Category Archives: Contrary

volt

Posted on January 26, 2012 by

I want to slow things down. I was planning on writing a post on several stories in Alan Heathcock‘s debut collection, Volt, but I think I’ll just look at the first story. “The Staying Freight”–I love the title–was first published … Continue reading →

Posted in catching moments, character, Contrary, craft of writing, details, first sentences, stories | Tagged | 5 Comments

await your reply 4: image

Posted on August 18, 2011 by

From Dan Chaon’s Await Your Reply, how an image can make words come alive: Without the image: Her thoughts were not clearly articulated in her mind, but she could feel them moving swiftly, gathering. “What are you thinking about?” George Orson said, … Continue reading →

Posted in Contrary, craft of writing, dialogue | Tagged , | 8 Comments

await your reply 3: repetition with new detail

Posted on August 17, 2011 by

In Await Your Reply, published in 2009, Dan Chaon uses repetition in a very cool way. Instead of bogging down the original scene, he pushes the action forward first, then a bit later, moves in for a close-up or two, … Continue reading →

Posted in Contrary, craft of writing, details, novels | Tagged | 3 Comments

await your reply 2: nods

Posted on August 16, 2011 by

In the surprisingly interesting Reader’s Guide at the back of Dan Chaon’s Await Your Reply, Chaon writes: As a writer, I feel like I’m always in conversation with the books that I’ve read. Yiyun Li, the author of The Vagrants, feels … Continue reading →

Posted in accumulation, Contrary, craft of writing, novels, stories, time | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

await your reply 1: three threads

Posted on August 15, 2011 by

From the first page of Dan Chaon‘s novel: On the seat beside him, in between him and his father, Ryan’s severed hand is resting on a bed of ice in an eight-quart Styrofoam cooler. Enough said? Dan Chaon’s second novel … Continue reading →

Posted in Contrary, craft of writing, details, novels, recurring images, structure | Tagged | 7 Comments

busy being alive

Posted on July 28, 2011 by

from the archives: july 28, 2010 Ellen Gilchrist‘s first book was not published until she was in her forties. In “A Reading Group Guide” at the back of Nora Jane: A Life in Stories, she is asked about this: “I … Continue reading →

Posted in character, Contrary, Ellen Gilchrist, obsession | Tagged , | 8 Comments

summer reading

Posted on July 21, 2011 by

Summer Contrary is online with new fiction, essays, and poetry, as well as reviews of these books : Poetry: Northerners by Seth Abramson Essays: Otherwise Known as the Human Condition by Geoff Dyer and A Journey with Two Maps by Eaven Boland … Continue reading →

Posted in Contrary, essays, my writing, novels, poetry, reading lists, reviews, stories | Tagged , , , , , | 7 Comments

then, suddenly

Posted on May 30, 2011 by

In 1999, my first writing workshop: Napa Valley Writers’ Conference. Yes, in the Napa Valley. St. Helena. Mark Doty was there. David Lehman. Jane Hirshfield. Richard Bausch. (I always get him and his brother confused, never remembering which one it … Continue reading →

Posted in Contrary, craft of writing, mfa, poetry | Tagged , | 10 Comments

this won’t take but a minute, honey

Posted on May 24, 2011 by

If you haven’t visited the Harvard Book Store, take a minute and pop over there. Watch the shutters open and the store come to life. See what books fill their front windows. Click for a close-up; double click to look … Continue reading →

Posted in Contrary, essays, stories | Tagged | 9 Comments

reality hungry or good hungry

Posted on May 8, 2011 by

So, David Shields‘ manifesto Reality Hunger. Structure: 618 short sections grouped into 26 chapters. Subject: our hunger for the real as opposed to the invented. Shields makes some strong points and shares some controversial ideas, most of which, in the real … Continue reading →

Posted in Contrary, form, novels, reviews | Tagged | 10 Comments