April 2015 Archives

Rad note » this entry originated from another page. It was moved here because the subject drifted far enough to warrant its own, separate page, which lets me focus on and reference more easily the concepts under discussion here.

At the end of this entry (that you're reading now) I have included a link that will return you to the exact place from where this entry originated. Here ya go ...

And if all this sounds too strange, too bizarre, then we can always blame it on the chemo.

» The Effects of Existential Trauma Visited Upon the Cancer Patient

Sure, I jest about the effects that chemo has on the brain ..

.. but do not think that I havent been observing the effects of this whole cancer dealy-o .. on my writing.

From a certain perspective I am an observer in what I do. (We all are, to a degree.)

Before treatment began, I was wondering out loud what effect "chemo brain" would have on my ability to write.

To focus. To concentrate. (Which takes mental energy.) To weave an intelligent, cogent narrative. Because I didnt know.

And this might be a good spot to mention that .. the thing with cancer that you deal with .. beyond the physical shitiness that comes from the treatment ..

.. the thing that you are really dealing with .. is an existential threat. An existential question posed by presence of (via diagnosis) the cancer » Will you live or will you die?

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Rad note » this entry originated from another page. It was moved here because the subject drifted far enough to warrant its own, separate page, which lets me focus on and reference more easily the concepts under discussion here.

At the end of this entry (that you're reading now) I have included a link that will return you to the exact place from where this entry originated. Here ya go ...

» Blow

In addition to today's entry, I also mention Blow (again) on that very same page where I mention Brooks ..

.. in the May, 2014 archive (in a section titled » Spanking vs Whipping .. of a 4-year old boy) ..

.. a month during which there wasnt much I didnt mention.

Blow is black, and he writes about topics related to blacks.

Unfortunately, there is no shortage of shit for him to write about.

He could write a different article every day and still not address all the bullshit being visited upon black men in our country.

Does being black give Blow more credibility to discuss topics that concern the black man? I certainly think so.

» Violence in Baltimore

29 April » Ooh, Blow .. this is good » Violence in Baltimore. Nice title. Short is power. Says a lot with few words. (Not like me.)

[ Speaking of writing well .. look » Zinsser died. At 92. Good for him.

I poured thru his book many years ago. Loved the practical advice and insights. Could see the value right away.

Could feel myself becoming-one-with the mindset he espouses. I would put its value as a writing-improvement book near the top of those I've read. The title says it very nicely.

Zinsser must have hung out with Strunk.

The #1 thing I got from Zinsser was » Dont be afraid to use the word » "I".

Before Zinsser I was reluctant to use 'I'.

I no longer have that problem .. as you can see.

The one whose writing labors in third-person limbo, I have found, is the one whose writing seems unnaturally distance.

"Fuck that noise," I say. "Here's what I think."

Speaking of Zinsser .. Blow, do you agree with him that » writing is a craft?

Or with Dylan Thomas and Ray Bradbury who both call it an art.

You know what I think.

Tho certainly, there is a craftsman's element to writing.

I feel this craftsman element come thru when I read a lot of stuff by Egan. That's one of the reasons why I like him. The way he crafts his columns.

What do you think about Suzanne, who says that » the artistry is in the "stitching up"?

The voice in my head wants me to write that there is artistry in abstraction and in creativity. But I am not really sure that I know what that means.

Intuitively I feel that artistry is found in » deviating from the expected norm .. at just the right time .. and in just the right way .. to cast a negative image of the thing you are describing ..

.. thereby allowing the reader to paint the dimensions and colors of the positive image for themselves.

I wonder how Zinsser would have felt about the idea of the gifted writer. ]

I also like the photo that accompanies your piece.

Of the boy sitting there on the curb in front of the phalanx of officers outfitted in riot gear. Nice contrast.

I have been there myself, sitting on the curb with the police standing around me, just like this lad. (But without the riot gear.)

If you get enough restraining orders, you're bound to meet the men in blue. "Sir, do you mind if I go thru your wallet to look for some i-d?"

You totally kicked ass, Charles.

You seem to be in your element here, your place of power. Your center.

I read it earlier, but caught myself thinking about it later in the day.

Isnt that the goal of every writer? .. to have something you write cause a reader to ponder it later.

I wonder what the trick is for that. Do you know? That would be a nice addition to any writer's toolbox.

[ I remember doing the same thing after reading an article by Nicholas Kristof. Do you hang out with these other writers? Or do yo all live in your own worlds, isolated from the others? ]

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Rad note » this entry originated from another page. It was moved here because the subject drifted far enough to warrant its own, separate page, which lets me focus on and reference more easily the concepts under discussion here.

At the end of this entry (that you're reading now) I have included a link that will return you to the exact place from where this entry originated. Here ya go ...

» Writing About the Times' Opinion Writers (In One Place)

Speaking of redeeming destinations ..

.. I have had, for some time now, an urge to write a piece on the opinion writers there at the NY Times.

I mean, I have read them all. Many times.

They are all different, so I cant really number them 1, 2, 3, 4... (Tho I could, if pressed.)

Opinion writing at the NY Times .. you have to be well-hung, so to speak, to get a gig like that. You know what I mean.

From the perspective of expressing creatively thoughtful opinions .. as a writer .. what better avenue, what better vehicle, what better gig .. than the NY Times?

Sure there are other great writing gigs. I hear, for example, that the best writers work at The New Yorker. But these are not strictly opinions. (John Cassidy is my favorite at the New Yorker.)

And I've always admired the work of Vanity Fair and a number of others. And sites like the Guardian can offer a foreign perspective.

For news & info the Dog's favorites are The Nation and Salon and the Atlantic.

A handful of folks at the coffee shop were fond of Democracy Now!. They talked about Amy Goodman like she were their mother. Their wise, compassionate and caring mother.

And speaking of mothers .. we can't forget the nice folks over at Mother Jones.

My point is that .. you might consider an opinion gig writing at the Times the ultimate ego-stroker.

Think about it .. opinions. If there is one thing that everybody has .. it's an opinion. Am I right? You know I am.

The opinion writer is basically giving the reader a piece of his mind. "This is what-the-fuck I think about thus-n-so."

Now normally, you would pay people money .. for them NOT to give you a piece of their mind. Admit it.

Now I do this myself, sometimes, and give readers a piece of my mind. But because I am not a stud at the NY Times, I must include » WHY .. I feel the way I do. Why I have this particular opinion. Why I am not full of shit.

So what makes these dudes at the NY Times so special that they get to write their opinions for the NY Times?

Well, that is another story. Maybe. But I would enjoy it. Comparing and contrasting. Strengths and weaknesses of the Times' opinion writers.

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