With the wild wolves around you
I am sitting in a cafe, taking a wee writing break before conducting two possibly ridiculous interviews this afternoon, and apparently I’ve found my writing muse/motivator/soundtrack.
Michelle tells me Bon Iver wrote his album in THE WOODS allcaps. YES.
it’s normal!
“When do you have to accept non-phenomenality? Is that an absurd idea? Or am I trashing a lot of good opportunities for a decent, non-detestable life in pursuit of something I’ll never achieve?”
This person’s question is excellent, as it encompasses the ridiculous roller coaster ride of emotions that is “writing.” Do we really need writing advice from Emily Gould? Yes, apparently.
deep breath
“The best training is to read and write, no matter what. Don’t live with a lover or roommate who doesn’t respect your work. Don’t lie, buy time, borrow to buy time. Write what will stop your breath if you don’t write.”
— Grace Paley, The Paris Review
Margaret Laurence
bookshelf
This review is exactly how I feel about Elizabeth Gilbert.
I think Gilbert is an incredibly interesting writer, especially if you dig far enough back into her archives. She deserves every last bit of success she has. I also think it’s easy to criticize her, to take away all she’s worked for by typing the words “chick lit.”
Gilbert’s writing is deep, multi-faceted and creative without being frilly. She’s compared to Joan Didion in the above article, and I don’t think that’s a stretch. Writing a book about marriage and love and divorce and ‘finding yourself’ does not automatically make a woman author less credible.
Also, for a tidge of inspiration, check out her TED talk on creativity. Safe to say Liz Gilbert is becoming an important literary gal in my life.
“Words.xlsx”
On the desktop of my computer there’s an Excel file titled “Words.” Inside there’s a list of all the books I want to buy for my imaginary library - in some cases there are only names of authors because I want to own all their books and I don’t want to waste time writing down their bibliographies.
But it’s funny, when I arrived back from New York, when I unpacked the seven books that I bought at the Strand, none of the books in this document were checked off. I bought all new - wandering the stacks and finding what I pleased. Half-read books that I had to return to the library to avoid late fines. Already-read-but-adored books that I devoured on beaches. Brand new books that I chose because I had heard that someone I admire likes the author.
Just underneath the book list is the magazine subscription list. A girl can dream.
And then today I wrote a short story for the first time in… eight years. Do you ever feel that the older you grow the more you regress back into your high school self? What if I collage an entire bedroom wall with Rolling Stone magazine pages again?
millenial.
This blog isn’t about anything. Because I’m 23, and I don’t know what I’m about.
