How do you boil water? (Column)
It's intuitive for some, not for others but really it comes down to how badly do you want that boiled water? Yes, this is an analogy for life.
By Leah Eichler
My 12-year old daughter recently asked me how to boil water.
A friend of hers came over — there was no school — and they decided to make Jell-O.
Sweet.
Except for the boiling water part.
When she asked the question, I froze. I failed as a mother, was my first reaction. Have I coddled her so much that she lacks even the most basic understanding of how to feed herself? Maybe. This from a generation that learns how to make mind-blowing DIY art projects from YouTube videos. Perhaps there is no YouTube video on how to boil water. Maybe someone should check that out.
When I talked myself off the ledge, I began thinking about all the things we should know but don’t. Practical things that our ancestors may have known, like what plants have medicinal qualities. (Aside: I am reading Ashkenazi Herbalism and discovered peonies were used to prevent fear and also cleanse the head, but I digress.)
In fact, there are a lot of things I don’t know but should know. How to change a tire. How to unclog a sink. Or what to do when my oven rattles. For some, fixing is intuitive. For others, well, there’s a YouTube video for that. Or mom.
When it comes to writing, people often ask writers, “how do you do it?” The question means many things. How do you come up with an idea — well, you just talk to people and think them up. How do you construct the story? Well, that question is a little more complicated. There are books that will tell you, but my favourite is George Saunders’ A Swim in a Pond in the Rain. Saunders could make it more complicated, but he takes a handful of classic short stories by Russian literary greats and asks one important question after each line, paragraph and section: why did you want to continue reading?
It’s a really important question, because, well, why does anyone want to do anything? There has to be a motivator. When he writes about Chekhov’s “In the Cart,” Saunders hints that the author drops little breadcrumbs, or subtle cues that encourage the reader to want to figure out how it ends.
The real motivation is how badly do you want to know the ending? In terms of Chekhov’s story, badly enough to read to the end, but when it comes to my tires or sink, I suppose my curiosity is lacking.
As for my daughter, I asked her to look around the kitchen and if she really wants that Jell-O, to tell what she thinks would be able to assist her in her task of boiling water.
She brandished her adorable but mischievous smile and picked up the kettle.
Yours in reading and writing,
Leah Eichler
What I am Reading:
What I Lost When I Stopped Crying - The Atlantic. What happens when you can no longer shed tears? Benjamin Perry, the author of a new book, Cry Baby, finds out the hard way.
George Saunders The Story Club is now reviewing The Overcoat - You can see I’m a fan, but The Overcoat is one of my favourite short stories. Check out Saunders on Substack to follow along.
What Your Therapist Doesn’t Tell You - NYT Magazine. It’s a quick read, but worth it.
Provocative and quirky post that I loved. I love Lincoln in the Bardo. Off to read what you're reading. I have a feeling you'll love this post: https://marytabor.substack.com/p/on-reading-lewis-hydes-the-gift-lesson
hmmmm george saunders , Lady with a Dog (that IS Chekov right?) boiling water...what could go wrong? except in my own brain i'm getting flashes of "Fatal Attraction" scenarios....no doubt your other great links will calm me down ha