MarkFord.net
The open-for-inspection half-way home for my writing…
Suzanne and I recently bought a treasure trove of Central American works for my collection from the Museum of Latin American Art in Los Angeles. Here’s one I particularly like, a large piece called El Cadejo Negro by the great Panamanian modernist Guillermo Trujillo.
“Sometimes people ask me why I began perestroika. Were the causes basically domestic or foreign? The domestic reasons were undoubtedly the main ones, but the danger of nuclear war was so serious that it was a no less significant factor.” – Mikhail Gorbachev
A cadre (KAH-dree) – from the Latin for “four” – is a small group of people that have some kind of unifying relationship. Example from an article in The Guardian: “Just another member of the insular elitist cadre of closed-minded short people. All fun and games until he needs something from the top shelf.”
Re my Mar. 9 essay “Becoming a Writer… in Spite of Myself”:
“Thank you for such an honest and candid essay about achieving a childhood dream. It is refreshing to hear a personal anecdote that rings true!” – BP
Re my Mar. 7 essay on Group Decision-Making:
“Thanks Mark. The Decision-Making article defines you perfectly. It also defines an executive I’ve been working with at my biz. Some of your articles I keep. This is one of them.” – MF
Re my Goal-Setting System:
Several readers wrote in to ask if I still use the same system. If you remember, I begin with yearly goals, which I convert to monthly goals and then to weekly objectives and daily task lists.
The short answer: I do… but with some refinements. I’ll explain in an essay I’m working on for next week.
Here’s a test you might get if you were applying for US citizenship. I got three wrong. Does that mean I would fail?
After watching a string of “serious” movies, K and I thought we’d change it up and see something fun and frivolous. We booked two “extreme luxury” seats for an afternoon showing of Batman. The seats were extremely luxurious. The two of us represented half of the audience for that performance. And the movie was unmitigated torture – bad in every possible way for nearly three hours.
The following evening, still suffering from Batman-induced PTSD, I found Kill Your Darlings, which turned out to be the perfect antidote.
Kill Your Darlings
Release date: Oct. 16, 2013
Directed by John Krokidas
Starring Daniel Radcliffe, Dane DeHann, Elizabeth Olsen, Jack Huston, Michael C. Hall, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Ben Foster
Available on several streaming services, including Netflix and Amazon Prime
The title caught my attention. It’s a common catchphrase used by editors. (See “Interesting,” below.) I’ve used it many times myself. The description told me that it was about three of my favorite literary personalities: Allen Ginsberg, William Burroughs, and Jack Kerouac.
The Story
In 1944, young Allen Ginsberg (Daniel Radcliffe) has a rival for the affections of his charismatic classmate Lucien Carr (Dane DeHaan). When the rival is found dead, Carr, Burroughs, and Kerouac are arrested for murder.
What I Liked About It
* As I said, it was about Allen Ginsberg, William Burroughs, and Jack Kerouac.
* The story itself is fascinating. It made me do some research to learn more.
* Compelling performances by all four principal actors.
But… there are purportedly a number of inaccuracies in the depiction of the actual events. I read a bit about them. They didn’t bother me.
This is not a big movie. It’s not a film that will change your life. Its ambition is modest. Its scope is limited. It’s a small package that works.
Critical Reception
* “Krokidas’s romantic sense of the characters and the moment corresponds precisely to the way those young men saw themselves – at once closeted and defiant, making up the rules of art and sexuality as they went along.” (Amy Tobin, Film Comment Magazine)
* “Sexy and self-aware, with a 1940s-style Brat Pack feel.” (David Aldridge, Radio Times)
* “Foster is wonderful as the watchful, weak Burroughs, at ease only when drugged, with a mouth like a cat’s bum. But DeHaan is even better.” (Charlotte O’Sullivan, London Evening Standard)
You can watch the trailer here.
Interesting
“Kill your darlings” is a popular piece of writing advice that is often attributed to William Faulkner, but can actually be traced back to the English writer Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch (1863-1944). It means that you have to get rid of all the unnecessary elements (words, side plots, characters, etc.) – no matter how hard you worked to “create” them – that get in the way of your story.
10 Very Good Books on Writing
On Monday, I answered a question asked by the son of a friend. He wanted to know what books he should read to improve his skills as a writer.
Three titles came to mind immediately: The Elements of Style by Strunk and White, On Writing by Stephen King, and On Writing Well by William Zinsser.
I thought I’d extend that list today. So, here are 10 of the best books I’ve read about writing.
1.- The Elements of Style
By William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White
It is short. It is simple. And it is also the undisputed champion of how-to-write books. It lays out the must-know rules of grammar and usage and sets the standard for prose style. I can’t even remember how many times I’ve read it or recommended it.
2.- On Writing Well
By William Zinsser
There is a reason this was one of my top three: It is just so clear and straightforward and common-sensical. Zinsser has a talent for getting to the heart of any matter he deals with. And he does that here so helpfully for beginning writers. He touches on all the most common mistakes new writers makes and provides ways to avoid them.
3.-On Writing
By Stephen King
Stephen King is known as a master of the American thriller, but he’s also a very good writer of literary fiction and essays. This book has two parts: The first is about his childhood attempts at writing. And it’s good fun. The second provides insights and advice on the technical aspects of writing – developing plot and characters and facing the blank page.
4.-Writing Tools: 50 Essential Strategies for Every Writer
By Roy Peter Clark
Like Elements of Style, Writing Tools is treasure trove of good ideas and practical tips on becoming a better writer, packed tightly into a single, slim, readable volume.
5.- The War of Art
By Steven Pressfield
“Being a writer, to Pressfield, is no more glamorous than being a plumber. A professional shows up every day and ‘fixes a toilet.’ I doubt any book has had a more positive influence on my writing life than this one.” – Donald Miller
6.- The Writing Life
By Annie Dillard
The core message here is “Kill your darlings” – i.e., don’t fall in love with your words. Be tough. Even brutal. Writing well is a great deal about cutting away everything that is unnecessary.
7.-Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life
By Anne Lamott
Lots of helpful hints mixed in with engaging little stories and inspiring advice about how to push through the hesitations and setbacks and build your masterpiece, bird by bird.
8.-Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within
By Natalie Goldberg
Solid advice and smart strategies for non-fiction writers, including how to start brainstorming, the importance of learning how to listen, the vital role verbs play in writing, and even how to find an inspiring place to write. No matter the stage you’re at with writing, this inspiring read will give you the encouragement you need to keep going.
9.- Zen in the Art of Writing
By Ray Bradbury
A collection of essays about writing written by a very good and accomplished writer.
10.- The Mother Tongue: English & How It Got That Way
By Bill Bryson
Whatever the subject, I’ve never read a book by Bill Bryson that didn’t delight, amuse, and inform me. This is no exception.
And here’s one more – a book I haven’t read yet…
The Sense of Style
By Steven Pinker
Steven Pinker offers a new take on some of the classic writing manuals. In The Sense of Style, he analyzes examples of modern prose, pointing out fantastic writing styles from those he considers awful. To help you improve, Pinker also provides tips to spruce up lackluster work.
“Prose is architecture, not interior design.” – Ernest Hemingway
To indite is to write, especially a literary or artistic work. As used in “Marginalia,” an essay by Edgar Allan Poe: “It is certain that the mere act of inditing tends, in a great degree, to the logicalisation of thought. Whenever, on account of its vagueness, I am dissatisfied with a conception of the brain, I resort forthwith to the pen, for the purpose of obtaining, through its aid, the necessary form, consequence, and precision.”