Siren, John William Waterhouse
I recall again the quite uplifted sense with which my idea, such as it was, permitted me at last to put quite out to sea…. Yet it must even then have begun for me, too, the ache of fear, that was to become so familiar, of being unduly tempted and led on by ‘developments’ (The Art of the Novel, p. 4, Henry James quoted in Thirteen Ways of Looking at the Novel, Jane Smiley.)
One of the pleasures of this journal is the comments from online friends who are writers. “Litter mates” as my friend Patricia says. There are eight million ways to write, at least, no rules about it, and all kinds of ways to twist yourself into a pretzel. Even Henry James, whose books I enjoy, fretted. Thank you, Devon, Wynn, Adrian, Gabriele for your thoughtful opinions.
I’m having surgery this week, and work is extremely busy, and the commute frays my patience, but A Lamentation of Swans leads the way through my days with its wild temptations and its ‘developments’.
devonellington said,
January 17, 2007 at 7:35
Best wishes on your surgery. Good time in the moon cycle to have it — close to dark/new moon.
Hey, you changed your font! When I tried that, it was a disaster!
Thinking of you.
Melinda Jane Harrison said,
January 17, 2007 at 8:40
I hope your surgery goes well. I love the new blog and I loved Jane Smiley’s book, 13 Ways of Looking at the Novel. It’s been inspiring.
Feeling better. Hugs.
wynn said,
January 19, 2007 at 12:22
Good luck on your surgery. keep on writing! I’m busy researching travel article markets but I think I have enough for a start. Discouraging part is, more than half of them don’t pay a coin!