writing....
the first in a series of posts exploring the idea of 'self determination' as a definition of "what is an artist?"
i took some recent advice from a friend and saved my writing until i had already enjoyed some drink, cheers ralph. it was neither his idea, nor my own, nor had we even been enjoying a shared drink, but that of a writer/journalist who has inspired me greatly. Ernest Hemingway. there are two things i love most about him. three actually. first he was the master of the run-on sentence which could and has at times continued well beyond what your mediocre grammar teacher in middle school would have prescribed but no less is still perfectly constructed and comprehensible. shall i go on? dont make me. second, he used the comma in a way that, well, makes me weep, while at the same time, no doubt, annoying the hell, and high water, out of those same mediocre, and, sometimes, downright, vulgar, middle school grammar teachers who, no doubt, would not recognize that comm-ical, if i may, skill, if it hit them in the rear, of, class.
to either the curious among you, or the ignorant to the masters methods, it must be said that he stated. "write drunk, edit sober". francois, i need more wine! (more on francois, my erstwhile houseman, another time) when my friend reminded me of this little quip, being the oscar wilde devotee that i am, i immediately responded by stating that "of course i, like to write editors while drunk...." oh my. sorry gail.
anyhow, it should not come as any surprise that writers are imbibers, what with several voices in our heads living out the identities of our muses and characters. its enough to drive anyone to, well, drinking. it is a social lubricant, and to writers, an antidote to that bright 27 inch, blank, white, page, staring back at you. it is no mere coincidence that the esteemed actor sean connery who portrayed an insiring writing coach to a young man in the classic film finding forrester said "the first key to writing is... to write, not to think". no doubt he had the fermented fortification in his own youthful days as a writer.
you will i hope excuse me if you are reading this post betwixt my writing, and my editing, it.
the first in a series of posts exploring the idea of 'self determination' as a definition of "what is an artist?"
i took some recent advice from a friend and saved my writing until i had already enjoyed some drink, cheers ralph. it was neither his idea, nor my own, nor had we even been enjoying a shared drink, but that of a writer/journalist who has inspired me greatly. Ernest Hemingway. there are two things i love most about him. three actually. first he was the master of the run-on sentence which could and has at times continued well beyond what your mediocre grammar teacher in middle school would have prescribed but no less is still perfectly constructed and comprehensible. shall i go on? dont make me. second, he used the comma in a way that, well, makes me weep, while at the same time, no doubt, annoying the hell, and high water, out of those same mediocre, and, sometimes, downright, vulgar, middle school grammar teachers who, no doubt, would not recognize that comm-ical, if i may, skill, if it hit them in the rear, of, class.
to either the curious among you, or the ignorant to the masters methods, it must be said that he stated. "write drunk, edit sober". francois, i need more wine! (more on francois, my erstwhile houseman, another time) when my friend reminded me of this little quip, being the oscar wilde devotee that i am, i immediately responded by stating that "of course i, like to write editors while drunk...." oh my. sorry gail.
anyhow, it should not come as any surprise that writers are imbibers, what with several voices in our heads living out the identities of our muses and characters. its enough to drive anyone to, well, drinking. it is a social lubricant, and to writers, an antidote to that bright 27 inch, blank, white, page, staring back at you. it is no mere coincidence that the esteemed actor sean connery who portrayed an insiring writing coach to a young man in the classic film finding forrester said "the first key to writing is... to write, not to think". no doubt he had the fermented fortification in his own youthful days as a writer.
you will i hope excuse me if you are reading this post betwixt my writing, and my editing, it.
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