Giving thanks for the defeat of the traitorous slaver armies in 1863....
All the exciting answers, none of the boring questions...Thanksgiving Edition!
- Turkey legs & turkey leg pie!
- I've written a Holiday/Christmas story—it's in my book Burnt House. It's pretty grim!
- I didn't want to drive a cab any more....
- People have appetites; how do they sate those appetites?
- When people dine together, they talk. Food gives them something to do. (A lot of dialogue I read seems to take place in a vacuum).
- Also, food is itself intrinsically interesting for most people. (Always be looking for ways to connect with an audience).
- Be humble.
- Big picture hope: I'd like to see America healed. It's going to take some time!
- Personal hope: I hope I live long enough to get all my books written. (Which might take a long long time and that’s fine!)
- But there will always be a demand and desire for stories.
- I miss hanging around the Teacher's Bar and bragging about my students!
- Basically, what I said upthread—cultivate Humility and Patience.
- Writing doesn't happen overnight. Many young writers find this discouraging.
- Humility will win the day.
- And I would encourage all of you to follow Lev Nikolayevich's example—be excited about your next project!
- I've learned to adapt and survive (so far).
- Horror.
- Everything is equally easy or difficult, depending on the writer's state of mind....
- But here's some advice: don't wait to tell your stories!
- So I sat on it, and waited until I was "good enough."
- And I never wrote it.
- I should have written it immediately! It would have sucked, but who would have cared? (Other than my ego).
- Moral of the story: don't wait! Write—now.
- Everyone needs to read more.
- Those of you who already read a lot need to read more.
- Those of you who don't read a whole lot need to read more.
- Every book you read helps build your Writer's Toolbox. You'll be able to see all the options you have as a writer.
- I think just about everything is important enough to write about—if the writer takes their writing seriously.
- Understanding what a story is, and making it happen....
- Go with what's in your heart. That's vague—but true.
- What poems do you feel strongest about?
- Activities: keep a journal. It doesn't have to be complicated and sound like the all-knowing voice of whatever. Just write down your observations about what you see and experience. It can be a list. Or photos!
- (Actually, if you use social media, you are in fact keeping a journal).
- The world is always changing and slipping away. Notice the changes! (It takes practice).
- Develop HUMILITY and PATIENCE.
- It takes a long time to get really good at writing fiction. A writer's ego and perfectionism can in the way.
- And also be PERSISTENT.
- Pretend to care.
- Make it a game. In the end, everything you write is just words.
- Watch how one scene flows into another. Look at how the dialogue is edited and cuts from one character to another. Look for how setting is used. Look for how it is lit and filmed. Read the movie like a writer....
- I don’t buy it.
- I’m seeing the Stranger as an idealized romanticized personification of America itself. The Cowboy! Honest, straightforward, kind, respectful. How America sees itself reflected through media/Hollywood....
- That may not be factual, but it's True enough to be a starting point for a novel or a film....
- Though I wouldn't want to hang around with him....
- The drugs are definitely making him irrational.
- There are easy-going, good-hearted stoners everywhere.
- I see him as the innocent victim of capitalism….
- Nihilism is the denial of the value of reality, so here the nihilists are the cats-paw of capitalism, which believes in nothing outside of profit/greed/gain....
- I liked it. Dark and funny.
- We've had some grim readings and viewings this semester—I thought it might be nice to close with a comedy....
- The War on Drugs has been a catastrophe for our country.
- Food.
- This job is easy when you have a lot of great students!
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