Category: General

Rick Moody on Writing Programs

In the fiction issue of The Atlantic (the issue that Rachel Donadio at The New York Times said was “ghettoizing” fiction), Rick Moody discusses his long history in writing workshops and he talks about what helped him and what didn’t. It’s an interesting article, well-argued, and measured in its criticisms of writing programs. It stands…

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Methadone for Mt. Dew?

Anyone know of some treatment plan for kicking Mt. Dew addiction? On Wednesday, I drank 9 cans of the shit. It’s not the caffeine that affects me, but geez, that’s 1,530 calories just in nuclear green colored liquid. I’m going to start losing all my jobs as a Men’s Health cover model if this keeps…

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Seems Athletes Aren’t the Only Ones Using this Excuse

In Baltimore, Rafael Palmeiro, who pointed his finger at Congress and swore, under oath, “”I have never intentionally used steroids. Never. Ever. Period,” was caught actually using one of the most potent steroids available. After caught and suspended by Major League Baseball, he tried to amend his statement to Congress. Now, he says “I did…

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Can We Please Outlaw Mirror Descriptions of Characters?

I’m utterly amazed how this can actually be used by a professional writer, in a professional magazine. This is something that we all have done, so don’t act like you didn’t, but usually we outgrow this after the first few stories. So I’m just shocked to see it in an otherwise decent story I read…

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Adventures in the Postal Wilderness

When you work a certain profession, you become acquainted with, and get to know, a lot of other industries. Policemen spend a great deal of time with paramedics, lawyers, and firemen. If you work in advertising, you probably meet plenty of graphic designers, printing companies, and artists. Farmers know the feedman, the blacksmith, and the…

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