A good surprise is a good thing, when it comes to film and literature. People like to be surprised, but not in a way that violates their trust. I can jump out at you from behind a bush and make… Read More ›
writing technique
What’s worse than the crooked verse
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 ›
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 ›
Poems come like children
They are small things full of wonder that take a long time to produce — They don’t act the way you expect, but may be your best expression Fragile, strong, willful, watching: Your future, your past wrapped in a wish… 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 