Feels a bit weird, after spending so much time building up my book, to now focus on trimming it down. But it's so satisfying to get this manuscript in shape, and see the story emerging more clearly.

So far, this book has turned out to be much more profound than I anticipated, even having read much of Gardner's works on writing. To see his knowledge in action has made for a uniquely fulfilling read. Grendel - John Gardner #fiction #johngardner #writing

Pacing my hotel room with a copy of Heart of Darkness in hand, The Office on TV, and unrelated to either the idea for a book comes suddenly, completely, and clearly into my mind. Hours later my wrist is sore, a scrap paper is scribbled like a lunatic cipher. A story is born.

"Art's process values chance." - John Gardner, On Moral Fiction #writing #fiction

My experience with Hemingway was been mixed so far. The Sun Also Rises was a bunch of bull, but The Old Man and the Sea really hooked me. #hemingway

"My footprints. They led right to me." - WIP

"Everywhere I looked, I saw the wholeness of a life I had no means to enjoy, and all things in which I sought some relief bewildered and opposed me, and the earth was entirely constructed of mirrored surfaces reflecting my vile condition." - WIP

Digging into this classic for the first time, and with a new (or mew 😉) favorite bookmark. Yes, I am corny. #frankenstein #classics #read

Over 17k words in less than 3 weeks. This new project has been the fastest and easiest writing I've done yet. Tentatively titled "To Carry." A short novel about struggle.

"There is always something else in their gaze, a hidden judgment, a sly twinkle of dishonesty. A seeing. They wink behind my back. Their smiling teeth are a cage of falsehoods. Is there a true man in the world?" - WIP #WritingCommunity #fiction

"It was as though we stood on opposite sides of a pane, and all that we could do was mist it with our breath and draw shapes, hoping to achieve some similitude recognizable to the other’s culture." - WIP

Just watched the movie adaptation of Ishiguro's The Remains of the Day. It was very good for the most part, but I feel the ending lacked the impact of the novel's. Still, I enjoyed Hopkins's take on Stevens, and thought some of the changes were effective. Recommend watching!

Finished The Stand today. Almost 48 hours of audio. Didn't like it. I feel like all of the conflict set up for the end turned out to be meaningless. There were some great parts along the way, but overall I found it a slog with no payoff. Just my experience.

In 29 years, no one has told me that Monty Python and the Holy Grail is the greatest comedy ever made. I just had to find out on my own. Better late than never! "Are you suggesting coconuts migrate?" shall now be my default response to any absurdity.

The superiority of Gardner when it comes to writing advice comes through his robust and fearless philosophy on the nature of art itself. Most advise on how to build a sentence, or develop an idea. Gardner shows why these things matter to life, society, and the human soul.

First finished read of 2026 was a doozy. A few years ago I might have hated this, but I'm currently resisting the urge to immediately reread. Frustratingly inventive, obliquely honest, beautifully ugly. I see where McCarthy got it. #faulkner #fiction

This one will take some digestion. An unflinching observation of an absolutely vile character.

"In the greatest fiction, the writer's moral sense coincides with his dramatic sense, and I see no way for it to do this unless his moral judgment is part of the very act of seeing, and he is free to use it." Flannery O'Connor, The Fiction Writer & His Country #writing #fiction

Short but potent, full of edifying advice for any writer, doubly so if you're southern, trebly if you're Christian. Many gems here to admire and consider. Manners and Mystery - Flannery O'Connor #fiction #writing

I've seen some reviews downplaying the new Kreator. They're wrong. This thing rips from start to finish.