What writers do when they’re not writing.
(Illustrations by Echo Mars.)
How I Learned to Write.
How I Learned to Write. My father Elmer—a rather odd moniker for a Jewish kid from Pawtucket, Rhode Island—taught Shakespeare at Brown University for almost 40 years. But he could quote Harpo as easily as Hamlet, Philip Marlowe as easily as Christopher Marlowe. A good...
Pockets.
Pockets are a problem. Whoever came up with the idea back in 18th Century England was doing too much snuff. Pockets are especially a problem for writers. Because, in addition to keys, loose change, wallet, eyeglass case, and cell phone, you also need a pad, pen,...
Staring.
Staring. For me, staring is a critical part of the creative process. It’s like a meditation except that the rules (actually, non-rules) are to let yourself follow any promising thought that appears in your mind’s eye—as opposed to the “serious” business of following...
Napping.
Napping. When I need a nap, any place will do. I can lie down on a bench, office floor, tilted-back car seat, couch, or even under a bush, and doze off for a half-hour, regardless of background noise or distractions. Napping is one of my most valuable writing...
Keyboards & “Haptics”
Keyboards & Haptics. (Many years ago, I was interviewing a CEO so I could ghost write his annual report message. He explained that their strategy was to “leverage their core competency to maximize their operational return.” I said, you mean you’re going to “do...
Notebooks & Pads.
Notebooks & Pads. One of the most Quixotic quests of my writing career has been the search for the perfect notebook and/or pad. I imagine many other writers have tilted at that same elusive windmill. I’ve used everything from dime (now dollar) store notebooks that...