"You can't know anything, unless you walk," said Pete Hamill, 73, author of "Downtown: My Manhattan." "You think of one thing and it leads you to another."
The seasoned New Yorker and writer came to share his treasures of
experiencing the city with my NYU class. He shared a few tips on how
he finds the treasures for his stories.
A novelist and journalist, Hamill discussed his secret to writing about downtown Manhattan- experiencing the city yourself.
"You take with you what you know," said Hamill. "That's your basic template."
Having lived in New York City for most of his life, Hamill is able to bring to life the history behind many places people just walk past.
He sees writing as a type of music, turning the sentences in his pieces into musical pieces. He transforms his words into rhythm.
"Every piece has music if it's good," Hamill explains.
He suggests exploring by yourself, surrounding yourself with the story. And that some of that story, that music, is yourself.
3 comments:
He said some pretty interesting things. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks because of you I bought his book and love it. The perfect gift for people visiting New York and living there.
What a great guest speaker! Reminds of Scorsese and Mean Streets in a way. You, the streets of New York, and a million stories.
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