I realized in the middle of the night that everything I had imagined about the plot structure of Three Sisters was insufficient unto the task. I had assumed I could move from one sister's narrative to another, forming discreet and somewhat separate interludes. But, I realized as I turned over on the pillow that If […]
A Middle of the Night Meeting With the Commedia Read More »
As I am participating in a scary-supernatural book reading event, I thought I would lead off with this older but excellent novel, Pedro Páramo by Juan Rulfo — which I have now re-read for the third time because it never fails to make the hair on the back of my neck stand up. This is
The Dreaming Dead: Juan Rulfo Read More »
Happy 100th birthday to the great Welsh poet, Dylan Thomas. "My birthday began with the water–Birds and the birds of the winged trees crying my nameAbove the farms and the white horsesAnd I rosein rainy autumnAnd walked abroad in a shower of all my days… Read the entire poem "Poem in October" (1945) here. Or
“And I Rose in a Rainy Autumn” Read More »
Yes…because sometimes writing just feels like this, right before working, in the middle of working, and for the rest of the day after working. It's not scary — but adjustments do have to be made. Probably better not to do anything involving knives or automobiles. Véronique La Perrière M., Dissolution et recommencement (swan), 2011.
Letting Go When Writing Read More »
Penelope Writes to Odysseus I am still in awe of these amazing little Medieval illustrations of the classical Greek and Latin heroines of Ovid writing imaginary epistles. Ovid’s work was translated into French by poet Octavien de Saint-Gelais, and it so delighted Louise of Savoy (1476-1531), mother of the future king Francis I of France,
When Heroines Write Their Own Stories Read More »
Have you even noticed how it feels like your characters are peering over your shoulder as you write? Making sure, no doubt, that you will properly represent them. So many authors have written on that weird sensation that characters take over one’s life, that they refuse certain manipulations, that they interrupt the flow of writing
I’m Being Watched: Characters Weigh In on the Progress Read More »
"Many Siberian fairy tales tell of the deadly clash between criminals and representatives of the government, of the risks people run every day with dignity and honesty, of the good fortune of those who in the end have got the loot and stayed alive, and of the 'good memory' that is preserved of those who
The Dark Fairy Tale World of the Siberian Urkas Read More »
Sometimes it’s good to be shaken out of one’s usual fare of fiction, and for that occasion, I want to recommend Ottessa Moshfegh‘s killer short story “Bettering Myself,” available online at the Paris Review, which also awarded Ms Moshfegh the Plimpton Prize For Fiction, given to best new voices in literature. And well deserved, I
Reading Fiction On the Net: “Bettering Myself” by Ottessa Moshfegh Read More »
I have been swamped lately: editing my novels and preparing them for publication—shots and shots of espresso in tiny cups. So I feel a kindred spirit in this essay by French author Honoré de Balzac (one of my favorites) who was famous for consuming near-lethal amounts of coffee to help expedite the writing of
Balzac, and the Cure For Too Much Work: Coffee! Read More »
This is why I love reading Shakespeare: Prince Hal: "This sanguine coward, this bed-presser, this horse-back breaker, this huge hill of flesh." Falstaff: "S'Blood, you starveling, you elf-skin, you dried neat's-tongue, you bull-pizzle, you stock fish. Oh for breath to utter what is like thee! You tailor's-yard, you sheath, you bow-case, you vile standing tuck!."
The Very Best Insults Read More »
