The effects of formatting

I've been reading Satantango by László Krasznahorkai, and it is formatted in an unusual way, in that it is basically a wall of text with no paragraph breaks. While this sounds odd, and annoying to read (it was at first) it gives the words a kind of overwhelmingness, and endless pressure and urgency that really …

Back on the wagon again again

All that talk about blogging again and I go on vacation for 2 weeks and don't blog. oops. I read a book while I was away, called How Fiction Works, by James Wood. It was great, I read it in just a few days cause I couldn't stop. I learned a lot from it, and …

give it away

I haven't sold a story in over 5 years, and I'd like to think that I've improved in those 5 years... so that leads me to believe that even if my writing is technically better, I must not be writing what sells. I thought for a minute that I'd better find out what sells, and …

when you want them to fail

I've just started listening to The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver, which is about a missionary family traveling to the Congo. I'm only a short way in, but I'm feeling a sort of anticipation for all the horrible things I know are going to happen to these people. They are described with just the right …

The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

This fantastical little story was my first experience with Gaiman, and it wasn't a super good one for me. The story is about a middle aged man who, after attending a funeral, goes back to his childhood home to walk around and remember stuff. The rest of the book is him remembering some crazy things …