Quote wall: Steven Johnson
On the bulletin board above my desk, I keep a handful of quotes that have taught me something, or that I hope to learn from. Here's one: > In my experience, the more subtle threat ... comes via the eminently reasonable belief that you’re not ready to start
Epistolary novels
> An epistolary novel is a novel written as a series of documents. The usual form is letters, although diary entries, newspaper clippings and other documents are sometimes used. Recently, electronic "documents" such as recordings and radio, blogs, and e-mails have also come into use. —Wikipedia [https://en.
Morning at Hill House
I swear, the neighbors just won't keep off our hill.
Alaska
My family moved to Anchorage, Alaska, when I was just two years old. Both of my parents were Texas natives who had never lived anywhere else. My father had interviewed, long distance, for a job as a programmer at an Alaskan bank, and closed the deal. They loaded all of
Quote wall: Jane Smiley
On the bulletin board above my desk, I keep a handful of quotes that have taught me something, or that I hope to learn from. Here's one: > Nobody asked you to write that novel. —Jane Smiley, The Atlantic [https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2014/10/ideas-motivate-great-writing/
Bumblebees
A little while ago, Felicia and Squish went plum-picking. Squish spotted several golden plums on the ground. Those that had burst open were dotted with bumblebees, pushing into the juicy middles of the fruit. "I fed some of the bees," she told me proudly. "I took a
Dear Mrs. Gruhn
Recently I received a letter in the mail from my high school creative writing teacher, Mrs. Gruhn. We've been in touch here and there the last few years, but it's been a little while since the last time. In the letter, she hoped my writing was
The games we play
Now and then our family gathers around the dining table for a night of board games. There are four of us: My wife, my wife's mother, Squish, and me. We all have very different playing styles, sometimes best exemplified when we play Carcassonne [https://www.zmangames.com/en/
Morro Bay
In 2004, I moved to California. I was twenty-five years old—it's hard to believe it's been nearly two decades since then—and I'd never lived anywhere on my own before. I don't mean having an apartment of my own; I'
Quote wall: Barack Obama
On the bulletin board above my desk, I keep a handful of quotes that have taught me something, or that I hope to learn from. Here's one: > Better is really good. —Barack Obama, on The Wilderness [https://crooked.com/podcast-series/the-wilderness/] podcast Our former president was, of