I read this article about writer and writing teacher Kathryn Harrison, who offers the advice to her students "just stop thinking." I find this to be terrific advice. Thinking is the bane of most creative activities, and I say this as a proponent of science and learning and understanding on all fronts. Think before you …
Enjoy the details
Don't rush to the end, take your time with each scene and enjoy the creative power you can have in your world. You can say the same cheesy thing about writing as about life in general: it's about the journey, not the destination! Wherever you are in the story, enjoy it, put your full effort …
Mall rats
On Easter Sunday the mall was closed. I went there with the wife for some shopping, and all the shops were gated. But the entrance to the mall itself was unlocked. People wandered up and down the lane, looking into the inaccessible shops, as if hoping one of the stores would be open. There were …
Mind games
I've started reading 'The Glass Bead Game' by Herman Hesse, mainly because the title made me think of go. The story features a fictional game that is very abstract and deals with concepts and ideas as the 'pieces'. The players are intellectual elites who use pieces of knowledge or pieces of culture to play their games. The …
The Year of the Flood, by Margaret Atwood
This novel tells a story parallel to Oryx and Crake, and although it was well written and enjoyable, I'm not quite sure what the point of it was. For anyone who has read Oryx and Crake, there is very little new info. It is stuff you already knew, seen through the eyes of new characters. …
Continue reading "The Year of the Flood, by Margaret Atwood"
Jonas David 