For some reason, the concept of the portal has been on my mind lately. It could be the hypotrochoid set I bought at a thrift store recently, but it was also likely brought on by this interview with Jennifer Egan, in which she says, “reading is always about finding a portal into another world.” InContinue reading “portals to other places”
Category Archives: writing
inflection points
I’ve had a variety of creative pursuits: writing, drawing, music, photography. I’ve dabbled in a lot. But very few creative endeavors were much more than hobbies. It seems there’s always a roadblock when pursuing something creative, that hump that require practice to overcome. It’s the obstacle that separates the amateurs from the professionals. If you’reContinue reading “inflection points”
diving deep
Normally as I read a book, I’m thinking about how it works. I ask myself what the sentences are doing, what’s happening with the characters, how is the storyteller drawing me into the story and what are they trying to convey. I think it’s asking these questions that prevents me being fully immersed in aContinue reading “diving deep”
an itch you can’t scratch
I’ve done a lot of growing in the last year. So much so, my life doesn’t seem to fit quite like it used to. I’m sure you know the feeling: that sensation of having an itch you can’t quite scratch everywhere at once, like a snake shedding its skin. As I was talking with myContinue reading “an itch you can’t scratch”
bad ideas
Ideas are easy, but letting go of them isn’t necessarily. You have have bad ideas, but more importantly, you have to let those bad ideas go. I spent eight years trying to write book once, only to realize I knew nothing about writing a book. I scrapped the idea and started over. The next bookContinue reading “bad ideas”
walk your way into an idea
Some of my most important creative realizations have occurred while out for a walk. In college, walking around campus, often with a good record or a solid mixtape loaded on my iPod, helped ease my mind. Not only did it offer some physical exercise, it also provided a bit of exercise for the mind. IContinue reading “walk your way into an idea”
life as a two-headed monster
Almost ten years ago now, I had the chance to meet Alan Zweibel, one of the original writers for Saturday Night Live. In a freeform Q&A with a circle of students, he talked about writing for television and his creative process. The thing that always stuck with me was his description writers as two-headed monsters.Continue reading “life as a two-headed monster”
nothing personal
My roommate and I have talked at length about how you can’t make your art personal. “Personalize it,” he’ll always say. “But never make it personal.” He’s 100% right, but as an artist, sometime it’s difficult to be honest with yourself. I recently scrapped an idea for a novel that was based on my experiencesContinue reading “nothing personal”
seven questions no one asked me
Once again taking a page from Austin Kleon’s book, I really enjoyed reading and responding to this New York Times article, in which 75 artists were asked about how they spent the last year. Here are my own responses (even though no one asked me): 1. What’s one thing you made this year? I spentContinue reading “seven questions no one asked me”
looking for the launchpad
In an interview with Marc Maron, Matthew McConaughey described looking for “a launchpad line” to access a character: That line is not an attitude. It’s a part of his constitution. It’s an encyclopedia on that guy and that belief. It’s like The Wolf of Wall Street. The way I was able to riff on thatContinue reading “looking for the launchpad”
joshua chamberlain 