The interminable humorist and philosopher, Douglas Adams, once said: “For us, there is no longer a fundamental mystery about Life. It is all the process of extraordinary eruptions of information, and it is information which gives us this fantastically rich, complex world in which we live.” Have we lost mystery? Is there a difference between … Continue reading Extraordinary Eruptions of Information
Category: Writing
I want my writing to fuck me up
I'm not writing to fix myself, I'm writing to fuck myself up.
Writing is hard.
Listening to Gabino Iglesias talk about how yes, writing is hard, and you need to want to be a writer more than you want anything else. The heart of his talk? Do the work, don't give up. Ignore all the reasons why you can't. Find time to do it - on a break, on the … Continue reading Writing is hard.
I made a thing.
I really am good at going silent. I think of things constantly that I could bring here, write about, poeticize, eulogize. But I don't, because here's the thing - I wrote a book. More specifically, I wrote a book while living with an incurable chronic illness that's slowly eroding away at my energy level. (I … Continue reading I made a thing.
Sensitivity readings: An essential part of writing
So you've spend a lot of time writing and revising a story. You're getting to a point where it's in pretty good shape. Maybe you've had some beta readers look through all or part of it. Maybe you've workshopped it. Before you release it upon the world (or upon literary agents), consider pausing for a … Continue reading Sensitivity readings: An essential part of writing
Write badly
One of the things that's been joyously freeing about my writing program is that we're given permission to do something important: Write badly. In order to create a sculpture, you have to start with a big block of clay, or a stone, or a chunk of wood. At first, you're just hacking pieces away and … Continue reading Write badly
Delete the explanation
The other week in class, my writing instructor said, "When you get rid of the explanation, the emotion really comes through." That hit me, because I was like...this is truth. This is a life lesson. Reveal something without directly saying it, and you make it much more powerful. Watch how others around you reveal things … Continue reading Delete the explanation
Literary mea culpas, literary prayers
In my writing class, there's a certain format to things. We read a bit of this, then reflect. Read another passage, discuss. A literary liturgy of sorts. There's something about this class that reminds me of Catholic masses, only without the standing and kneeling. (Though, I would say, our literary docent probably wouldn't mind if … Continue reading Literary mea culpas, literary prayers
On writing programs and pen names…
A little confession... Because I like to keep my identity private, I'm sometimes cagey about the details of my life, but I need to share this: The writing program I'm in is the Book Project through Lighthouse Writers in Denver. You don't need to live in Denver to participate. The Book Project isn't an MFA … Continue reading On writing programs and pen names…
Gods or sinners
As a writer, when you're building a world and learning about your characters, you're thinking about a lot of things. Do you ever think about how your characters perceive the world? How they process information? I've been reading a book called The Error of Truth that discusses the difference between changing what one knows versus … Continue reading Gods or sinners
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