“There are no vital and significant forms of art; there is only art, and precious little of that.”—Raymond Chandler, The Simple Art of Murder
In true Sontag style …
Aphorisms are rogue ideas. Aphorism is aristocratic thinking: this is all the aristocrat is willing to tell you: he thinks you should get it fast, without spelling out all the details. Aphoristic thinking constructs thinking as an obstacle race: the reader is expected to get it fast, and move on. An aphorism is not an argument; it is too well-bred for that. To write aphorisms is to assume a mask—a mask of scorn, of superiority.
From As Consciousness is Harnessed to Flesh: Journals and Notebooks, 1964-1980, by Susan Sontag. Farrar, Straus & Giroux, page 512. This quotation is from 1980.
Writing a review of Cometbus and remembering my old zine from college, The Growing Upheaval.
25 Writing Prompts to Inspire Twitter Fiction
18. What would a superhero tweet?
19. Write a blurb describing how your favorite novel makes you feel, without using the name of the actual novel.
20. How would your favorite historical character use Twitter?
“Her breath was as delicate as the eyes of a fawn.”—Philip Marlowe
The Big Sleep / Raymond Chandler
![“Get the hell out of Dodge” is a reference to Dodge City, Kansas, which was a favorite location for westerns in the early to mid 20th century. Most memorably, the phrase was made famous by the TV show “Gunsmoke,” in which villians were often commanded to “get the hell out of Dodge.” The phrase took on its current meaning in the 1960s and 70s when teenagers began to use it in its current form.
[via]](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mcv96on39W1qjsf5ho1_400.jpg)
“Get the hell out of Dodge” is a reference to Dodge City, Kansas, which was a favorite location for westerns in the early to mid 20th century. Most memorably, the phrase was made famous by the TV show “Gunsmoke,” in which villians were often commanded to “get the hell out of Dodge.” The phrase took on its current meaning in the 1960s and 70s when teenagers began to use it in its current form.
[via]
Read the Way You Write: Classify It, Deconstruct It, Play with It
To take the best advantage of your reading for your writing, I recommend keeping a reading journal. In it, you can keep track of what you like, play with particular paragraphs to figure out how they work, and experiment with the styles and ideas you read about to improve your own writing.
Sherman Alexie's Top 10 Pieces of Advice for Writers
[10] Don’t Google search yourself.
[9] When you’ve finished Google searching yourself, don’t do it again.
…
Essay collections I saw today
Letters to a Young Novelist by Mario Vargas Llosa
Mario Vargas Llosa condenses a lifetime of writing, reading, and thought into an essential manual for aspiring writers. Drawing on the stories and novels of writers from around the globe—Borges, Bierce, Céline, Cortázar, Faulkner, Kafka, Robbe-Grillet—he lays bare the inner workings of fiction, all the while urging young novelists not to lose touch with the elemental urge to create. Conversational, eloquent, and effortlessly erudite, this little book is destined to be read and re-read by young writers, old writers, would-be writers, and all those with a stake in the world of letters.
The Gay Talese Reader: portraits & encounters
As a young reporter for The New York Times, in 1961 Gay Talese published his first book, New York—A Serendipiter’s Journey, a series of vignettes and essays that began, “New York is a city of things unnoticed. It is a city with cats sleeping under parked cars, two stone armadillos crawling up St. Patrick’s Cathedral, and thousands of ants creeping on top of the Empire State Building.”
Kill All Your Darlings: Pieces, 1990-2005 by Luc Sante
“Whatever the topic and mood, these essays are a pleasure … deserves the broadest possible readership.”—Kirkus Reviews In his books (Low Life, The Factory of Facts) and in a string of wide-ranging and inventive essays, Luc Sante has shown himself to be not only one of our pre-eminent stylists, but also a critic of uncommon power and range.
The Book Lover by Ali Smith
The Book Lover is a treasure trove of what Ali Smith has loved over the course of her reading life, in her twenties, as a teenager, as a child. Full of pieces from amazing writers like Sylvia Plath, Muriel Spark, Grace Paley, and Margaret Atwood, it also has a wonderful selection of lesser-known authors like Joseph Roth, only just gaining proper status now, and Clarice Lispector, a Brazilian genius who’s far too underpublished. From surprising figures like Beryl the Peril, Billie Holliday, and Lee Miller to unusual selections from the most prominent writers in history, The Book Lover is an intimate, personal anthology that gives readers a glimpse of how writers develop their craft—by reading other writers.
Engaging (adj.)
1 having an often mysterious or magical power to attract
Synonyms: alluring, appealing, attractive, bewitching, captivating, charismatic, charming, elfin, enchanting, engaging, entrancing, fetching, glamorous (also glamourous), luring, magnetic, seductive
Related Words: absorbing, arresting, engrossing, enthralling, galvanic, gripping, hypnotic, hypnotizing, mesmerizing, riveting, spellbinding; enticing, tantalizing, tempting; exciting, haunting, interesting, intriguing, titillating; beckoning, inviting, winning; darling, delightful, pleasant, pleasing
2 holding the attention or provoking interest
Synonyms: absorbing, arresting, consuming, engaging,engrossing, enthralling, fascinating, gripping, immersing,intriguing, involving, riveting
Related Words: breathtaking, electric, electrifying, exciting,exhilarating, galvanizing, inspiring, rousing, stimulating, stirring, thrilling; provocative, tantalizing; emphatic, showy, splashy, striking; alluring, attractive, bewitching,captivating, charming, enchanting, spellbinding; hypnotizing,mesmerizing; curious, odd, unusual, weird; amazing, astonishing, astounding, eventful, eye-opening, fabulous, marvelous (or marvellous), surprising, wonderful, wondrous;amusing, entertaining
[via Merriam-Webster]
