September 2008
12 posts
Three Poems: French Vanilla, Reminder of the... →
French Vanilla
One shoe covered in hot wax
when it spilled
splashed on the piano.
One shoe fragrant with the smell
that lingers for days
permeates everything you do.
Apply for a credit card …
“On the morning of his cousin’s wedding Ira performed his toilet, as he...”
– Michael Chabon - “S ANGEL” — This is arguably the best opening sentence I have ever read in any piece of short fiction ever.
What’s the Motivation? Thoughts on Plot... →
Kurt Vonnegut, in his short story collection Bagombo Snuff Box, provides eight rules for writing fiction. Among the most important and valuable of these is rule 3: “Every character should want…
Books Versus the Internet: The Past ain’t What it... →
Once again, the time has come for some technology-fearing literary pundit who has spent far too much time in Academia to complain about the state of the reading habits of the plebeians. Most of…
On Promises →
When it comes to blogging, the idea is to write about your passion, the thing(s) that make you happy, your interests, something that you want to share with the world at large, and (with luck)…
A More Substantial Series of Thoughts on the Death... →
There are times when I really wish there was an afterlife of some sort.[1] As a devout non-believer, I never went for the traditional notion of Heaven or the afterlife. I always picture it as…
David Foster Wallace Commits Suicide →
David Foster Wallace, the novelist, essayist and humorist best known for his 1996 tome “Infinite Jest,” was found dead last night at his home in Claremont, according to the Claremont Police…
ink on paper (for alex) →
This poem was inspired by a poetry reading performed by my good friend Alex Hampshire, at a Philadelphia art gallery back in May. His work is amazing, and hopefully I can convince him to put it…
Falling in Love with Characters →
The character is the heart of good fiction. Without a captivating main character, someone the reader can relate to, sympathize with, and/or despise, even a beautifully written story can—and…
Rediscovering the Library →
Part of why my updates have been so lax lately has been that I recently moved back home with my parents, and have been putting the major focus of my life, not on content creation, but on finding a…