Monthly Archives: July 2009

the missing bridge

Posted on July 29, 2009 by

I’ve been trying to keep my computer issues out of my blog posts; but anyway, yesterday after I got my computer back, I went to Barnes and Noble, ordered a latte, and sat down to write a post. It had … Continue reading →

Posted in Dani Shapiro | Tagged | 21 Comments

some days

Posted on July 28, 2009 by

Anne Enright, the author of The Gathering, winner of the 2007 Man Booker Prize, just wants to write, but as Dani Shapiro recently pointed out, some days it’s easier than others. “I need to write,” Enright said. “I go bonkers a … Continue reading →

Posted in craft of writing, Dani Shapiro, writing day | Tagged | 7 Comments

in real book

Posted on July 23, 2009 by

As many of you know, I’m reading Infinite Jest. As many of you also know, I did not enjoy my first experience with the Kindle. Last week, the night before I was to leave for a 3-day trip, I stood … Continue reading →

Posted in books, reading | Tagged | 21 Comments

the continuous life

Posted on July 21, 2009 by

One of my all-time-favorite poems is “The Continuous Life” by Mark Strand from his book of poems, The Continuous Life.  Here’s the beginning: What of the neighborhood homes awash In a silver light, of children hunched in the bushes, Watching … Continue reading →

Posted in catching moments, continuous life, poetry | Tagged , | 13 Comments

sixty potential first sentences

Posted on July 17, 2009 by

Yesterday a flash fiction story of mine, Watching, was published in an online magazine called Six Sentences. Trying to tell a story in six sentences is enlightening because the writing process is compressed, making it easy to see what you’re … Continue reading →

Posted in accumulation, craft of writing, first sentences, stories | Tagged | 10 Comments

faces in the distemper

Posted on July 15, 2009 by

When Mari Strachan was a little girl, she used to create pretend newspapers, carefully writing the stories in pencil, drawing a picture to go with them, and then sewing the pages together. She says, “I’ve always loved the physicality of … Continue reading →

Posted in character, craft of writing, details, reviews | Tagged | 8 Comments

how we got here from there

Posted on July 13, 2009 by

I don’t write memoir. But I like the way Abigail Thomas writes, the way she tells the truth. “My truth doesn’t travel in a straight line, it zigzags, detours, doubles back. Most truths I have to learn over and over … Continue reading →

Posted in craft of writing, details, memoir, memory, reviews, shapes | Tagged , | 21 Comments

a room with a view

Posted on July 10, 2009 by

So the logical, orderly side of me  is distressed that I haven’t better organized this trilogy of posts–my writing room, the writer’s desk, and today, a room with a view. Instead it’s the writer’s side of me that has let … Continue reading →

Posted in movies, perspective, place, Virginia Woolf, writing day | Tagged , | 19 Comments

the writer’s desk

Posted on July 8, 2009 by

In a comment to yesterday’s post, a reader reminded me of Jill Krementz’ photographs in The Writer’s Desk, which was published in 1996, the same year as Infinite Jest, and is now out of print. I had forgotten all about … Continue reading →

Posted in accumulation, place, Virginia Woolf, writing day | Tagged | 5 Comments

my writing room

Posted on July 7, 2009 by

The Guardian has for some time been doing a series on writers’ rooms.  The most recent piece featured Michael Morpurgo: “For many years, I wrote on our bed in the house. But there were complaints about ink on the sheets, … Continue reading →

Posted in accumulation, place, writing day | Tagged | 21 Comments