We entered into a productive discussion last week at Agile Writers, my local novel writer’s group. It centered on the problems inherent in writing (or acting, performing, producing) for an audience of peers rather than an audience of. . . people. The topic arose because we are making our way through Lawrence Block’s classic on… Read More
Tag: writing process
Inviting the Reader’s Gaze
“In the particular is contained the universal.” – James Joyce Sometimes I have to forget about you–the reader. Your gaze invokes my self-consciousness. And my self-consciousness strangles the work. Or stops it all together. (Fear is a powerful dam.) But, I knew the risks when I decided to start this blog. When I decided to invite your gaze.… Read More
Plumbing the Depths of Your Own Life
In a recent chapter of Lawrence Block’s Telling Lies for Fun and Profit he talked about a phenomenon he calls “burning the raft at both ends.” By which he means, consuming one’s own life experiences in the service of one’s writing. According to Block, you can use up your life. You can run out of… Read More
