Writing | A Memorable Fancy

SomethingSomethingMo

By erik, on November 2nd, 2011%

Most readers here are probably familiar with NaNoWriMo, or National Novel Writing Month, which started yesterday. Well, a few people have decided to co-opt or adapt it into something else. Charlotte Frost at Phd2Published suggests AcBoWriMo for Academic Book Writing Month and James Smith at MITH suggests NanoDHMO for a digital humanities project.

I like the spirit . . . → Read More: SomethingSomethingMo

Difficult writing

By erik, on October 19th, 2011%

Prompted by Jeffrey Eugenides’s new book The Marriage Plot (which I have begun and am enjoying so far), Steven B. Johnson ruminates in the NYTimes book review and on his blog about his own prose style in college at Brown in the heyday of semiotics and deconstruction. Although he points to some positive practices that . . . → Read More: Difficult writing

The opposite of writer’s block

By erik, on January 17th, 2011%

I am one of those writers who worries a lot about writing. What do I want to write and why, how should I write, how do other people write, both in style and in their practice, what should I make my students write, and why?1

First of all, I need to invent a waterproof contraption . . . → Read More: The opposite of writer’s block

Writing practices

By erik, on September 30th, 2010%

I have, over the past years, had trouble finding time to write and keeping up momentum, especially at the beginning of the semester, but I have found some practices that work for me. Here are examples of how some successful authors write, followed by some of my suggestions:

Jonathan Franzen removed the wireless card from . . . → Read More: Writing practices

Free writing

By erik, on July 2nd, 2009%

This somewhat disjointed reflection on writing is sparked by a discussion at fimoculous whether one should write for free. The question revolves mainly around journalism, but extends to other media forms as well. This leads us to Chris Anderson’s new book “Free: The Future of a Radical Price,” which I have not read but which . . . → Read More: Free writing

Getting started

By erik, on April 9th, 2009%

I find getting started to be the hardest thing about writing. On a larger scale, when beginning a project or chapter, sitting down, figuring it out, and starting to write is terribly difficult. On a more daily level, the same holds true. I know what I should write today, and have the research done. . . . → Read More: Getting started

Reseach tools

By erik, on January 28th, 2009%

Steven Johnson has a good essay on Boinboing detailing how he goes about writing a book, which is basically: reasearch like crazy, then sit down and write. One of the tools he mentions is Devonthink, which I’ve never used, and can’t because I don’t own a Mac.In the comments, someone posted a link to Windows . . . → Read More: Reseach tools

Writing and Blogging

By erik, on January 15th, 2009%

I’ve been worrying that blogging has hurt my academic writing, and twitter has hurt my blogging. All my thoughts come, I’ve been afraid, in tiny 140 character chunks, instead of complex, well-articulated arguments. But that’s not true. It is more or less a matter of habit and attention, among other things.

This brings to mind . . . → Read More: Writing and Blogging

WGA Strike

By erik, on November 6th, 2007%

So the much anticipated Writers Guild of America strike has started. I don’t have much to say about it right now, but there is a twitter feed that will keep you abreast of developments. That’s where I found this USA Today article featuring Tina Fey and Sth Meyers on a picket line.

Shockingly Lucid

By , on January 17th, 2005%

In a review of Mark C. Taylor’s book Confidence Games, William Blaze writes:

Taylor is shockingly lucid for an academic writer, and clearly both and intelligent reader and gifted storyteller. All of which almost hides the severe lack of depth behind the vast facade constructed in Confidence Games.

I haven’t read the book, but I . . . → Read More: Shockingly Lucid

A Memorable Fancy