scribbled revisions

May 3, 2013

Art is simply inevitable.

“Art is simply inevitable. It was on the wall of a cave in France 30,000 years ago, and it’s because we are a species that’s driven by narrative. Art is storytelling, and we need to tell stories to pass along ideas and information, and to try and make sense out of all this chaos. And sometimes when you get a really good artist and a compelling story, you can almost achieve that thing that’s impossible which is entering the consciousness of another human being – literally seeing the world the way they see it. Then, if you have a really good piece of art and a really good artist, you are altered in some way, and so the experience is transformative and in the minute you’re experiencing that piece of art, you’re not alone.”

- Steven Soderbergh (San Francisco Film Festival)

1 comment

April 22, 2013

Book review: We Need to Talk About Kevin

I’m a man. I don’t have kids. I have no personal connection to school shootings. Nonetheless, We Need to Talk About Kevin felt incredibly real, and it hit home.

Here’s the synopsis of Lionel Shriver’s novel: Read the rest of this entry »

April 5, 2013

Feedback is humbling and rewarding.

It’s humbling and rewarding to hear people interact with the story, characters and themes contained within Eastbound Sailing. Here’s what Lisa Taylor had to say:

“I received [Eastbound Sailing] in the post yesterday, but was unable to begin reading until my lunch hour today. Eight chapters in, I left the book in the car so as not to get caught reading at my desk. In the 2 hours since arriving home I have completed it. Not because it is frothy, cotton candy fiction, but because i was ensnared by the first page. Chapter after chapter beckoned me to come in further. Until tears stung in my eyes and pain stabbed at my heart. Read the rest of this entry »

6 comments

March 28, 2013

Encouragement for Friday.

“Writing is not like dancing or modeling; it’s not something where, if you missed it by age 19, you’re finished. It’s never too late. Your writing will only get better as you get older and wiser. If you write something beautiful and important, and the right person somehow discovers it, they will clear room for you on the bookshelves of the world—at any age. At least try.”
-Elizabeth Gilbert

6 comments

March 21, 2013

Writing can be a pretty desperate endeavor.

“Writing can be a pretty desperate endeavor, because it is about some of our deepest needs: our need to be visible, to be heard, our need to make sense of our lives, to wake up and grow and belong. It is no wonder if we sometimes tend to take ourselves perhaps a bit too seriously.”
-Anne Lamott

1 comment

March 5, 2013

Storytelling inspiration from the big screen.

I’m both excited and terrified to announce that I’m breaking ground for my next novel. While I had the story in my head for more than a year, I had yet to actually begin any work. What does that mean? It’s time to hit the story board. Read the rest of this entry »

4 comments

March 1, 2013

Spreading the love: Liebster Blog Award

Oh, blogging awards. These are always fun.

I’m a bit late on this, but thank you Samir Rawas Sarayji for nominating me for the Liebster Blog award. Samir provides in-depth, comprehensive literary reviews on his blog and it’s always a pleasure to read his writing. I’m excited to read his future work. Thanks for the nomination, Samir, and for enabling me to say “So some dude from the Netherlands reads my blog.”

Read the rest of this entry »

7 comments

February 11, 2013

Book review: Requiem for a Dream

Some stories can shake me to the core. Today, I finished one such story.

I’ve heard talk about the film Requiem for a Dream for several years now, how it’s considered one of the most disturbing and hopeless movies of all time.

Sounds fun, right?

Due to the hype, I decided to check out the novel off of which the film is based. Read the rest of this entry »

5 comments

February 6, 2013

Nothing that happens to a writer is ever wasted.

via siliconangle.com

“Open your mind to new experiences, particularly to the study of other people. Nothing that happens to a writer – however happy, however tragic – is ever wasted. Write what you need to write, not what is currently popular or what you think will sell.”

P.D. James

1 comment

January 31, 2013

How to tell a story.

Super simple and hardly exhaustive, but a fun tutorial.

1 comment

“Writing can be a pretty desperate endeavor, because it is about some of our deepest needs: our need to be visible, to be heard, our need to make sense of our lives, to wake up and grow and belong. It is no wonder if we sometimes tend to take ourselves perhaps a bit too seriously.” -Anne Lamott

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“Writing can be a pretty desperate endeavor, because it is about some of our deepest needs: our need to be visible, to be heard, our need to make sense of our lives, to wake up and grow and belong. It is no wonder if we sometimes tend to take ourselves perhaps a bit too seriously.”
-Anne Lamott