The earth leans into the sun like a chicken on a rotisserie, like a pig on a spit. Most of what I think or write I keep to myself, which is probably best. I thought that up on my morning… Read More ›
writing
The slant of the fence
You can walk the same road a hundred times and you still may not see the slant of the fence. The slant of the fence doesn’t matter. It’s the angle and the curve and the way the light catches it… Read More ›
Your web is a trap
I’ve compared writers to spiders before: I like that the words rhyme and they have unusual things in common. Both generally hide in the corners waiting, watching. We build fantastic traps to catch our prey, then slowly suck the life… Read More ›
The nature of theme
Theme doesn’t show up on your porch and knock. It appears over time as a pattern of clues emerge. That’s because the human brain thinks in metaphor, in dreams. Theme is the same fleeting figure in waking life. You can’t… Read More ›
Cold
I haven’t written cold in a while: meaning, I sit down, type, hit publish and move on. It’s similar to standing behind a microphone not knowing what you’re going to say, not being able to see who’s looking at you…. Read More ›
Writing, building
Writers need to be editors but the reverse is not true. What you write won’t make it to a real editor unless you’ve edited it first. Toggling between writing and editing requires both parts of the brain: the mystical part,… Read More ›
No Gift Should Go Unthanked
The book is on my chest face-down like a dead bird, a lowercase W, a child’s sketch. The picture of the author on the back, a UPC code only computers can read. A postage stamp I used as a bookmark… Read More ›
Killing Time, Making Time, Wasting Time
I don’t know what it’s “about.” That’s what people want to know when you say you’ve written something, that’s the first question. Is it published, what’s it about? I don’t make time for a pipeline, for blog posts. I spin… Read More ›
Who do you write for?
I have a couple of my best friends, my mom, my wife, and a few really good followers who read my blog. Sometimes I look at the statistics and ponder over the most popular posts: should I continue in that… Read More ›
If the world could be a sweater and I could try it on before buying it
Titles are important. Like the name you choose for your child, it should match the expectation you have for what’s inside. You have the responsibility to grant the name, but it’s not yours: it’s the story’s, the child’s. You’re just… Read More ›
Bill Pearse 