Chamblin Bookmine is so very wonderful. A vast labyrinth of old books, amazing literary finds and great staff. A true literary gem in an age of commodified reading, big chain bookstores and the e-book. Glad you’re here in Jax, Chamblin.
I have begun reading Forty Stories by Anton Chekhov. What fantastic satire. What wonderful observation.
There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.
American Gods was a great read.
Everyone Loves A Great Story
Robert McKee is one of the great teachers of storytelling and script writing. He’s been connected to some of the greatest films in modern movie making. I absolutely adore this book and made it one of my recommendations in my post The 5 Best Copywriting Books: An Unconventional Guide I wrote for Freelance Switch.
Here is McKee’s take on what Story is and is not.
- Story is about eternal, universal forms, not formulas.
- Story is about Archetypes, not stereotypes.
- Story is about thoroughness, not shortcuts.
- Story is about realities, not the mysteries of writing.
- Story is about mastering the art, not second-guessing the marketplace.
- Story is about respect, not disdain, for the audience.
- Story is about originality, not duplication.
Great advice. I appreciate his staying true to classic story forms—the archetypal and universal. His talk of universal Forms is clearly a nod to the Platonic idea of Forms. These timeless Ideas lay the groundwork for what we perceive as reality and are the unconscious reference system that makes it possible for us to perceive beauty, pain, love, etc.
Slavoj-Zizek: The World’s Hippest Philosopher
From The Telegraph in London comes this fantastic interview with Zizek, the one philosopher my friend Greg Richards keeps telling me to read. Based on the Telegraph’s description of him, I can see why:
Slavoj Žižek has got an opinion on every subject from decaffeinated coffee to sex, from seagulls and swearing to the end of the world.
I just started reading American Gods by Neil Gaiman. What a great read about American Myth, the heartland and soul. I love this book and wonder why I hadn’t been reading Gaiman before.
To study the Buddha way is to study the self. To study the self is to forget the self. To forget the self is to be enlightened by the ten thousand things.
- Dogen, from the Shobogenzo, the new complete version from Shambhala Publications, translated by Kauaki Tanahashi.
Ten Zen Reads
While there are seemingly more and more books on Zen every day—so much so that Daido Loori called it a glut—there are books that shed great light on Zen.
These are the ones that have most inspired me and my thinking.
- Bringing the Sacred to Life by John Daido Loori
- The Treasury of the True Dharma Eye by Dogen
- The Eight Gates of Zen by John Daido Loori
- Moon in a Dewdrop by Dogen
- The Heart Sutra by Red Pine
- Path of Enlightenment by John Daido Loori
- Invoking Reality by John Daido Loori
- How To Cook Your Life by Dogen
- To Meet The Real Dragon bu Gudo Nishijima
- One Robe, One Bowl: The Zen Poetry of Ryokan
The Complete Shobogenzo
Wow. The complete master work of Dogen Zenji translated by Kaz Tanahashi.
The Treasure of the True Dharma Eye is 1616 pages of writings, commentary and notes on one of the most profound documents ever written.
I can’t wait to read this. Thanks, Kaz.