What a treasure to be able to read such humble words by a legend. Your advice on letting manuscripts that aren't meant to be out there float onwards with the wind is particularly helpful. I spent years trying to find the missing letter, only to realize it only existed in the next book.
Unless I soon hie myself to the garden to confront my annual failure-in-progress, I know I shall end up spending the rest of my day adding l's to words where they might not belong. "The Taol of Pooh"? Yikes!
Thanks for sharing. Esoterica (based in Toronto!) is working hard on our own dime to support the arts, offering a much needed venue for new and established writers of fiction and non-fiction, a soft critique of their work and beautiful illustrations. Would be thrilled if you could recommend us on your Substack. Looking forward to your speaking engagement later this month.
I’ve got my own one of those overcomplicated ‘masterpieces’ Its been a bit of a battle to decide between, persevering to the end and letting it fail as it most likely will or walking away like you did. I’d love to think I’ve got a hand maid’s tale waiting in the wings.
I’m eft wondering what a stone fisherman uses for bait. What the he+* does he hope to catch?? Founder? Ees?Haibut???
What a treasure to be able to read such humble words by a legend. Your advice on letting manuscripts that aren't meant to be out there float onwards with the wind is particularly helpful. I spent years trying to find the missing letter, only to realize it only existed in the next book.
I'm oving this post...smi ing at it, as it evokes the wide-grins, wider than most. I will not fai to remember it throughout my week.
Living is doing. It’s all trial and error from our first to our final breath. My heart goes out to those who don’t fail for they are not living.
ovely post, thank you!
I hope you have kept that typewriter. It would make it very easy for you to write a lipogrammatic novel 😁
I am *definitely* keeping this Margaret Atwood quote from this article:
"By day, I worked in a stone fisherman’s cottage rented to tourists."
I immediately wondered what kind of stone fish the stone fisherman caught! 😄
Missed Crass is cute, but a spoonerism rather than an anagram
This is ove y.
I believe everyone is a writer; has a story to tell. Why isn’t everyone an author? Here’s the deal.
Unless I soon hie myself to the garden to confront my annual failure-in-progress, I know I shall end up spending the rest of my day adding l's to words where they might not belong. "The Taol of Pooh"? Yikes!
Thanks for sharing. Esoterica (based in Toronto!) is working hard on our own dime to support the arts, offering a much needed venue for new and established writers of fiction and non-fiction, a soft critique of their work and beautiful illustrations. Would be thrilled if you could recommend us on your Substack. Looking forward to your speaking engagement later this month.
Failure is the ladder for success!
Such is ife indeed
Proof positive that simple failure is more often than not a prelude to more complicated failure.
I’ve got my own one of those overcomplicated ‘masterpieces’ Its been a bit of a battle to decide between, persevering to the end and letting it fail as it most likely will or walking away like you did. I’d love to think I’ve got a hand maid’s tale waiting in the wings.
"I segued into writing The Handmaid’s Tale"... and we are grateful for it