I started to read Mr. Mercedes on Monday. A very good book so far
What Are You Reading?
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I'm not certain if someone has post this before, if so forgive the double-ness . . .
Neil Gaiman's Advice To Those Who Just Can't Get Their Thoughts On Paper . . .
"Write the ideas down. If they are going to be stories, try and tell the stories you would like to read. Finish the things you start to write. Do it a lot and you will be a writer. The only way to do it is to do it.
I’m just kidding. There are much easier ways of doing it. For example: On the top of a distant mountain there grows a tree with silver leaves. Once every year, at dawn on April 30th, this tree blossoms, with five flowers, and over the next hour each blossom becomes a berry, first a green berry, then black, then golden.
At the moment the five berries become golden, five white crows, who have been waiting on the mountain, and which you will have mistaken for snow, will swoop down on the tree, greedily stripping it of all its berries, and will fly off, laughing.
You must catch, with your bare hands, the smallest of the crows, and you must force it to give up the berry (the crows do not swallow the berries. They carry them far across the ocean, to an enchanter’s garden, to drop, one by one, into the mouth of his daughter, who will wake from her enchanted sleep only when a thousand such berries have been fed to her). When you have obtained the golden berry, you must place it under your tongue, and return directly to your home.
For the next week, you must speak to no-one, not even your loved ones or a highway patrol officer stopping you for speeding. Say nothing. Do not sleep. Let the berry sit beneath your tongue.
At midnight on the seventh day you must go to the highest place in your town (it is common to climb on roofs for this step) and, with the berry safely beneath your tongue, recite the whole of Fox in Socks. Do not let the berry slip from your tongue. Do not miss out any of the poem, or skip any of the bits of the Muddle Puddle Tweetle Poodle Beetle Noodle Bottle Paddle Battle.
Then, and only then, can you swallow the berry. You must return home as quickly as you can, for you have only half an hour at most before you fall into a deep sleep.
When you wake in the morning, you will be able to get your thoughts and ideas down onto the paper, and you will be a writer."
-Neil Gaiman
Neil Gaiman's Advice To Those Who Just Can't Get Their Thoughts On Paper . . .
"Write the ideas down. If they are going to be stories, try and tell the stories you would like to read. Finish the things you start to write. Do it a lot and you will be a writer. The only way to do it is to do it.
I’m just kidding. There are much easier ways of doing it. For example: On the top of a distant mountain there grows a tree with silver leaves. Once every year, at dawn on April 30th, this tree blossoms, with five flowers, and over the next hour each blossom becomes a berry, first a green berry, then black, then golden.
At the moment the five berries become golden, five white crows, who have been waiting on the mountain, and which you will have mistaken for snow, will swoop down on the tree, greedily stripping it of all its berries, and will fly off, laughing.
You must catch, with your bare hands, the smallest of the crows, and you must force it to give up the berry (the crows do not swallow the berries. They carry them far across the ocean, to an enchanter’s garden, to drop, one by one, into the mouth of his daughter, who will wake from her enchanted sleep only when a thousand such berries have been fed to her). When you have obtained the golden berry, you must place it under your tongue, and return directly to your home.
For the next week, you must speak to no-one, not even your loved ones or a highway patrol officer stopping you for speeding. Say nothing. Do not sleep. Let the berry sit beneath your tongue.
At midnight on the seventh day you must go to the highest place in your town (it is common to climb on roofs for this step) and, with the berry safely beneath your tongue, recite the whole of Fox in Socks. Do not let the berry slip from your tongue. Do not miss out any of the poem, or skip any of the bits of the Muddle Puddle Tweetle Poodle Beetle Noodle Bottle Paddle Battle.
Then, and only then, can you swallow the berry. You must return home as quickly as you can, for you have only half an hour at most before you fall into a deep sleep.
When you wake in the morning, you will be able to get your thoughts and ideas down onto the paper, and you will be a writer."
-Neil Gaiman
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A REAL writer, or a comic-scribbling goofball like Gaiman?
heh heh heh.
(Disclaimer: muskrat actually likes and admires much of Gaiman's work, so don't bother starting an argument with the idiot.)
Think I'll do it the Alan Moore way: dig up a recently deceased author and devour his brain. That oughtta do it.
Oh, and...
I now possess the Vintage Classics 2009 double edition of Frankenstein. It contains the two earliest versions of the novel--Mary's first draft, and the subsequent edition containing Percy's additions and editing. Yeah, I've had to change my pants a couple times already.
This is like Frankenstein Unplugged.
I now possess the Vintage Classics 2009 double edition of Frankenstein. It contains the two earliest versions of the novel--Mary's first draft, and the subsequent edition containing Percy's additions and editing. Yeah, I've had to change my pants a couple times already.
This is like Frankenstein Unplugged.
I am just gliding through Finders Keepers the writing is so smooth and the characters are really memorable. I could not believe when I took a break that I was half way through! I had these same feelings while reading Mr. Mercedes.
If someone is interested in a good witchnovel (and there is good witches and bad witches but which is which?) i can recommend The Engelsfors-trilogy by Mats Strandberg and Sara Elfgren. It is about a bunch of schoolgirls in a little town in sweden that learns that they are witches with a talent selected to help save their community from a bad thing. Seems pretty lame but is actually very well carried out. Since the main characters all are teenagers i guess it should be classified as YA but i think it rises well above that. The novels are called, in order, The Circle, Fire and the last one The Key. They can actually be recommended. I don't know high the recognition factor would be in other countries but the school settings are welldone with all that goes in, tendencies to mobbing and all the rest that can and will happen in a school and with the children.
Only 117 pages into End of Watch but just got the box with the next Game of Thrones books so want to get it finished before digging into them. Don't mind me if I take a moderating break for a couple hours. Reading a Stephen King book on the job isn't shirking my responsibilities, right? 
Why, reading the boss's words on the job is your primary duty, I would think. Almost to the end of the third book, eh? Here comes theOnly 117 pages into End of Watch but just got the box with the next Game of Thrones books so want to get it finished before digging into them. Don't mind me if I take a moderating break for a couple hours. Reading a Stephen King book on the job isn't shirking my responsibilities, right?
. Was I in the wrong place at the wrong time and miss the date of its release?I like your reasoning! This is second draft so still 2016 at least before pub date.Why, reading the boss's words on the job is your primary duty, I would think. Almost to the end of the third book, eh? Here comes the
I love this so, so much. He's one of my favorite authors ever, both his fiction and his non-fiction essays. Have you read his Make Good Art? It's a transcription of a speech he gave at a commencement (I think) a couple of years ago. Fabulous book--he even gives a shout out to our gracious host, saying that Mr. King had some important, encouraging things to say to him (Gaiman) at a low point in his writing.
EDIT: I found the transcript online. I remembered what he said about Mr. King incorrectly (but the actual story is even better--lol) Neil Gaiman: Keynote Address 2012 | The University of the Arts
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Awesome commencement speech, actually gave the grads some things to think about. Thanks for including this!
Thanks for that speech. Interesting. Actually i have a confession to make.... I only read one by Gaiman and it didn't stuck. I might have started at the wrong place because everybody seems to be throwing praises of all colours over him. Where actually is a good startingpoint with him?
I posted the video somewhere on here. It is great.
I finished Finders Keepers. I think I love Holly!
I'm rereading Mr. Mercedes for the discussion group and finally started Finders Keepers yesterday. Should be interesting to read these together!
I'm still on Finders too--my reading time has been seriously compromised by other (far less enjoyable) things. I'm on page 205.
Finished Finders Keepers a few moments ago, I read it slowly and savored it for as long as I could.
Yes, Mr. King, this Constant Reader is still having fun!
'Hodges wonders again if Al is starting to lose the plot.'
Yes, Mr. King, this Constant Reader is still having fun!
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