. >> host: 1973 you're writing in longhand or by typewriter. are you losing your rough drafts today because of computers? >> guest: i save them to send to columbia. but i rewrite so many times that i have so many drafts. the current novel i'm just finishing has so many drafts, and i save them all. i mean, i rewrite on the computer, but i often write first drafts on yellow legal pads as i always did. because i feel freer writing by longhand. and i don't feel as comfortable with the computer. if i write a book review, if i write a short piece, i may write on the computer so i can keep the, you know, i can keep in my mind the length. because there's a limit. but when i'm writing a novel or poems, i often write longhand. >> host: erica jong, this is 40 years since "fear of flying" came out. will people be reading this 40 years from now? >> guest: that i can't tell you. i don't know. i hope so. but i can tell you that many of the people who have received this copy and reread the book have told me that it's still very timely and current and very read

stop being the outside agitator, he responded with a letter from the birmingham jail which he wrote longhand in the margins of the newspaper in which he was able to read the ad and read the stories of his fellow ministers criticizing his tactics. his arrest was one component of a big activist plan for birmingham that year. birmingham was seen as being among the most impossible places for progress. it was the most stubborn, the most violent, the most rigidly opposed to desegregation. the plan was to push there in one of the worst places notice country. and see what happened. see how they responded to pressure. and after what they thought was a slow start of sit-ins and protests in the first eight days a total of 150 people had been arrested and taken to jail, that sounds like a lot, but for the time it was disappointingly low, after that, what they perceived to be a slow start in birmingham, on april 12th, dr. king was arrested himself, and 50 others were arrested with him. dr. king was released by april 20th, by may 2nd, birmingham activists applied for a parade permit. the government said n

was spontaneous and ex-tem pain yous, it was not the speech that he had written and prepared in longhandut for the initial seven paragraphs i suggested and his own paragraphs he added. it was an amazing circumstance. and today, for example, it was very difficult for me to be there. and a lot of emotions, i said to my dear friend ambassador andy young, we put our arms around one another. i said, andy, i started to cry last night. he said, yeah, so did i. and i thought that oh, my god, i was 32 years of age, dr. king was 34. and i thought of so, so many people that i knew personally who were not there. i'm not just talking about randolph and rusten, people you see in the pictures, and some of the labor leaders. i'm thinking about people who were decisive in the civil rights movement, who made -- who were part of that whole tapestry. and we don't have the time in this program for me to call the role, but -- an example like fanny lou in greenwood, mississippi, james orange an activist in birmingham, alabama. jose williams. i thought of those people, i thought of baker, and so when i thought

i write in longhand, and it's just to me that's writing, you know?n i put it on a typewriter. i just stop at 6:00 because you got to stop sometime. but, still, yeah, the character, though, could still be in my head. and maybe i might even sound hike that character. maybe all day long i might sound like that character. and my wife might say, well, i know who you are today. i never, ever write from my own point of view. i never use my words. i don't want them to hear me telling them what the -- or showing them what the book is about. i want them immersed in it the same way that i am. but, still, the satisfaction is sitting right here. and i do think about it every once in a while. that here i am all alone. i'm looking out the window. and i'm just fooling around with a scene. i'm writing a story. i'm all by myself writing the story. and somebody's going to pay me a lot of money for it. and i think that's wonderful. >>> still to come outrage continues over the government's surveillance program, but what about the other people who are watching us every si

. >> you write in longhand or by type bringer. are you losing your rough draft because of computers? >> i save them to send to columbia. but i -- we write so many times that i have so many drafts. the current novel i'm finishing, has so many drafts. i save them all. i mean, i rewrite on the computer. but i often write first drafts on yellow legal pads as i always did. because i feel freer writing by longhand. i don't feel as comfortable with a computer. if i write a book review, if i write a short piece, i may write on the computer so i keep the note, you know, i can keep in my mind the length. because there's a limit. but when i'm writing a novel or poem, i often write longhand. >> this is forty years since "fear of flying" came out. will people be reading it forty years from now? >> that i can't tell you. i don't know, i hope so. i can tell you that many of the people who have received this copy and reread the book have told me that it's still very timely. and current and very readable. so i hope we'll find a whole new generatio

>> according to the british newspaper, the sunday people, the letter is seven pages longhand written by the inlaws of a former british special forces sniper. in that letter, the sniper told his wife or boasted to his wife that the british s.a.s. was behind the deaths of princess diana and dodi. this information, according to the sunday people was introduced as evidence in the trial. the court-martialing of this sniper's former roommate was apparently a witness in the trial. unclear if british military officials knew of this information in 2011, why it's just reaching scotland yard right now. scat land yard is not commenting. anderson? >> it seems dubious to me. the estranged family of the husband says the ex-wife said this. how seriously are they taking it? >> they are taking it seriously enough to assess over the weekend, scotland yard releasing a statement saying they are scoping the information, assessing the really vens and credibility. this is also the first information they are looking at this in this way since the conclusion of the inquest into princess diana's death. >> there

he recommend to do me personally wrote in longhand or typed a statement. of the documents were prepared by major nadal hassan and wrote at the specific request of your network. manning who was shot six times first spoke to fox news a year ago. when the defense department dealing with the attack in the context of quote workplace violence many said via skype the public should make its own assessment. >> the government tried to deny this was an act of terrorism. i hope that if people hear the words from hassan's own mouth they will understand it was an act of terrorism. >> the only document bear ago date october 18th, 2012, i denounce any oath offal league against that require me to defend any constitution like the constitution of the you stooifrts the commandments made in islam. i renounce my oaths of office this includes my oath of u.s. citizenship. on this relationship with radical cleric hasan writes he was my teacher mentor and friend. i hold him in high esteem. may almighty allah accept his martyrdom. >> he identifies with al qaeda ideology. someone rea

he first wrote in longhand on yellow legal pads.hen rewrote his pages on an electric typewriter. no computers. in 2001, elmore leonard did a piece for the "new york times" with advice for anybody trying to write a book. his tips avoid detailed description of characters and never open a book by discussing the weather. and for anybody still struggling for success, just consider that elmore leonard didn't write his first best seller glitz until he was 60 years young. 19 more best sellers followed. his researcher confirms he died from complications from a recent stroke. at the age of 87. [ male announcer ] running out of steam? ♪ now you can give yourself a kick in the rear! v8 v-fusion plus energy. natural energy from green tea plus fruits and veggies. need a little kick? ooh! could've had a v8. in the juice aisle. there's a new way to fight litter box odor. need a little kick? ooh! introducing tidy cats with glade tough odor solutions. two trusted names, one amazing product. they're the days to take care of business.. when possibiliti

my mind the length because there's a limit, but when i'm writing a novel or poem, i often write longhand >> eric jong, this is 40 # years, and will people read this 40 years from now? >> that i can't tell you. i don't know. i hope so. i can tell you that many of the people who have received this copy and reread the book told me it's still very timely and current and very readable. i hope we'll find a whole new generation of readers with this edition. >> erica jong, 40th anniversary edition coming out in october. this is booktv on c-span2. >> in light of recent events in syria, booktv is reairing the 2012 program with professor david lesh, author of "syria: the fall of the house of assad," and in the book, he talking about the rise of assad, the faith many mountain west had in him, and his turn to oppression and violence in recent years. this is a little under an hour. >> tonight, we have a program with david lesch. he is a professor of middle east studies and history at t the university in texas, and he's been going to syria for, i believe, 23 years? >> what's 1989? 2323 -- twenty-three

county in ohio that obama needs to win and this collating of information that can be done, this was longhand and i realized pretty quick he that the notes couldn't serve me as they had bill. i couldn't figure out the source codes or the topic codes, the key he had lost. he had secret codes. our ex-were his entries. that one i entered -- the deuce but others were a number sign with an eight in it. i didn't know if that meant and i try to deduce from reading the page the secret code was on. i made a lot of headway. that might've had to do with family so if i saw four or five entries about churchill's children with the with an aid in it i would realize what that means family. well, i would be doing this for the next 20 years. so i had to find a new way or away to reinvent the wheel and i had a brainstorm. i called the wesleyan library and i asked for all the notes that bill had ever taken out. they said i'm sorry that's private. how about this? can you send being of all the loot bookshfñ?ñ? -- a list of ae books that were overdue? the new bill and he said well i guess we could do that and the l

this was longhand that i realized ready quickly that the notes couldn't serve me as they had built.i couldn't figure out the source codes or the topic codes. the key he had lost. he had secret codes. our acts were his doctor's diary entries. that one i deduced but others worry with an eight and it. i didn't know what that meant that might try to deduce from reading the page that secret code was on. i think i made a lot of headway that might've had to do with family so if i saw four or five entries about churchill's children with the with an eight-minute i realized that means family. i would be doing this for the next 20 years so i had to find a new way for a way to reinvent the wheel and i had a brainstorm. i called the wesleyan library and i asked for all the books that bill had it for -- he was an adjunct professor there -- had ever taken out and they said sorry that's private. i said how about this? can you send me a list of all the books that were overdue? [laughter] because i knew bill and they said well i guess we can do that. the list was about 20 pages long. on it for all th