Tuesday, November 30, 2010

one or more than one writer in the bed

Writing is not a mobile activity and – rampant hypochondria and/or genuine illness apart – historically, it seems to involve being in bed more than might be considered entirely reasonable. The onset of winter always reminds me of my early days as a scribbler, reading about all those Russian and Irish and Parisian writers' lives in suitably louche and tormented novels, or short stories, or memoirs. One element they shared – beyond narcissism, absinthe abuse and athletic sexual angst – was the presence of one - or more than one - writer in a bed and occasionally putting pen to paper. AL Kennedy in The Guardian

Monday, November 29, 2010

here is the point

The sheets were rising and falling around me with Anna’s breathing. I thought about waking her. But it was unnecessary. There would be other nights. And how can you say I love you to someone you love? I rolled onto my side and fell asleep next to her. Here is the point of everything I have been trying to tell you, it’s always necessary. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, Jonathan Safran Foer
Photo by William Gedney, Girl and dog sleeping on bed, 1967 via UE

Friday, November 26, 2010

but I'm always trying to get rid of my faults

"Meg, I give you your faults."
"My faults!" Meg cried.
"Your faults."
"But I'm always trying to get rid of my faults!"

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

some kind of ideological convergence

Some couples don’t ask much of one another after they’ve worked out the fundamentals of jobs and children. Some live separate intellectual and cultural lives, and survive, but the most intense, most fulfilling marriages need, I think, to struggle toward some kind of ideological convergence. Norman Rush via Maude Newton

Photo: Susan Sontag by Annie Leibovitz

Sunday, November 21, 2010

an ordinary sunday

Sometimes I have loved the peacefulness of an ordinary Sunday. It is like standing in a newly planted garden after a warm rain. You can feel the silent and invisible life. Marilynne Robinson, Gilead
Photo: Jak & Jil

Saturday, November 20, 2010

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Saturday, November 6, 2010

sound of the return

And then, P. of What Possessed Me said, "I love the sound of the return on a typewriter. It is the sound of accomplishment..." She also posted this.
Poster from ISO50

back and forth between the moment and the whole

It’s really not an intellectual process. I mean, as you see, I try to apply all sorts of mechanical norms to it, and they help me order my thoughts, but finally in playwriting, you’ve got to be able to write dialogue. And if you write enough of it and let it flow enough, you’ll probably come across something that will give you a key as to structure. I think the process of writing a play is working back and forth between the moment and the whole. The moment and the whole, the fluidity of the dialogue and the necessity of a strict construction. Mamet in The Paris Review

you can have some time

“I’m sorry,” he said finally. “I’m still trying to figure out how to live.”
“That’s OK. You can have some time.”
He nodded, taking note of the word some.
From Freedom by Jonathan Franzen via Victoria
Photo via Horse Hunting

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

the most dreary of practical exigencies

and I am feeling particularly testy at being separated from
the one I love by the most dreary of practical exigencies money
when I want only to lean on my elbow and stare into space feeling
the one warm beautiful thing in the world breathing upon my right rib

Monday, November 1, 2010

(if you are interested)

Dissonance / (if you are interested) / leads to discovery
William Carlos Williams "Paterson"