Heart

If you read Metafilter or McSweeney’s , you might have heard about Dave Eggers’s recent clarification. I’ve read several of Dave Eggers’s works and I’m quite a fan. Since I’m not really a humor reader, I’ve always wondered why I like his work so much and while reading this clarification, I remembered why.

Here’s the sentence that goes to the core of things.

David, you wrote that without heart. There is no heart in your piece.

In the end, it all comes down to heart. People who make solid friends, good movies, novels and music all have to have heart. Cause if the passion, the burn is not there than nothing matters. If you can’t be enthused and thrilled and amazed about what you’re doing, why are you doing it? If you don’t care about your friends, why would you have them? If you’re not giving it all you have, you’re wasting your time. And ours.

Tonight, I finally watched Billy Elliot and I loved his answer to the judges from the ballet school. He said dancing makes him feel like electricity. I’ve always admired artists cause they have the balls to do the thing they truly love while the rest of us and just working so we can put food on the table. They have heart.

Another point by Eggers which is close to my heart is the following:

In your correspondence, you sound like a normal, even warm, person, who cares about truth, who enjoys books, etc. But in your journalism your persona is very different. Where does that tone come from? How can any reasonable person speak so snidely about books? Books!

I couldn’t agree more. Each time I read a book critic that totally bashes a book in the most snotty, all-knowing way, I think the exact same thing as above. How pathetic must these people’s lives be that they feel the need to bash others. If they know so much about books, they should sit and write one themselves! I guarantee their viewpoint and harsh judging criteria would change. How much bitterness and anger must these people have to do this for a living?

When I finally finish my novel, that’s all I want out of it.

I want it to have heart.

Previously? The Universe and Me.