I hate thinking or talking about the business side of writing, but Jason Rice just sent me this link to a conversation in which Jonathan Evison and Jason Rice are sussing out the Getting An Agent And Making A Living Problem. That’s all I am going to say about that.

PS: People in the Broolyn region should come to an art opening tonight at Melville House. Jim Osman has some really interesting wall sculptures up and we’re going to have wine and snacks and look at them.

what are your editing methods. and how many times do you usually edit something. is it better to edit something when you are angry. do you ever print shit up really small and then look at it. have you ever printed up something then sat int the woods with it. how do you know you are not ruining something. does anyone else like champagne mango as much as this kid does. (“this kid” is me). have you ever looked back on an earlier version and been like, “hell naw, this was better.” do you ever just add more sentences by looking at random words that have occurred in the piece and then rearranging them. does editing prove that there is no standard english. can anyone but the writer edit a piece of writing. how do you get the diamond sword in zelda. and how many people will feel this post is dumb and then try to compensate for their own low self esteem by demeaning it or those who comment on it. questions.

Writing about jobs is difficult to do well. I wonder if people think that since their employment is something they aren’t passionate about (“just payin’ the bills”), it’s more acceptable to ramble on about it in an unmediated voice which they might not otherwise write in? Like, when you’re writing about something that everyone automatically understands — devoting half our lives to some company we hate, say — it’s easier to take artistry for granted.

I don’t know what I’m saying but I feel like if I keep saying it, I’ll start to make sense. Writing about writing about jobs is difficult to do well.

Anyway, if you think you got the knack, old boy Josh Maday and Jeff VandeZande are putting together an anthology of the stuff for Bottom Dog Press. “In short, [they] want modern stories about people and their work.” The nice thing is that acceptance pays $50 — so work hard for the money.

And, btw, what’s the greatest work story ever told? Below the fold I’ve listed some good ones. READ MORE >