|
||||||
|
“Underneath this shirt I have a big surprise … and it’s not that tattoo of Sam the guys are always razzing me about.” Nearly all storytelling relies, at some point, on hitting the reader with something she hasn’t seen coming. Or thinks she hasn’t seen coming, but actually has, because you, the author, have prepared [...] I’ve had a lot of satisfying creative experiences while traveling this peculiar and sometimes baffling path I’ve chosen. A lot of kicking at dirt clods and falling blind drunk into ditches, too, but never mind those. Of the highlights, I can think of only two that I would be eager to re-experience afresh, if such [...] “To be dead is to stop believing in the masterpieces we will begin tomorrow.” — Patrick Kavanagh Lately I’ve spent a lot of effort fussing about with block time. You know, regimented scheduling as a way to try to fit 36 pounds of day into a 24-pound bag. Focus exclusively, with laser precision, on X from the [...] Now you just stand there and think about what you’ve done. (Photo by Richo.Fan http://www.flickr.com/photos/richo-fan/ / CC BY 2.0) An open letter to Anonymous: I don’t know your name. I didn’t ask, and our mutual acquaintance was tactful enough not to volunteer it. So it’s not impossible you and I have crossed [...] What could this ancient ad possibly have to do with publishing in 2010? Oh, it's a reach, but… I’ve been hearing the death knell ringing for the book again a lot lately. Not any particular book. All of them. The book as an object, as something you can carry out of a store or, as [...] Gomez has a simple job in life, but he gives it his all. How about you? http://www.flickr.com/photos/intangible/ / CC BY 2.0 I like life lessons that are simple enough to apply across the board, and they don’t get much more stripped-down than lessons you can learn from boxing. Win or lose, there’s something every [...] Early last month I had the agonizing good fortune of cracking open a notebook from the mid-1990s. In one section I’d spent several months following some advice whose source I’ve since forgotten: keeping a log of daily writing progress. One day per line, bonehead-simple entries: date, project(s), page numbers, tally. Cue reaction, January 2010: Holy hell! Look [...] As 2009 was skidding into history’s ditch, it was a stellar way to wrap up a year, with all the makings of a buddy movie. Two friends — adoptive brothers, really — trekking hundreds of winter-lashed miles to attend the wedding of a third. Both the bride and groom live in Los Angeles, as does a [...] Last month I sang the praises of turning tail and running the other way the moment the going gets tough. Okay, not exactly. Oversimplification. More like the praises of putting a troublesome project on hold while you wander off for an indeterminate period, doing other things, new things, shiny things, so you can later return to [...] Looks like it was a sabbatical after all. Last March, after close to a three-year tenure, I hung up my Storytellers U hat — the one with the Viking horns and a beer funnel — without knowing whether this would be permanent or temporary. Couldn’t help but notice, in the interim, that lords-of-the-manor [...] |
||||||
|
Copyright © 2010 Storytellers Unplugged - All Rights Reserved |
||||||
