This morning I sat down at my desk, read for a while, and then asked myself the same questions I’ve been asking for the past 15 years: what can this writer teach me? What does s/he do especially well that I can study? How would I write this differently? What I haven’t often thought of... Continue Reading →
Horror at 2½ Feet
Working in cafés can be wonderful. A clean, well-lighted place with good coffee and relative quiet can be inexpressibly fantastic. I’ve made the rent and written books in cafés. On the other hand, close proximity to others under the influence of caffeine can reveal a certain darkness in the human condition that would otherwise be... Continue Reading →
The Fundamental Strangeness of Life
Recently, someone wrote to me wanting to know how I could support myself doing what I do. It was a legitimate and sincere question that nevertheless had undertones of skepticism. The writing life? Really? Just admit you’re flipping burgers in the back of some cantina, why don’t you. And my answer was that I really... Continue Reading →
It should only happen . . .
My friend, Dr. Minnick, has a new, very interesting blog. Recommended: http://alevei.wordpress.com/
The Genius of Imitation
Creating reproductions of other works requires an extremely high level of technical proficiency. One's subject matter will always be personal, but I want to encourage my students to deliberately acquire new technical skills by taking on the aesthetic of the writers they read. In this sense, every text is a potential writing instructor. I have taught... Continue Reading →
The Writing Expedition 