the dialogue or certain inconsistencies in the book pop up in my head. I want to stop and let it go, but it comes to look for more. I wonder what will happen when like the story, the creation is ready to turn and walk away on its own…
My Writing Story 