The Novel Art

There's an article in the New York Times about three novelists who are writing on display in a converted factory in Queens. It's an interesting concept, with very strict rules governing the time in the boxes. According to the Times,

"The writers can emerge for only 90 minutes a day and must record on time cards the reason for their absence (laundry, bathroom, snacks). Each evening they will gather together to eat a meal cooked by a chef from a local restaurant."

I've tried those sort of rules with my own family, but they're not buying into the whole concept. Perhaps what I'm missing is the box to do my actual writing in. Not sure. There are also strict visiting hours for the authors:

visitors can peep occasionally (Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.; and Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 4 p.m).

Visting hours? Hmmm... 3 to 5pm. That's when the kids get out of school. It could work. I'm going to make a sign and put it outside the dungeon and see who notices it. (Even odds, the answer is 'no one.')

All in all, I can see the seductive premise of a forced confinement, almost zoo-like in it's voyeuristic watching, but will America fall for the idea of watching an author write? My favorite quote was this one from one of the participants:

Ms. Stone, a trim, lively woman with stylish short hair, was drawn by the isolation. "The idea of escaping from TV, all media, was very appealing to me," she said, in an interview before the experiment began.

Yes, those dratted NYT reporter's, following wherever you go....