i finally learned how to read 2

The Wire is the greatest novel I've ever read, except it's a TV show. This recommendation may be indicative of my diminutive literary acumen, I'm aware of this, but I've never quite experienced a protracted sprawling epic of a story that held my interest before. Remember I like reading comics (not that there's anything wrong with that, and there are exceptions in the medium e.g. Watchmen). The Wire has multiple characters, multiple story threads that tie together, moral ambiguity, hyper realism, corrupt officials, sympathetic villains, and by the end of it all, it feels like it was worth the time that it took to watch it (that's a lot of it's). It gave me that greedy feeling where you can't stop watching, but where you hope it never ends*. After the final episode was finished, I reluctantly ejected the DVD. I was sad it was over, but happy that I'd experienced a masterpiece. The Wire is the greatest TV series of all time. The internet would have you believe that this assessment is based on my being white, but don't let my pigmentation fool you, I'm only 4/7's white (depending how many generations you go back). No, I think I like The Wire because it's good.

me being white

Stephen King, prolific hack or evil genius depending on who you listen to, once said something to the effect of (warning I have about as a reliable a memory as most people): how can you expect some one to be moved by what you've written if you've never had that feeling yourself. Well, now I've had that feeling. Sort of. The proof is in pudding as they say, but what if you want cake? I think you see where I'm going with this. Eat it too. I opened a book not long after the completion of my fondly remembered greatest TV show ever, and it was also good (it's the Atonement by Ian McEwan, almost finished).

Wow, could it be The Wire was my sitting under a bodhi tree while on the road to Damascus moment? I've gone to church for 30 years and never had a revelation like this before. My brain has been totally re-wired (ha). The secret I think, as corny as it sounds, is that I now care about fictional characters as if they were real people. A sign that my deep and abiding misanthropy (perhaps a residual relic of my aforementioned 30 years of piety) is fading. This can only bode well for humanity at large. Do you know what this means? I can read. Watch out when I start writing.

*some one else made up the greedy feeling quote, but I can't remember who

Creativity On Demand

“Imagination is more important than knowledge. For while knowledge defines all we currently know and understand, imagination points to all we might yet discover and create.” -Albert Einstein

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.”

-Aristotle

If you suffer from an impoverished imagination, you are not alone. Like stockbrokers, our knowledge of the world tells us where we are now and where we have been; while like soothsayers, prophets and other visionaries, our imagination points toward what isn’t, yet what might be. It is more comfortable to operate in the tacit world of facts rather than the uncharted realm of imagination. After all, ‘write what you know’ is rule number one. However, unless we desire to become journalists or autobiographers (noble pursuits though they may be), to write fiction we need to take something that is known and transform it into something that is not. Our thinking needs to shift to a setting of uncertainty in order to explore all the possibilities.

The unknown is a scary place, because it’s not always clear what we should do with it. Some have suggested that you write tenaciously, unapologetically about your visit. This advice is not without merit. When you diverge from what is, there will inevitably be a moment of hesitation. The instant where creativity is invoked requires a different mindset from standard ways of thinking. The transition can be daunting. If we indulge this moment too long without pushing through, writers block, the Internal Voice of Doom, and other similar maladies await to divert us from our course. Bertrand Russell suggested that we need “to teach to live without certainty and yet without being paralyzed by hesitation.” He was talking about philosophy, but his advice applies equally well to writing.

Steven Pressfield (author of “The Legend of Bagger Vance”) begins his writing sessions with a prayer to the goddess Posey. Dan Brown reputedly suspends himself upside down to stimulate thinking. Twyla Tharp, in her book “The Creative Habit,” says that we should develop our own personal patterns that precede our creative efforts to signal to the mind and body that a project which requires imagination is under way. Sports stars are notorious for reverting to suppositious practices when preparing to perform at peak levels. Michael Jordan always wore his tar heel shorts when playing and ate practically the same meal before every game. Is it possible that routinizing a personally designed ritual before writing can help us overcome the hesitancy associated with uncertainty and consequently help us reach the right state of mind to write well? That by using the same pattern we can create different results (or rather, stories)? I don’t know the answers — that’s why I ask the questions, but anecdotal evidence considered, it seems like it’s worth a try.

Note: Much of this post was inspired by the seventh essay in David Jauss’ amazing book, “Alone With All That Could Happen.”

This post first appeared ages ago on The Official Site of Cesar Torres

Write Here, Write Now

It's time to fire up the Delorean, 'cause we takin' a trip back to the old school. This post first appeared on cesartorres.net. I love and loathe writing. It's a writer's life for me, so let's talk about it shall we...

“You lack discipline!” -- Arnie in Kindergarten Cop

Worms, and other distinguished creatures of the earth, welcome to the first day of the rest of your lives. That’s what you tell yourself every time you wake up. Yesterday’s gone for good, another day begins. What do you do? Whatever you want. Our existence rests on a delicate balance of external conditions, but once our most basic needs are met we always seem to want more. We’re human after all.

With our outer needs fulfilled our inner lives begin to take on our primary focus. As a general rule we’re all searching for the same thing: happiness and fulfilment, but failing those we’ll often settle for immediate pleasure or chronic numbness. Hedonism is enjoyable for a time, apathy gets old real fast, each lead to unsatisfying ends (feel free to disagree). Balancing present day happiness with the promise of achieving future worthwhile goals is a noble pursuit and a demanding challenge.

Did I wake up today and somehow convince myself that I’m Tony Robbins? No. What does any of this have to do with writing? Everything.

Creativity is a non-destructive outlet for achieving a meaning driven life. It’s not the only path available on the way to (may I be so bold) enlightenment, but is at least as good as any other. In the coming weeks I will hopefully skip joyfully, but more likely trudge arduously, down this road less traveled taking in the sights and sounds with the intent of understanding the big questions: why do people create, how do they create, what should I create? Writing will be the major focus as it is the topic of interest here, but the answers will be applicable to any creative endeavor (your insights are appreciated).

A final word of warning… “Writing is easy: All you do is sit staring at a blank sheet of paper until drops of blood form on your forehead” (Gene Fowler). This sentiment is typical of most writers — there are of course exceptions, people who breathe through their keyboards — but for most mortals, writing is hard work. How does that balance up with finding happiness? Sometimes you need to postpone a little joy now for a big payoff in the future. Like they say there’s no free lunch. Only you can decide if the journey will be worth it.To achieve anything of value though, discipline is the key, if you’re lacking, now would be a good time to invest. After all that, all that’s left is to take the plunge. See you on the way down.

Loren was born (and still resides) in New Zealand, where he grew up on a steady diet of TV and comic books. After years of consuming pop culture, he one day awoke from uneasy dreams and found that he had been transformed into a (wannabe) pop culture creator. His metamorphosis continues at [the site you're on now] .

why do I keep writing crap

"All of us learn to write in the second grade. Most of us go on to greater things."
-- Bobby Knight

My name is Loren Hopkins and I've been writing semi-consistently for almost one year. It's time to take a fearless moral inventory of my condition.  What is best in life? To destroy your enemies, drive them before you and hear the lamentations of the women, keeps you satisfied for only so long. I feel like I need something else. 

Spread across this tiny portion of cyber space are the esoteric branches of my thought. A tangle of broken links, dead blogs and erratic updates, yet still I persist. The Zero Readers look on and nod reassuringly, although I'm certain that they're only humouring me. Never encourage an awoken giant. 

Aristotle decided long ago that the core desire of every man and woman is happiness. Fine. Who am I to argue. I'll take your happiness and raise you one billion dollars. Just a thought experiment. I see your chips are still on the table. Happiness wins again. Damn you Aristotle.

Why writing? For nothing more or less than it's own sake. Exorcise my best-selling-author desires, the decadent hunger for sycophantic groupies. Sure, I'll accept them gladly when the time comes, but they are not the reason. The simple zen-like joy of directing my attention to a chosen point, my point is. Let the flow begin...er continue. Autotelic it is or I am.

I will not progress beyond the basic educational grasp of a child. I can live with this. I will wade through unexplored marshes untill I discover the tacit secrets of my field. I will write my happiness one word at a time if it kills me. Thank you. Thank you very much.