i'm obsessed with shorts. short. stories.
Geoff Dyer’s ten rules for writing fiction: Never worry about the commercial possibilities of a project. That stuff is for agents and editors to fret over—or not. Conversation with my American publisher. Me: “I’m writing a book so boring, of such limited commercial appeal, that if you publish it, it will probably cost you your … Read more
the craft of writing is finding your emotional truth. i recently read BEAUTIFUL RUINS by Jess Walter. what a book. one day, i hope i write a book that’s even a little bit as beautiful as this book. in an essay included at the back end of the book, he talks about living and experiencing … Read more
a rewrite is required of the final story. a big rewrite. it makes sense, all of the critique, it does. and i agree with it. that doesn’t stop me from wanting to lie on the living room floor and stare at the ceiling, oh no. because this fucking story is gripping me by the ankles. … Read more
i’m re-reading a collection of shorts BULL HEAD by John Vigna. what a collection. the writer’s unflinching scrutiny of the brutality of small town life in the Crowsnest Pass is something else. beautiful and painful. here’s an excerpt from a story called ‘Gas Bar’: “And then what?” She wipes her eyes and nose on the … Read more
everything Anne Enright says in this Guardian piece is the fucking best. everything. and i’m printing it off, laminating it, and hanging it on my fridge because it’s fucking true. here’s a section: I have no problem with failure – it is success that makes me sad. Failure is easy. I do it every day, … Read more
the girl with Tourette’s is on a roll and can’t stop, pressing her tight lips together. “fuckfuckshitfuck,” she says and apologizes. spitting swear words, sounds, she’s scratching a record uniquely her own. she’s got copropraxic rhythm. marie is her name and she’s small. she moves in short, long, short. like she’s shoving through a crowd at a … Read more
here’s an article about Faulkner’s postcards/letters from Europe in the 20s. they’re up for auction. there’s an idea that Faulkner was so influenced by analytic cubist works of Picasso and Braque that his writing is an extension into the literary form. FYI analytic cubism is representing a subject from multiple perspectives simultaneously. this is an … Read more
i’m done my final story of this ms. PS send gin. PPS send tonic. PPPS limes, too.
dear imaginary readers of this blog, i am currently in jasper trying to finish this last story. it’s coming along but i’ll admit i’m feeling a bit desperate. it’s difficult to sleep and the drunks come rolling down Patricia Avenue at 3 a.m. and they’re laughing and shouting and singing. the other night the neighbours had … Read more
this weekend, i snuck away to Fernie on my own, to write. and it was great. there’s nothing like writing yourself around, into, and through a story. and i had one of those experiences, you know the ones, where you write something and it kinda blows your mind. it’s only a paragraph and i won’t … Read more