January 2010
17 posts
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We have to look at our own inertia, insecurities, self-hate, fear that, in...
– Natalie Goldberg, Writing Down the Bones
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Obama Depressed, Distant Since 'Battlestar... →
The Onion, of course. This is absolutely perfect. (via epippen)
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And what, you ask, does writing teach us? First and foremost, it reminds us that...
– Ray Bradbury, Zen in the Art of Writing
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Anything you dream is fiction, and anything you accomplish is science, the whole...
– Ray Bradbury (via booklover)
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Honestly, I think the barriers are imaginary, the walls have already been...
– Neil Gaiman in The New Yorker’s Ask the Author. As Robin Sloan says, the most interesting part is the “confluence” of art in the 21st century: the breaking down of barriers between high and low.
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To this I say, find me anything at all dumbed down about Ursula K. LeGuin. Show...
– Jason Henninger, writing a rant about literary vs. speculative fiction on Tor.com.
Henninger’s post rehashes an old argument: “genre” fiction isn’t good literature, and any time a literary critic likes a piece of genre fiction it’s often explained as not really being...
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January reading list
I received many books for Christmas, plus I already had a bunch sitting on my bedside table. Here’s where I am so far.
Fiction
Annabel Scheme — finished!
Tainaron — in progress
The Yiddish Policeman’s Union
What is the What
Best Stories from the Indian Classics
And You Shall Know Our Velocity!
Love in the Ruins
Nonfiction
The Portable MFA in Creative Writing...
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As another high school English teacher, here’s my take: Unlike ‘awesome’, ‘epic’...
– craigiest on reddit. (via dailymeh)
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Finch: A Primer on Novel Openings (Please Chime... →
Jeff VanderMeer gives a master class in writing the beginning of a novel. This is a fascinating look at how real writers write, and very educational. It’s particularly encouraging to see some of his early, discarded openings and compare them to the finished product. It’s a reminder that first drafts don’t need to be perfect, just finished.
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If there is a book you really want to read but it hasn’t been written yet, then...
– Toni Morrison (via 1st BOOKS)
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A single book struggles to balance on its spine; it pines for neighbors. Keep as...
– Mandy Brown, Ways of reading