Is anyone else excited to see The Great Gatsby? I am. Well, I’m a mix of excited and nervous. I absolutely LOVE the book and I’m not sure the movie can measure up to all the scenes I’ve imagined in my head while reading the book. I have hope because there have been some great — Read More
Category: Nuggets
Writers and their ailments
You probably thought this post would be about something like the anguish of writer’s block. But, no. I’m talking about actual ailments. Dr. John J. Ross of Boston’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital wrote a book called Shakespeare’s Tremor and Orwell’s Cough: The Medical Lives of Famous Writers. It’s a fascinating look at how diseases and — Read More
50 best literary insults
I’m a fan of a good, well-crafted insult. So imagine my excitement when I saw this list of the 50 best literary insults. Here are some of my favorites from books I love: “This liberal doxy must be impaled upon the member of a particularly large stallion!” — From A Confederacy of Dunces by John — Read More
‘Tis the season
Every year, around this time, I feel like starting up a novel, or at least a short story. It must be the stress of the holidays that calls forth my inner therapist. I’ll let you know if I resolve my angst…or write a new book. In the meantime…
Behind every great writer…
This isn’t totally accurate. I don’t have a loyal pet. My cat is rather indifferent to my endeavors and I’m the dog’s second favorite.
Top 10 most read books in the world
I wouldn’t have guessed most of these would make the top 10. Rather, I would have hoped most of these would not make the top 10. It makes me think we can sum up our world as being “very religious, with an interest in sci-fi and fantasy.” Or, even simpler, let’s conclude, “Human beings like — Read More
A thousand lives
I have been insanely busy lately. As in, I’m putting in 60+ hours per week at work and still trying to remain somewhat social with other humans in my “free time” (in quotes because it doesn’t seem so free when it’s an item on a to-do list). For an introvert, this leads to exhaustion. As — Read More
Second sentences
Fact: I keep a notebook full of first sentences that I never attach to second sentences, let alone full stories. I started the notebook with the goal of returning to these first sentences “when time frees up.” Now, instead of considering it a sort of to-do notebook, I consider it a journal of random thoughts — Read More
Out of print (but on my shirt)
A good friend of mine turned me onto this site: Out of Print. There are about 20 things I already want, like this: And this: And this: What I really love is their mission statement: Out of Print celebrates the world’s great stories through fashion. Our products feature iconic and often out of print book — Read More
Getting away from it all
I spent last week in Yosemite, hiking a 60-mile High Sierra Loop. No television. No computer. No cell phone. And, interestingly, I started having some writing ideas pass through my head. I brought a journal and multiple pens with me (because I have this odd fear of running out of ink when I really, really, — Read More