Rereading Borges’ The Garden of Forking Paths this morning. And the idea of a chaotic novel or a novel with confounding paths of time consoles me as I’ve been thinking Semi-Orphaned is a mess of vignettes and scene/organization that spirals. Hopeful that I have found a plan for the chaos. “No one realized that the bookContinue reading “a book and a labyrinth”
Category Archives: Process
quick thoughts on kubrick and the unsayable
Lately I’ve been obsessed with Stanley Kubrick films. I mention The Shining in class quite often to my students and how it represents an incredible example of psychological dread built into a narrative. A slow and constant ratcheting of tension. (I find myself mentioning films in general quite a bit in creative writing regarding matters of narratology.)Continue reading “quick thoughts on kubrick and the unsayable”
“so it goes”–staying up late with kurt vonnegut
Some nights when I’m supposed to be working on my big fat failed novel. When I am supposed to be sleeping. Or grading. I can’t and so I sit and listen to books on tape. A few months back it was Jesus’ Son. Something about Will Patton’s voice that grabbed me. This time out I have beenContinue reading ““so it goes”–staying up late with kurt vonnegut”
the influence of los lobos–the town and the city
What can I write about the influence of The Town and the City on my writing projects. This band and album I have so much affection for. I can play the cd and the music allows me to get into those Southern Colorado neighborhoods of my youth and helps me to find the characters and situations. The flavor ofContinue reading “the influence of los lobos–the town and the city”
notes: composite novel, novel-in-stories or just plain stories
I’ve been obsessing over this question for weeks now. What to label the book? I’m putting the final touches together for my first book and after reading more and more on the subject of genre I seem to be more confused than ever. After reading The Composite Novel–The Short Story Cycle in Transition I amContinue reading “notes: composite novel, novel-in-stories or just plain stories”
the composite novel : the short story cycle in transition
I want to read this book as I am more and more thinking I write composite stories rather than chapters. The composite novel : the short story cycle in transition (Book, 1995) [WorldCat.org].
living with ghosts
I’ve been participating in a writing group for the spring semester and it’s been going pretty well now. I was pretty loose with the group though I wanted to be clear with everyone early on in communicating my hopes we would not be a writing group but rather we would be more rigorous and approachContinue reading “living with ghosts”
fourth night of notes: steven schwartz’ “finding a voice in america”
Tonight I am taking a look at the fourth essay of Bringing the Devil to His Knees–the Craft of Fiction and the Writing Life. And apart from the essay I am seeing just how slow my reading process can be at times–almost as slow as my writing process. I have such a stack of books onContinue reading “fourth night of notes: steven schwartz’ “finding a voice in america””
where’s iago? by susan neville
Vonnegut has come up again and again to me the last couple of days–his novels at the used bookstore I decided against and the interview with his wife on cspan at 3am that made me regret–and I find him once again as one of the catalysts to Susan Neville’s essay “Where’s Iago?” I’m still tryingContinue reading “where’s iago? by susan neville”
tracy daugherty “a character’s skin”
I’m thinking about this fine essay “A Character’s Skin” by my old mentor Tracy Daugherty. I’m also sitting here wondering how my students will react to his ideas concerning characterization. I’m hoping they will also have ideas on how it relates to the selections from Jesus’ Son by Denis Johnson I also gave them. AndContinue reading “tracy daugherty “a character’s skin””
didion’s minimalism
In my lit course we’ve been reading Joan Didion’s novel Play It As It Lays and there is so much for the young writer to learn from this book. I have to preface this review or response or whatever you want to call it by saying I’m a writer and not a literary critic. Mostly IContinue reading “didion’s minimalism”
teaching as a writer
I’m looking at my last post and seeing how frustrated I was. Grading assignment after assignment can do that to you. Three sections of composition can take a good amount of energy from you. And really teaching has given me so many opportunities. I shouldn’t knock it. Now I worry concerning time and writing–I worry thatContinue reading “teaching as a writer”
even more thoughts on spanglish
I’ve been thinking more and more about the idea of language in my fiction. It’s something I obsess over. And I guess this whole series of posts began with Richard Hugo and Auden and the idea the writer must love the language they utilize more than the reader. And I do love the mix of SpanishContinue reading “even more thoughts on spanglish”
research and thoughts on spanglish
This last week I’ve mentioned Spanglish in my classes on more than one occasion. My midwest students look at me as if I’m crazy and one even asked me, Is that a real thing? She said it rather dramatically and forcefully. She said it as if I was telling her about something so foreign andContinue reading “research and thoughts on spanglish”
random thoughts on teaching like a writer
Long and difficult week of teaching has me dead tired and wondering if I can return to manuscripts. Revisions of Monte Stories will have to wait until I can read through a mountain of student essays. And this week as I have been teaching I am more and more aware of this disconnect between teaching andContinue reading “random thoughts on teaching like a writer”