Act of Faith

“Stories are always really, really hard to write. I think it’s totally rational for a writer, no matter how much experience he has, to go right down in confidence to almost zero when you sit down to start something. Why not? Your last piece is never going to write your next one for you.” 

—John McPhee, writer, “John McPhee, The Art of Nonfiction No. 3,” The Paris Review, Spring 2010.

• Editorial Comment: I came across this on deadline last weekend, and was comforted: Sometimes it’s like stepping off a cliff in the dark with your eyes closed. And I’m no McFrigginPhee.

PeezPix

Keep Busy, Honey

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Ted Pease, Professor of Interesting Stuff, Trinidad, California. (Be)Friend The WORD

“I don’t think writers are sacred, but words are. They deserve respect. If you get the right ones, in the right order, you can nudge the world a little.” —Tom Stoppard