Comments on: Shogi no Boo Kitty or Schrödinger's Cat Is a Literary Time Sink

By: editor

editor — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 17:44:24 +0000

@isle I wonder sometimes if I am onto something with the writing without writing, but that seems a bit like the question of Schroedinger’s cat… Can I actually observe that I am writing without writing?

In any case, I’m also of the opinion that the cat is alive, but then I believe that good is the default state of the universe.

If you want to read something from the archives, you might want to check out Ode to Small Machines. It’s about writing in small places (like comment boxes).

http://www.hownottowrite.com/writing-machines/ode-to-small-machines/

By: isle

isle — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 13:17:01 +0000

Argh. Hate not being able to edit posts. too many commas, and a missing word. Comment boxes make poor literary vehicles.

By: isle

isle — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 13:13:33 +0000

Fantastic post. I read this last week, and didn’t feel I had the time to truly do it justice in my comment, then I realised that not commenting was doing it no justice at all.

The ending made me go back, with the new information, and reread the whole post with that knowledge in mind, and a new perception awoke, as the subconciously confusing bits were filtered out. You duct taped that second slit/opened another mental till.

Kept you from writing this morning? This seems to be a recurring mention in the couple of your recent posts, not sure if it runs back further, I shall find out.

I consider this to be writing. If this is a procrastination tool designed to put off what you consider larger and more important writing tasks, then I say, more power to it.

This cat isn’t dead. (can’t prove it, but I know it)

Simplicity is underrated.

By: editor

editor — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 11:54:43 +0000

Thanks, Karen. Finding the essential is critical.

At the moment, I’m reading Garr Reynolds’ Presentation Zen. The book is about creating meaningful and powerful presentations, but I think writers would benefit from the Garr’s lessons about the power of simplicity. (might just write a post about this one)

http://www.presentationzen.com/

By: Karen Swim

Karen Swim — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 03:23:33 +0000

This was an extremely well written, thought provoking post. As I pondered the concept, it occurred to me that in life we scrub out non-essential (at least from our own perspective) on a subconscious level all the time. Each moment of our lives are filled with a myriad of detail which if taken in and “read” would dizzy us with its tapestry. We scrub for simplicity. The challenge of the writer is to notice, inhale and infuse our writing with essentials, or at least the essentials that add richness to the story.

By: editor

editor — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 04:55:14 +0000

Thanks, Erik. Glad to be part of your conversation, if only in an existential sort of way.

By: Erik

Erik — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 01:30:29 +0000

Wow, I can’t help but notice correlations between this and a 3 fold distinction in Lit (the meaning, delivery of meaning, and the extra bits) I’ve been expounding in an E-mail correspondence with a writing group I belong to. It’s kinda ironic and is one of those times that makes me believe in fate.