My Post-Jungian self absolutely adores this lovely quote.
Writing is utter solitude, the descent into the cold abyss of oneself.
On Reading Like A Writer
An interview from the Atlantic with Francine Prose on reading like a writer.
Stories are equipment for living.
Short, Short: Oliver Pratt
Some short, flash-type fiction over at fictionaut.com. Check out Oliver Pratt:
We lingered there in that room for a few moments, stuck in the awkward goo of rejection and regret. At some point, I’m not sure when, I left, found a bathroom down the hall and washed my ear.
Note: This is a work of fiction, mostly.
Short Fiction: The Perils of Open Hand
This is a very short story I wrote a while back. I dusted it off and thought I’d throw it up at fictionaut. Here is a short excerpt:
There are worse things than getting your ass kicked by a 12 year old Puerto Rican kid. This was exactly my thinking as he stood over me, his pre-pubescent screams sounding like a baby Bruce Lee, preparing to finish me off.
Then, I passed out.
I came to and learned I had two broken fingers on my left hand, a hyper-extension and a nasty middle finger sprain on my right. This was the catalyst for my realization that I was not cut out for Karate.
Give it a read. Especially if you’re thinking about taking karate.
Read Unpleated
Unpleated is a short fiction satire I wrote a while back. Thought I’d share it. Here is a brief excerpt:
So here was my conclusion: all things being equal—because I, too, was funny and smart and clever—the biggest part of his success could be directly tied to his clothes. I called it his cool guy uniform. And if we wanted to get into specifics, the one real differentiator were his pants. Where as I went around in my pleated Haggar wrinkle-free washables, he gallivanted around here unpleated, uncuffed, and unconcerned. He was brash and care-free and everyone knew it cause he had nothing to hide. He was unpleated.
Hey, you can tell a lot about a man by the type of pants he wears.
There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.
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.