Wally Lamb’s Wisdom
Karen A. Wink, Ph.D.

Connecticut native and The New York Times bestselling author Wally Lamb pulled his 1998 novel, She’s Come Undone, off his shelf and read a few passages to fourth-class cadets in a lecture on 16 April 2009. Sponsored by the Hewitt Foundation and the Humanities department/English section, Lamb’s visit prompted the English professors to pull older copies off their shelves and reread the magical and feral story of Dolores Price in preparation for the fourth-class buying the novel off the bookstore shelves and reading the extended story for their Writing About Literature classes.

Lamb’s novel became the third in Oprah’s book club after she called to say, “You owe me two nights sleep”; with these words, he became a national author in 1999. Previously, he taught at creative writing and literature at Norwich Free Academy and the University of Connecticut. Currently, he is a volunteer facilitator of writing at Connecticut’s York Correctional Institute.

In the story, Dolores is a heartrending heroine, an every girl, who experiences serial tragedies (divorce, death, and difficult relationships) as an overweight observer, a victim until she finally learns after page 400 that she is, in fact, a victor in charge of her own life. As a writer, he considers himself a “master puppeteer” in which he “lives alongside his characters,” and at times, they “take control.” He feels very “parental toward his characters who have “minds of their own and begin to lead him.” Similar to the archetypal plot in Lamb’s other novels: I Know This Much is True and The Hour I First Believed, the protagonists such as Dolores learn that from oppression comes freedom thanks to one’s own ingenuity. Her arduous journey and coup at its end reinforce a critical notion for cadets: Even in complicated circumstances, choosing one’s attitude and taking responsibility for one’s life are still within one’s control. This theme, along with the novel’s social issues, prompted many charged class discussions and writing—both creative and academic—in 4/c literature classes.

Prior to his lecture, Lamb led a creative-writing workshop for 16 cadets in upper Leamy lounge where he first read an excerpt from his forthcoming novel (as yet unnamed), seeking feedback for a work in which “the paint was still wet.” Ever polite, cadets were complimentary about Lamb’s story. However, like all great writers, the observer in Lamb took over, admitting he monitored cadets’ nonverbal communication, deciding to soften a few parts and emphasize others. Lamb talked of his participation in two writers’ groups: professional/published writers and emerging writers from which the constructive criticism was invaluable as he created his characters and plots. This was an important message to cadets who also receive feedback from their shipmates and faculty in their journeys to become more effective writers.

Subsequently, he bestowed his best writing advice to the creative writers: “Write first as a child, write automatically, don’t worry about spelling, keep the pen moving. As a ‘child writer, selfish and willful,’ write openly. After a few drafts, become the responsible adult and shift gears to receiving material, edit to shape the storyline, but don’t let adult come out too soon.” Having said this, he assigned cadets to write five unrelated words: wheel, read, fire, water, blue, and wind; choose one and begin writing an association for three sustained minutes. Cadets read their diverse responses about childhood memories, nautical experiences, and significant people in their lives. One truism crossed their responses—Mr. Lamb promoted them to conjure memories worth documenting and exploring further.

Reinforcing favorable writing habits that English professors strive to instill in students, Lamb finished his remarks by advising the following: “revise relentlessly, read your stuff alone and listen intently to your words, learn to write dialogue by hearing your own work, listen carefully to the way people speak, and watch DVDs without the sound and imagine the characters’ dialogues and monologues.” He also advised them to “shed their skin, get in someone else’s shoes, go beyond the parameter, and become another person” in a writing exercise. Since cultural literacy emphasis is a goal at the Academy, this exercise can prove invaluable while considering persons and cultures different from themselves.

In his lecture, Lamb read an autobiography of sorts: facts of his past intertwined with his reasons for writing including his main goal to “write a novel kids want to read voluntarily.” He said he writes with “no outline—cannot seem to do so.” Instead, he is a writer of discovery, but still the masterful puppeteer who writes complex, compelling plots. When writing, he learned that if audience members are meant to find one’s writing, need to read the story, and investigate the truth, they will find one’s words. This vote of confidence he gave himself, and, in turn, to cadets is well taken since we currently have a group of cadets writing short stories and poetry for id est, the Academy’s literary magazine, independently, and for the annual PoetrySlam!

Toward the end of the lecture, Lamb seemed genuinely impressed with students’ questions, remarking, “Usually when I take questions, the first one is ‘What is Oprah really like’”? Instead, cadets asked questions about his writing processes and choices relative to the novel. 4/c Tara Fitzgerald asked Lamb about his source for his novel titles to which he confessed listening to songs—in this case, “Undun” by 1980’s Canadian rock band “The Guess Who.” During his lecture, Lamb responded to several student concerns (raised in all English classes” summed up as “How and Why does a man write in a girl’s [Dolores’] voice?”) As an English teacher at Norwich Free Academy, he said he taught an overweight, isolated girl and wondered about her feelings and perspectives on life.

Together with this troubling reflection and growing up with older sisters, he took a risk, adopted a girl’s point of view and began writing. He said he “almost lost his nerve and hit false notes” a few times, but the females in his writing group convinced him to continue. They also challenged: “Why do you write such unlikeable characters?” After reflection, he began to add comedy that “sometimes just slipped in.” The result: She’s Come Undone, a nine-year labor of love that created Dolores, the self-deprecating girl who spun a tragicomedy for students.

Lamb did not steer clear of controversy in our society, saying there is a “damage in keeping secrets” so he handles the dark gallows with humor and includes characters who are the “walking wounded working toward better ends” to send a message that from tragedy comes triumph given the human spirit in us all—a timely message for cadets.

Works Cited
Lamb, Wally. She’s Come Undone. New York: Pocket, 1998. Print.
Lamb, Wally. “Relevant Themes in She’s Come Undone.” Leamy Hall. United States Coast Guard Academy. 16 April 2009. Lecture.