Books To Jump Up and Down Over
Magic Hours by Tom Bissell: This marvelous collection of essays chronicles everything from film shoots to novelists rescued from oblivion. (The essay on the Underground Literary Alliance, with its portrait of raucous factions, unexpectedly reveals how soft today's literary world has become.) But if you peer between the cracks of these smart pieces, you may very well see how cultural lives are formed from the most unexpected life choices. And as we follow Bissell's development as a writer over the years, that goes for Bissell as well. (Bat Segundo interview with Bissell)
Angelmaker by Nick Harkaway: Harkaway's latest novel greatly improves on his previous book, The Gone-Away World, which I'm already on record as praising. Angelmaker adopts genre elements without ever feeling like a genre book, and it leads me to believe that Harkaway is well on his way to a narrative grace close to China Miéville's. Yet inexplicably this very fun book, which includes an eightysomething badass named Edie Banister, a mysterious mechanical object that may destroy the world, farcical scenarios involving lawyers and the police, and some unexpectedly moving moments about fatherhood, doesn't appear to be getting much attention in American newspapers. Nothing from the snobs at The New York Times Book Review, nothing from The Washington Post. And since I can't get Harkaway on Bat Segundo, I hope this Jump Up and Down mention gets you hopping as well.
The Age of Insight by Eric Kandel: Unless you're really pressed for time, forget Jonah Lehrer. If you want to understand creativity and its relationship to neuroscience, then the bowtie-wearing Nobel laureate is your man. In addition to being a physically beautiful book (you will drool over many of the paintings), there are helpful overviews on optical illusions, science, biographical backgrounds, and many vital figures from the Vienna Secession. Kandel's enthusiasm (and his call for greater unity between the humanities and science) is contagious.
Writing Archive
-
Wise Words for Writers
Posted on February 15, 2007 | No CommentsSarah Waters’ workspace: “Keep Calm and Carry On.” There are more workspaces here. (via Bookninja) -
The Dangers of Confessional Writing: Two Case Studies
Posted on February 8, 2007 | 3 CommentsThere was a point in my life when I revealed damn near everything about myself on the Web. I ended up attracting a stalker who tracked down my home address.... -
The Myths Behind Slow Writing
Posted on January 17, 2007 | No CommentsJustine Larbalestier: “I keep coming across two assumptions about writers who publish a lot of books per year. The first is that if a book takes less than a year... -
Next Up: How to Staple Your Fingers to the Keyboard
Posted on December 5, 2006 | No CommentsAs someone who is now in the brain-eviscerating (but fun!) throes of a first draft, Miss Ribon is quite correct. -
Scruffy Little Fleabags
Posted on October 2, 2006 | No CommentsStephen King: “It’s nice to have your own place, I will admit that. And it’s nice to have your own time because you can keep people from calling you on... -
The Myth of “Stealing” Ideas
Posted on September 14, 2006 | 4 CommentsTayari Jones notes an exchange she had with a young writer who was terrified of sending her work to an agent because this writer believed that her work would be... -
Hope for Writers With Boring Jobs?
Posted on September 13, 2006 | No CommentsEdward Jones: From MFA to Pulitzer in 22 Years (via Rarely Likable) -
Miss Snark, Brave Soul
Posted on September 2, 2006 | No CommentsOver at Miss Snark’s, the Crapometer festivities have begun. Some of the entries are truly astonishing in their mediocrity (“The candle on the adjacent nightstand beckoned the shadows, and brought... -
Rejection’s a Virtue?
Posted on August 24, 2006 | No CommentsThe Stranger: “Like most 39-year-old, single, jobless, hetero men in Seattle, I thought I knew a thing or two about rejection. Then I decided I wanted to write for a... -
Crapometer Redux
Posted on August 23, 2006 | No CommentsMiss Snark has opened up her pages once again to the Crapometer for her helpful (and, depending upon your point of view, brutal) criticism. Fiction writers who desire to test... -
Plunging the Depths of Research
Posted on August 2, 2006 | 1 CommentIan McEwan wanted to know how long it would take to hack off another man’s arm. Really. Read this. -
Lamarck Would Be Ashamed, But the Matter Must Be Settled
Posted on April 21, 2006 | 8 CommentsOver at Michelle’s, some interesting questions have been raised: Is sex better than writing? Is writing better than masturbation? And, seeing as how writing and masturbation serve practically the same... -
Julia Scheeres: Freygate II or Troubling Trend?
Posted on March 10, 2006 | 3 CommentsSherry Early over at Semicolon notes of Julia Scheeres’ Jesus Land: The most appalling abuse that Ms. Scheeres documents in her book is spiritual abuse. Counselors and house parents force... -
Who Knew That Typing “Noooooooooo!!!!!!” Was So Stressful?
Posted on November 30, 2005 | No CommentsMatthew Stover, author of the Revenge of the Sith novelization: “I was shaking, and I practically burst into tears — but that probably had a lot to do with the... -
The Dartboard, Alas, Is Not Represented
Posted on October 25, 2005 | No CommentsIdea Generation Methods (via MeFi) -
DNA Disco-Dancing
Posted on August 31, 2005 | No CommentsAs the great Jimmy Beck has pointed out, the 1970s portion of the Paris Review DNA of Literature series is now alive and active. You’ll find Anthony Burgess, a remarkably... -
Bay Area Writers Group Forming
Posted on August 3, 2005 | 6 CommentsLike damn near every litblogger, we too have a novel that we’ve been working on that is progressing at a slow but steady clip. (Yes, we never sleep around here.)... -
Choose Your Own Adventure from a Freelance Writer’s Perspective
Posted on March 29, 2005 | 7 Comments1. It’s close to seven o’clock. You’ve spent most of the day doing everything in your power to put off deadlines. Now the phone won’t stop ringing as you pound... -
A Case for Minor Larceny?
Posted on November 16, 2004 | 3 CommentsMalcolm Gladwell’s latest article chronicles how artists across several mediums are prone to sampling. While the obvious examples such as George Harrison’s “My Sweet Lord” (taken subconsciously from “She’s So... -
Whatever It Takes, Apparently
Posted on February 27, 2004 | No CommentsNot so many years ago a teacher of the art of writing began the advertisement of his services with the announcement that millions of people can write fiction without knowing... -
Thoughts Between Coughs
Posted on February 22, 2004 | 1 CommentIt’s been linked several places, but this excellent thread is a must-read for any aspiring writer. Any neophyte may want to spend their time reading James D. McDonald’s advice rather... -
Tainted by Influence?
Posted on January 28, 2004 | 3 CommentsIowablog: “I think everything I learned at Iowa is wrong.” These are good, honest words to hear from a young whipper-snapper who wants to write. If there’s a positive spin... -
And Here I Was Remembering My Top Ramen Days
Posted on January 13, 2004 | No CommentsThere are hard sacrifices to becoming a novelist. For Elizabeth Robinson, they were even harder. “She was down to cutting out the luxury of household mineral water,” reports the Chicago... -
Queen Anne, Ordinary Life and Assorted Schlepping
Posted on January 6, 2004 | No CommentsLisa Allardice dares to ask a question that some people have answered, but have refrained from voicing, fearful of being labeled some rabble-rouser to be dealt a harsh blow, never... -
Quick Links
Posted on December 18, 2003 | No CommentsApparently, self-publishing at the office pays off. Bruno Perara wrote a novel called Little Murders Among Partners. The book portrayed his co-workers for what they were. The firm fired him....