This idea of themes and narratives in a life, that somehow a life’s shape can always be discerned, is something that I have mixed feelings about. Yes,… Read more “Like A Spider Making Its Own Web”
Month: February 2020
A Short Story Has To Be Perfect
The short story is an imploding universe. It has all the boil of energy inside it. A novel has shrapnel going all over the place. You can… Read more “A Short Story Has To Be Perfect”
It’s All About The Good Word Properly Inserted
I don’t believe a poet has a better hold on truth or morality than a fiction writer has. And I don’t think a fiction writer has anything… Read more “It’s All About The Good Word Properly Inserted”
Not All Life Is Already Written Down
Literature can remind us that not all life is already written down: there are still so many stories to be told. Goodreads.com. (2020). Colum McCann Quotes (Author… Read more “Not All Life Is Already Written Down”
Men Really Do Need Sea-Monsters
Men really do need sea-monsters in their personal oceans. John Steinbeck Quotes (Author of Of Mice and Men). (2020). Retrieved 27 February 2020, from https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/585.John_Steinbeck
Nothing Was Ever Created By Two Men
Our species is the only creative species, and it has only one creative instrument, the individual mind and spirit of man. Nothing was ever created by two… Read more “Nothing Was Ever Created By Two Men”
The Neverending Contest In Ourselves Of Good And Evil
We have only one story. All novels, all poetry, are built on the neverending contest in ourselves of good and evil. And it occurs to me that… Read more “The Neverending Contest In Ourselves Of Good And Evil”
The Most Valuable Thing In The World
And this I believe: that the free, exploring mind of the individual human is the most valuable thing in the world. And this I would fight for:… Read more “The Most Valuable Thing In The World”
I Believe That There Is One Story In The World
I believe that there is one story in the world, and only one. . . . Humans are caught—in their lives, in their thoughts, in their hungers… Read more “I Believe That There Is One Story In The World”
Ideas Are Like Rabbits
Ideas are like rabbits. You get a couple and learn how to handle them, and pretty soon you have a dozen. John Steinbeck Quotes (Author of Of… Read more “Ideas Are Like Rabbits”
Lots Of People Want To Have Written
Lots of people want to have written; they don’t want to write. In other words, they want to see their name on the front cover of a… Read more “Lots Of People Want To Have Written”
I Find It Fascinating And Disconcerting
I find it both fascinating and disconcerting when I discover yet another person who believes that writing can’t be taught. Frankly, I don’t understand this point of… Read more “I Find It Fascinating And Disconcerting”
Writing Is No Dying Art Form In America
Writing is no dying art form in America because most published writers here accept the wisdom and the necessity of encouraging the talent that follows in their… Read more “Writing Is No Dying Art Form In America”
Plot Is What The Characters Do To Deal With The Situation They Are In
Essentially and most simply put, plot is what the characters do to deal with the situation they are in. It is a logical sequence of events that… Read more “Plot Is What The Characters Do To Deal With The Situation They Are In”
I Wish I Had Known Back Then That A Mastery Of Process Would Lead To A Product
I wish that I had known back then that a mastery of process would lead to a product. Then I probably wouldn’t have found it so frightening… Read more “I Wish I Had Known Back Then That A Mastery Of Process Would Lead To A Product”
You Can’t Do Anything Without A Story Arc
Plotting is difficult for me, and always has been. I do that before I actually start writing, but I always do characters, and the arc of the… Read more “You Can’t Do Anything Without A Story Arc”
There Is A Satisfactory Boniness About Grammar
There is a satisfactory boniness about grammar which the flesh of sheer vocabulary requires before it can become a vertebrate and walk the earth. Anthony Burgess Quotes… Read more “There Is A Satisfactory Boniness About Grammar”
There Is Not Much Point Writing A Novel
There is, in fact, not much point in writing a novel unless you can show the possibility of moral transformation, or an increase in wisdom, operating in… Read more “There Is Not Much Point Writing A Novel”
Language Survives Everything
Language survives everything—corruption, misuse, ignorance, ineptitude. Linking man to man in the dark, it brought man out of the dark. It is the human glory which antecedes… Read more “Language Survives Everything”
Mystery Writers And Thriller Writers
I think mystery writers and thriller writers – whatever genre you want to call it – are taking on some of the biggest, most interesting kind of… Read more “Mystery Writers And Thriller Writers”
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