Monthly Archives: July 2012
Outdated Writing Advice: Geoffrey de Vinsauf on Beginnings
Geoffrey de Vinsauf was a fan of plotting. He begins his Poetria Nova with a famous analogy between architecture and poetry: Just as the architect envisions the whole building before the first foundation stone is laid, he says, so the poet must spend time contemplating the shape of the finished poem before writing its first […]
It’s Not Writer’s Block
I was setting down my bag and my drink at one corner of a large communal table in a Dark Horse espresso bar. A man of about my father’s age came over and asked me for help logging into the free wi-fi. We compared settings on our iPhones (I know, this story is ridiculous—please bear […]
Lace Knitting, Thorns, and Creative Callings
I’m working on a lace knitting project. It’s large and complicated, but not especially difficult; to understand the distinction, if you’re not a knitter, think of a recipe that involves a large number of ingredients, takes a long time to prepare, but doesn’t require any great technical feats of knife work or pastry handling. It’s […]