I have tried to get up at dawn and write, as many writing guides advise you to do. It doesn't work for me. Never has. Lately the first thing I need to do when I get up is have a cup of coffee. My peak writing hours tend to be in the evening, probably because I have scaled back my expectations at that point.
An apology I hope to be able to use someday myself.
I used to write what I know. Now I write to make sense of things. It never helps me make sense of things, but I do think the writing is better than it used to be. I quit writing for a few years. Part of what brought me back was video games. Part of what brought me back was reading George Saunders' story "Sea Oak," and realizing it was possible to write a story and have a good time. These are all things I have talked about before. I am a long-standing abuser of the word "things."
Andrea Kneeland's excellent contest.
I like prompts, sometimes. I don't like journal prompts. ("Talk about a time you made the wrong decision.") I do like form prompts. ("Write about microwave popcorn sixteen different ways, without ever using the word 'popcorn.'")
Jen Michalski, "The Lady in the Coat Pile."
I've been writing a lot about health in the last few months. I wrote a piece last week that is pure memoir. I spent time on it that I really do not have, and now I don't know what to do with it.
AD Jameson covers the recent pro Magic: the Gathering tournament.
I like reading other writers' work and giving feedback. I wish I was a faster reader. I worry sometimes that my comments aren't useful. I want to be of use, very much.
Even though I'm top-level cool with the fact that language is in a constant state of evolution, I'm a snobby jerkface about grammar, punctuation and especially spelling. Blatant, awkward errors make me stabby...especially if the errors are made on behalf of a litmag.
"The shooting stuff is where the challenge lies but it also doesn't actually matter."
Thing (there's that "thing" abuse) I've been saying far too often lately: Writing is nothing more than a series of choices, and that's what makes it so scary and so wonderful.
Emily is definitely on to something.
Ever since I can remember, I've thought of my writer-brain as a spaceship that requires a full crew to operate properly. There are plenty of details about my writing that I'm happy to share. But I will never say who has a job on my spaceship, or what those jobs are. I am fiercely protective of my crew, even when they don't know it.
And finally: Unless you wish others to be fat and unhealthy, please bring only healthy food.
