the autobiography of flapjack sally

draft page from Pale King

In DFW’s drafts, there are funny remarks scribbled in the margins, i.e., “Cheers wasn’t ON in 1977! When did Cheers! run?” as well as not so funny remarks—“I am so sad.” There are remarks where he is goading himself on—or chastising himself—“Just finish this.” The drafts of “Oblivion” (or, the “Snoring Story”) show him struggling in a very sad way. These parts were like looking at stolen pictures of a celebrity on getaway. They instantly satisfied that voyeuristic desire to delve into the private life of a celebrity, but also made me queasiest about showing them to other people. Would I ink out these sad parts? That, too, felt wrong.

from Crafty David Foster Wallace : a great essay on reading David Foster Wallace’s draft pages in hydramagazine by my friend Anelise Chen: