Boustrophedon [boo-struh-FEED-n], from the Greek βουστροφηδόν, βοῦς (bous) meaning “ox” and στροφή (strophē) meaning “turn”: An ancient method of writing in which every other line of writing is flipped or reversed, with reversed letters. The way oxen would write, you know, if they were turning back and forth in the fields in order to write,… Read more »
fear
On Setting Things Free
I’ve been playing chess on my phone during work hours. Initially, I started to do this because the writing I’m doing is kicking my heart around the room and I can only bear to work on it in small doses; a game of chess every 90 minutes or so stabilizes me and brings me back… Read more »
Good Is The Enemy of Great
It’s raining here today in Cambridge. I’m listening to DMX’s “Lord Give Me a Sign;” José González’s “Storm;” and The Cinematic Orchestra’s “To Build a Home.” I wonder if there are any TV fans out there so fanatical that you can tell from these songs (and maybe from my subject heading) what I’ve been watching?… Read more »
Blather, + a Bit of Advice for Writers Nervous About Promotion
Serbian cover of Graceling, published by Carobna knjiga. I didn’t even know this book was out until Carobna knjiga’s Fire landed in my mailbox. Click to enbiggen, this is a cool one! I love the blood in the font. —–> For those who’ve been wondering, my ankle is feeling better every day. I’ll just be… Read more »
“So I started out for God knows where…
… I guess I’ll know when I get there.” (That’s how it feels sometimes when you’re learning to fly, you know?) (Link plays song.) So, I haven’t been blogging about trapeze class, but it’s not because I haven’t been taking class. It’s because I start to worry that it’s obnoxious and narcissistic to plaster pictures… Read more »
Hard Things
Writing is really, really hard right now. I am in a vortex of doubt and I am clinging to a mustard seed. Writers out there, don’t let go of that mustard seed; don’t let go of that teeny, tiny shred of faith. I know what you’re going through. I know how hard it is, and… Read more »
She Flies Through the Air with a Touch of Unease
So, at TSNY Beantown (the trapeze school), there are signs that say, “Forget fear. Worry about the addiction.” I had my second flying trapeze lesson last week. (If you missed my first, I talked all about it here.) Click on the photo below to see just how silly that silly face is: (The white bar… Read more »
In Which the Blog Gets Too Serious and Is in Need of Dominoes
You talk about keeping the faith while writing — but how do you keep going when you can see that your manuscript is a total mess? How do you keep the faith? Well… I don’t know; maybe a combination of mulishness, arrogance, and self-delusion? :o) All underrated qualities, IMO. More seriously, I keep it because… Read more »
An ALA Special Report: When I Said Shenanigans, I Meant Shenanigans
See this rig? See these authors? Don’t you think these authors should jump off that rig? Well, anyway, they thought so. Sarah Miller and I fly on the trapeze (S left, I right; click to enbiggen): Sarah and I reach for the catcher. The catcher snatches us out of thin air: Not done yet! Here… Read more »
Authors, Appearances, Anxiety, and Dropping One’s Pants
I’m annoyed that my voice recognition software recognizes Ludwig Wittgenstein on the first try but doesn’t recognize Miss Marple. Humph. (To be fair, it doesn’t recognize Lord Peter Wimsey, either. But nor does it recognize Luce Irigaray. But it recognizes Jo March. But not Gilbert Blythe. AARGHHH!) (Incidentally, my favorite VRS kerfuffle recently was when… Read more »
