Quick Thoughts

Maybe just a reminder, but I was reading an older novel, set in an epistolary format, like, as a series of letters, and each was a recommendation from an English Professor who was also a tenured creative writing “teacher,” so the story itself is wrapped up in the recommendations, and the word play therein. Heady stuff, looks to be a fun one, I’ll follow up with more. Part of a series? Thurber Award winner? But first, what I realized more than anything, the teachers, the professors, the ones I met in academic pursuits? All they wanted was a perfect paper. Less about cohesion, and more about just making sure it was coherent, well-typed, and the way it should be. One story, I was recycling a story that had already been picked up for small press publication, but I submitted the story in a writing class, teacher, professor, loved it. No comments, let it stand on its own. A complete piece. Correct length, and most important? All worked the way it was supposed to. Even more important, that was a corrected proof manuscript I turned in. Just good enough. I miss having a decent copy editor. (Best one was Virgo).

Quick Thoughts

I got to guest for one night as part of the local ‘intro to astrology’ workshop. As I’ve often lamented, the material lends itself better to this format. As a notion, though, with the effects of Mercury in Retrograde still present? As a learning style? How this works: in the coming weeks, months, year ahead? There’s that flash, “Oh yeah, let me look that up, Mars in Leo …” It was an “A-ha” moment, a tiny epiphany as I realized how it works when onboarding new material during this last Mercury Retrograde.

Creation Lake

“Short-listed for a Booker prize!” Ho hum. I’ve had mixed results with that sales pitch, “short-listed for the Booker,” as some have been too tedious for me. But this one, I was already in line at the library, so the novel’s relative merit a finalist was of little interest to me. Supposedly, as freelance secret agent infiltrates a modern-day French eco-activist group. Hijinks, love, loss, remembrances, and recollections. Dryly funny.

Creation Lake

But enough, onto fate

“…the thing a person tells himself about fate, about how everything had seemed fated, when the only evidence of this fate is how things went.” Page 42.

A sure, deft voice.

“Pascal said the Cagot was both real and a kind of myth, but that when people believe a myth, that, too, is real. It is a real belief.” Page 171.

With a sidelong look at current events?

It had been designed as a visual warning that could be understood in any language, but in French read “DANGER: it is prohibited to climb on logs.” Page 336.

Double duty, added to the fineprint. Really interesting, in a gripping manner, interesting story.

Creation Lake