i'm obsessed with shorts. short. stories.
Abandon the idea that you are ever going to finish. Lose track of the 400 pages and write just one page for each day, it helps. Then when it gets finished, you are always surprised. Write freely and as rapidly as possible and throw the whole thing on paper. Never correct or rewrite until the … Read more
THE GREAT GATSBY. what an iconic piece of writing. i’m re-reading and enjoying the text for the ? time. what i’m noticing? attention to the senses. here’s a selection: We walked through a high hallway into a bright rosy-colored space, fragilely bound into the house by French windows at either end. The windows were ajar … Read more
i’m reading HOW FICTION WORKS by James Wood, a great little book that functions as a discussion of what this literary critic thinks is important to writing stories. i’m struck by the identification of several tactics i’ve gravitated towards in my own work. it’s good to know intuition takes me down narrow backstreets in the … Read more
JD mojito Heineken whiskey tea dispensed by a tea lady martini scotch-scotch Beamish duty-free rum Tsing Tao vodkatini
Head Above Water by Hunters & Collectors Disorder by Joy Division This is not a Love Song by PIL Temptation by New Order Pacific Theme by Broken Social Scene The Fairytale of New York by The Pogues (with Kirsty McColl) Ever Fallen in Love by The Buzzcocks Ceremony by New Order Stranded by The Saints … Read more
“Let’s get out of here,” said Maggie. Together, they ran back to the car and drove away before traffic came to a complete standstill, the road clogged with firewatchers streaming out from the city for a glimpse of the fire. The Saints played on the radio, a song about being stranded far from home. Maggie … Read more
the sound of rushing water. i check the side window.”uh, mom, there’s water in the gully.” mom’s at the patio door and surveys the normally dry gully between her house and the neighbours.”what? what it this?” she runs to the front door. there’s water flowing across the front lawn, effectively cutting the driveway off. we’re … Read more
A SOFA IN THE FORTIES All of us on the sofa in a line, kneeling Behind each other, eldest down to youngest. Elbows going like pistons, for this was a train And between the jamb-wall and the bedroom door Our speed and distance were inestimable. First we shunted, then we whistled, then Somebody collected the … Read more
i’ve read a very interesting essay. i’m not yet entirely certain what i’ve learned. my brain is sizzling. i’ve intuitively known some things about writing and this essay kinda reinforces them. i’ve known about repetition. and some of the acoustical forms. then there’s learning about other various forms of consecution–structural, thematic, and acoustical. structural consecution … Read more
last night i dreamt i was an innkeeper and hosted a group of writers to a week-long retreat. i had no fucking idea what i was doing. i repeatedly came upon an aging poet kissing a series of older ladies in the parking lot. a golden boy writer eluded everyone’s grasp. perpetually drunk, young, female … Read more