Istanbul
In the book The Naive and the Sentimental Novelist (Yapı Kredi Publications; 1st edition 2016, 8th edition 2025), a compilation of the Norton Lectures delivered by Orhan Pamuk at Harvard University, the acts of writing and reading novels, the inner workings of a writer’s mind, and the techniques of great novelists are expressed in a truly practical and striking manner.
Those who have made writing, specifically the crafting of fictional texts, novels, short stories, and essays, their vocation are the ones who best understand the challenges involved. Tips and advice gathered during private conversations with seasoned figures or in writing workshops serve as invaluable guides.
In this diary-writing journey I have embarked upon today, I would like to share the advice of three distinguished figures with you.
The first is Haldun Taner. We published his short story “Yalıda Sabah” (Morning by the Sea) in both Turkish and English in Rosetta Literatura, the multilingual international literary magazine we produced. In “Morning by the Sea,” Taner flawlessly applied the very technique he would later explain in an interview for aspiring writers. His advice to them was this: “Write down everything you see or observe the moment you wake up in the morning, including yourself. ‘I got up this morning. As soon as I got up, I washed my face and hands. I looked out the window. The simit seller was calling out,’ and so on.”
Morning by the Sea has secured its place in literary history as a work that emerged from Haldun Taner penning down the observations he made upon waking one morning; it beautifully depicts an Istanbul morning and stands as a piece worthy of being cited as an exemplary text in literature faculties.
My second memory is of a technique that the dear Feyza Hepçilingirler had every participant try out individually during her writing workshop in Skala Eresos, on the island of Lesbos. First, everyone took their seats. Ms. Feyza Hepçilingirler placed a sheet of paper and a pencil in front of each person. “Now,” she said, “pick up your pencil, and without ever lifting it from the paper, write down everything that comes to mind for ten minutes.” Indeed, this workshop offered a practical approach, an effective technique, shared by a distinguished master with the participants.
Yes, the crucial thing is for the writer to be able to focus on the subject. I feel compelled here to mention the esteemed writer Bilgesu Erenus, whom we lost quite recently, as she was the one who articulated this principle most effectively. (It was Esin Afşar – may she rest in peace- who had introduced us.) This experienced writer emphasized that anyone sitting down to create a literary work must glue themselves, or rather, their backside, to the chair so firmly that they forget to eat, drink tea, or watch television. While it might sound like an exaggeration, it is certainly inevitable that those whose attention constantly drifts elsewhere will struggle immensely with the craft of writing. I suppose that, in order to ensure my journals, which I hope will grow in number from here on out, do not remain incomplete, I too wish to find myself experiencing the “unbearable happiness” of enduring the hardships of this arduous journey.