January 19th, 2010 / 3:20 pm
Snippets
Snippets
Blake Butler—
For god’s sake, “thought to myself” is a redundancy. Can that stop? In terms of personal irritation, it’s just as bad, if in an opposite way, as saying, “Want to come with?”
Talking is just Mad Libs, Blake. Redundancies are beside the point.
But I understand your post. Sometimes when I am riding my bike to work, I get mad at the wind for slowing me down.
Talking is just Mad Libs, Blake. Redundancies are beside the point.
But I understand your post. Sometimes when I am riding my bike to work, I get mad at the wind for slowing me down.
I was just thinking about that to my friend the other day!
I was just thinking about that to my friend the other day!
ha ha. & where were you at?
ha ha. & where were you at?
u stoopid
The best part of having friends is doing some sweet-ass thinking to each other.
u stoopid
The best part of having friends is doing some sweet-ass thinking to each other.
filtering
a great lesson on line editing
the sky above
with my eyes I see
on and on…
John Gardner in The Art of Fiction calls this “The failure to run straight at the image.” Amateur writers, he says, often engage in “needless filtering of the image through some observing consciousness. The amateur writes: ‘Turning, she noticed two snakes fighting in among the rocks.’ Compare: ‘She turned. In among the rocks, two snakes were fighting.’
filtering
a great lesson on line editing
the sky above
with my eyes I see
on and on…
John Gardner in The Art of Fiction calls this “The failure to run straight at the image.” Amateur writers, he says, often engage in “needless filtering of the image through some observing consciousness. The amateur writes: ‘Turning, she noticed two snakes fighting in among the rocks.’ Compare: ‘She turned. In among the rocks, two snakes were fighting.’
on a glowing log above the cat people’s homes with our USB ponytails intertwining in the Pandoran wind
on a glowing log above the cat people’s homes with our USB ponytails intertwining in the Pandoran wind
Perhaps the snakes were two twins?
Perhaps the snakes were two twins?
i used to try to be concious of that kind fo stuff but now it’s been so long since i bothered that when i think of to think about it i wonder if what i say and write isn’t full of it.
i used to try to be concious of that kind fo stuff but now it’s been so long since i bothered that when i think of to think about it i wonder if what i say and write isn’t full of it.
“Needless to say” has always rubbed me.
“Needless to say” has always rubbed me.
There’s a distinction to be made between reflexive constructions like “thought to myself” and true redundancy.
“Come with” sounds charming to my ear, perhaps because it’s not a common expression where I am.
There’s a distinction to be made between reflexive constructions like “thought to myself” and true redundancy.
“Come with” sounds charming to my ear, perhaps because it’s not a common expression where I am.
Blake Butler, you’re the angriest man in America.
Blake Butler, you’re the angriest man in America.
I used to write “Of course” all the time at the beginning of sentences. Which meant, OF COURSE, that I was writing something completely obvious and should just cut the whole damn thing.
I used to write “Of course” all the time at the beginning of sentences. Which meant, OF COURSE, that I was writing something completely obvious and should just cut the whole damn thing.
Wind sucks.
Wind sucks.
But it’s not always obvious that something is obvious.
But it’s not always obvious that something is obvious.
And in contexts where the reader might assume the thought in question was shared with others, “thought to myself” makes clear that it was not.
And in contexts where the reader might assume the thought in question was shared with others, “thought to myself” makes clear that it was not.
nah b.
nah b.
lincoln, thats the second or third time ive noticed you make an Avatar reference. either you really love that film or you hate it just enough to clown it all the time.
lincoln, thats the second or third time ive noticed you make an Avatar reference. either you really love that film or you hate it just enough to clown it all the time.
Of course, sometimes that’s useful if you’re trying to replicate the warm, approachable, and slightly idiotic cadences of real speech.
Of course, sometimes that’s useful if you’re trying to replicate the warm, approachable, and slightly idiotic cadences of real speech.
It’s lovely in a German sort of way: “Kommst du mit?”
It’s lovely in a German sort of way: “Kommst du mit?”
I must respectfully disagree with Mr. Gardner.
I must respectfully disagree with Mr. Gardner.
Yeah, I think this is one of Gardner’s shakiest bits of advice.
Yeah, I think this is one of Gardner’s shakiest bits of advice.