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writing

Monday 26 March 2012
Yes, People Do Spend Money on Pens

Here’s something to think about: How many times have you used a pen today?

Maybe you crossed something off of your to-do list or maybe you wrote a check to your landlord or maybe you scrawled “BRB” on a napkin before running out to pick up milk. Maybe you did Sudoku.

Whatever you did, chances are good you did a lot less of it than you did five years ago. Technology has made sure of that.

Still, at a time when the swipe of a touch screen is quickly replacing other modes of communication, not all of the past has been erased. In fact, some surprising vestiges of the pre-digital era are still being churned out and scooped up today.

Enter, the specialty fountain pen.

Monday 27 February 2012

But the truth is—perfection isn’t required for publication. If it were, then we wouldn’t have to point our fingers at the “mistakes” in books on the bestseller lists. Bitterly we analyze those bestsellers and say things like, “I can’t believe she got away with using all those adverbs” or “His dialog was so stilted” and finally, “My book is written much better.” Our books can be executed perfectly. We can have flawless sentence structure. We can follow all of the rules of manual and style down to the very last comma. But … nobody cares about a perfect book. Why? Because they care more about the STORY. Jody Hedlund

Saturday 25 February 2012

We [are] shaped as writers, I believe, not much by who our favorite writers are as by our general experience of fiction. Learning to write fiction, we learn to listen for our own acquired sense of what feels right, based on the totality of the pleasure (or its lack) that fiction has provided us. Not direct emulation, but rather a matter of a personal micro-culture. William Gibson

Saturday 18 February 2012

Haruki MURAKAMI: In SEARCH of this elusive WRITER (DOCUMENTARY)

Thursday 16 February 2012
The best advice on writing that I’ve ever followed…

The best advice on writing that I’ve ever followed…

Monday 6 February 2012
11 Brilliant Writing Commandments From Henry Miller

  1. Work on one thing at a time until finished.
  2. Start no more new books, add no more new material to “Black Spring.”
  3. Don’t be nervous. Work calmly, joyously, recklessly on whatever is in hand.
  4. Work according to Program and not according to mood. Stop at the appointed time!
  5. When you can’t create you can work.
  6. Cement a little every day, rather than add new fertilizers.
  7. Keep human! See people, go places, drink if you feel like it.
  8. Don’t be a draught-horse! Work with pleasure only.
  9. Discard the Program when you feel like it–but go back to it the next day. Concentrate. Narrow down. Exclude.
  10. Forget the books you want to write. Think only of the book you are writing.
  11. Write first and always. Painting, music, friends, cinema, all these come afterwards.

Monday 25 July 2011
Three Golden Rules for book reviewing

  1. The review must tell what the book is about.
  2. The review must tell what the book’s author says about that thing the book is about.
  3. The review must tell what the reviewer thinks about what the book’s author says about that thing the book is about.

Wednesday 29 June 2011

If you are finding it difficult to communicate, stop blaming lack of face-to-face visual contact. If you can’t communicate in writing, it may be because you can’t write properly. There is a cure for that: education and practice. Tom Morris (via kvasir)

Sunday 12 June 2011
What Mumford and Sons Taught Me About Writing

  1. Never underestimate the power of a well-placed expletive.

  2. Everyone loves stories, especially epic ones.

  3. Transparency is essential to building trust.

  4. Great art eventually gets rewarded.

  5. People are fascinated with the divine.

Saturday 4 June 2011
Practical Tips on Writing a Book from 23 Brilliant Authors
Saturday 2 January 2010
How to write an article or tutorial the fast way

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