Lengths Of The Journey To A Good Story The lengths to which a writer will go to complete a story is truly a mystery. Just like real people, no two writers are the same, and for that reason, the journey to the story’s end will always be different. Even if two people follow the same “template”, there will be slight variations in how they follow it. Some might follow the template, starting their writing in the morning while others might…
Chemistry Department Short Stories “I think I succeeded as a writer because I did not come out of an English department. I used to write in the chemistry department. And I wrote some good stuff. If I had been in the English department, the prof would have looked at my short stories, congratulated me on my talent, and then showed me how Joyce or Hemingway handled the same elements of the short story. The prof would have placed me in…
Obsolete Lexicographer’s Mark Of Dread “OBSOLETE, adj. No longer used by the timid. Said chiefly of words. A word which some lexicographer has marked obsolete is ever thereafter an object of dread and loathing to the fool writer, but if it is a good word and has no exact modern equivalent equally good, it is good enough for the good writer. Indeed, a writer’s attitude toward “obsolete” words is as true a measure of his literary ability as anything except…
Track The Value Of A Writer’s Time “There is nothing harder to estimate than a writer’s time, nothing harder to keep track of. There are moments—moments of sustained creation—when his time is fairly valuable; and there are hours and hours when a writer’s time isn’t worth the paper he is not writing anything on.”–E.B. White
Story-tellers Live Life Learning “A writer is a person who cares what words mean, what they say, how they say it. Writers know words are their way towards truth and freedom, and so they use them with care, with thought, with fear, with delight. By using words well they strengthen their souls. Story-tellers and poets spend their lives learning that skill and art of using words well. And their words make the souls of their readers stronger, brighter, deeper.”–Ursula K….
First, there must be talent, much talent. Talent such as Kipling had. Then there must be discipline. The discipline of Flaubert. Then there must be the conception of what it can be and absolute conscience as unchanging as the standard meter in Paris, to prevent faking. Then the writer must be intelligent and disinterested and above all he must survive. Try to get all these in one person and have him come through all the influences that press on a…
Christmas Lists Weihnachtsmann. Pére Nöel. Sinterklaas. Shèngdàn lǎorén. Babbo Natale. Father Christmas. Saint Nicholas. Regardless of what you call him, Santa Claus will soon be coming to a chimney near you. The question is, of course, have you been naughty or nice? If you are like me, the answer is probably a little bit of both. I put a lot of effort into being a nice guy, but, sometimes, things just don’t go as planned. What we really want to…
Professional Vacationist If I could choose my dream job, I would choose to be a professional vacationist. I thoroughly enjoy traveling—going new places, experiencing new things, and meeting new people. While I don’t mind flying, driving from point A to point B offers a greater chance of discovery. In fact, several of the more interesting sights I have seen were due to wrong turns. One of the things I enjoy about reading is the numerous places books can take me. I…