writing life
Mar. 15, 2013
Tweet of the Day
Alain de Botton: “Dear reader, do bear in mind that the first sentence, over in a second, took 4 hrs of procrastination & self-hatred to get down.”
Tags: Alain de Botton · Twitter · writing life
May. 27, 2011
Harlan Ellison: Pay the Writer!
Harlan Ellison has some choice words for those who presume writers will work for free.
Tags: Harlan Ellison · video · writing life
May. 3, 2011
The Patron Saint of Writers
Meet St. Francis de Sales, patron saint of writers and journalists.
Tags: On Writing · writing life
Apr. 20, 2011
Why do writers like working in coffee shops?
Why would a bustling Starbucks be conducive to writing? It may be an antidote to procrastination.
Tags: coffee shops · On Writing · procrastination · Starbucks · writing life
Jan. 10, 2011
Fast Fish and Loose Fish
What an ancient law of whaling teaches about story ideas.
Tags: bookfour · Herman Melville · On Writing · writing life
Dec. 31, 2010
In Between Days
The doldrums between books is a dangerous, depressing time for a writer.
Tags: bookfour · On Writing · writing life
Nov. 18, 2010
Shoes
The earthy, sensuous craft of making shoes vs. the ethereal art of writing books.
Tags: Converse · On Writing · Ryusaku Hiruma · shoes · writing life
Nov. 2, 2010
Voices in Our Heads
A homeless man isn’t the only Starbucks customer with invisible friends.
Tags: On Writing · writing life
Sep. 16, 2010
It’s All Been Done
The pleasures and anxieties of writing in a genre.
Tags: Defending Jacob · On Writing · writing life · writing tips
Aug. 10, 2010
Vita Brevis, Ars Brevior
A good but not great movie from 1965 is a reminder how short-lived most art is.
Tags: John le Carre · On Writing · video · writing life
Aug. 2, 2010
The Sawyer Effect
Tom Sawyer and the power of intrinsic motivation.
Tags: Daniel Pink · Jonah Lehrer · motivation · procrastination · writing life
Jul. 29, 2010
A Writer on Monday Morning
Buzz Bissinger vents his self-doubt on Twitter.
Tags: Buzz Bissinger · On Writing · Twitter · writing life
Jul. 16, 2010
Starting Over
Finishing one book, starting another.
Tags: bookfour · Defending Jacob · On Writing · writing life
Apr. 13, 2010
Writing Is Play
Writing is a form of play, which is not to say it is easy.
Tags: On Writing · writing life · writing tips
Feb. 9, 2010
Last Words
Finding the closing words to a novel can be a tricky business.
Tags: Defending Jacob · On Writing · writing life
Jan. 31, 2010
The Anxiety of Finishing
The unease of publishing a book that is flawed.
Tags: David Remnick · J. Anthony Lukas · On Writing · Samuel Beckett · Seth Godin · writing life · writing tips
Nov. 5, 2009
Book 3 Update: The Final Push
As a deadline looms, an update on a novel in progress.
Tags: Defending Jacob · On Writing · writing life
Sep. 17, 2009
A Thousand Words a Day
I usually avoid words-per-day quotas, but with a deadline looming I had to try.
Tags: On Writing · quotas · writing life · writing tips
Sep. 8, 2009
William Manchester’s struggle
A futile, agonizing 3-year struggle to write an account of the JFK assassination.
Tags: William Manchester · writing life
Sep. 1, 2009
Edmund Wilson Regrets
A postcard from the pre-blog era
Tags: Edmund Wilson · On Writing · writing life