McSweeney's Ultimate Guide for Writing Better than you Normally Do.

 
Read the article HERE

"What the Hell is Water?"

This past Sunday marked the two year anniversary of the death of David Foster Wallace (who it just so happens that I Write Like).  A friend shared this excellent example of his work.  It makes me wish he had given my commencement speech.  Enjoy:

A speech by the late David Foster Wallace

Beach Reading (and Writing)

For the next two weeks I'll be vacationing on the East Coast, taking some time to visit with family and friends and spending some considerable time on the beach.  While I plan to take this time off from "work" in the sense of writing that I am doing for others, I do hope to have a good amount of time for personal reading and writing.

I hope to use the change in pace of vacation to start getting in the habit of writing every day.  Essentially it's journal-keeping, but I hope to avoid the "here's what I did today and here's how it made me feel" form of the middle-school diary.  There can be great value in that kind of writing as well, but it has to be meaningful, not forced.  My biggest challenge with journaling is remembering that I'm not writing it for anyone; I don't have to make it interesting, it doesn't have to be about my life or myself or anything in particular.  This type of journal will be solely for practice in writing... essentially just to keep the pen moving.  I hope that doing this will help both my discipline to sit down and write every day and my writing itself. 

There is also a stack of books that I have been wanting to read or that I've started and haven't quite made it through.  I'm excited to have some airplane and beach time to finally sit down with these gems.  Here's what I'm bringing with me:

 

Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott - I have been plucking through this book ever so slowly.  I think I am reluctant to read it too quickly because I'm loving it so much!  It is great inspiration for anyone who loves to write.

 

Why I Write by George Orwell - This book promises more great inspirations in politics and writing.  I have read parts of it, including Orwell's essay "Politics and the English Language," which is was originally published in 1946 and is included as the last chapter of this book.  It is always a pleasure to see what the great writers have to say about writing.  Click here to read "Politics and the English Language" online.

 

Learning to Drive: And Other Life Stories by Katha Pollitt - My sister gave me this book when I saw her in Denver in May.  It has been rare in the past few years to see my sister more than once a year, so since I will be seeing her again already on this trip it seems only right to take as stab at finishing this one.  I imagine that Pollitt's observations of life will be inspirational, but I also look forward to reading it as an example of a successful publication of personal essays.

 

One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez - A very nice local Portlander who I know from working at Starbucks gave me a 1971 paperback copy of this book as a (very belated) wedding gift.  It is in near-perfect condition and very much has that wonderful old book smell.  I've never had the privilege of reading anything by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, so I am really looking forward to this one.

I am also bringing the past three issues of The Sun Magazine that I have been wanting to catch up on.  The stories in these magazines are phenomenal and promise to be excellent airplane and beach reading.

Check out The Sun and read parts of current and archived issues at www.thesunmagazine.org

I hope that with all this I'll have some great recommendations for reading and writing endeavors when I return.  Happy reading (and writing)!

Pleasure Reading

I wanted to share two great websites that I have recently had the pleasure of discovering.

"Personal, Political, Provocative"

The Sun Magazine features many pieces from their monthly publication online.  The Sun is a non-profit, advertisement-free magazine that features photographs, poetry, interviews, short stories and essays submitted by regular contributors and readers.  The subject matter is life, and The Sun looks for honest, personal and political writing that reveals some of its complexities.  The result is a fascinating rainy day read.

Find out more about The Sun and read select pieces at www.thesunmagazine.org

"You are traveling with us today, no?"

Border Hopping is an online collection of worldly goodies including visual art, photography, reviews and writing.  The theme is entirely cultural with the goal of giving readers a diverse experience of world travel from the comfort of their desk chairs.  The writing consists of all genres including stories, poetry and journalesque pieces.  Like The Sun, Border Hopping welcomes reader submissions.

Check out Border Hopping at  www.borderhopping.net