Florida • Dec 28, ’08
book: the beautyful ones are not yet born by ayi kwei armah
Yes, that is how beautiful is spelled in the title of this work. I just started reading it. So far it is pretty amusing. Armah is an excellent writer who succinctly and with clarity tells a good story. Ensconced within are truths from the real world. They are hard to ignore.
I trust this will be just as engrossing as Two Thousand Seasons.
book follow up: survivor by octavia butler
just finished reading octavia butler’s survivor (1978). although this book has some good ideas, it is one of the first books i’ve read of hers that i wasn’t overly impressed with. this is tough to write coming from a huge butler fan. but i write it off as it being her early years. she was 31 years old when it was published, and the third in her patternmaster series (a five part series), with the other two published in 1976 and 1977. she was clearly coming into her own at the time. as a hugo and nebula awards winner, she made her mark, showing that she truly had what it takes to create a great story. survivor may not be her greatest work, but it is fetching no less than $100 online these days. maybe someone lucky might find it for less, but that is the going price. and that might be because the book is no longer in print.
the publisher at the time didn’t seem to serve butler well, as there are numerous errors that any decent copy editor and/or proofreader should have picked up. i believe they played a huge role in that book not being at the standard she is probably accustomed to. every great writer needs a great editor. they are partners in the writing world and need each other like a fish needs water.
i wouldn’t deter anyone from reading survivor. but i’d advise that if you are new to octavia butler, do NOT let that be the first book you read. let it be the last!
eerie feeling
i get this eerie feeling that something is on the horizon. something we’ve never seen or felt before. it will be a thing that completely rocks our world and raises our awareness of what can happen, and what can exist.
i know i’m being vague, but i cannot give what i don’t have to give. i only know the feeling. it is coming and coming fast. my only hope is that we are all prepared for it…
writing: blogging in black blog
Sometimes I write for other blogs. It isn’t often, because I don’t usually have the time.
Leave some footprints if you are so inclined.
Blogging in Black Post – Musings of a Hand Writer
Why have some of us gone away from writing by hand? For me, there is something gratifying about allowing my hands to touch the paper. Through handwriting, I find I develop more patience. My thoughts are crisper and more well thought out. I have to really consider what I am going to write, lest the entire page be ruined, because deleting isn’t as easy as pressing a button.
I also feel that some of our spirit goes into putting pen to paper. And when the reader gets something handwritten, there is a transference of energy that is felt, although not physically detectable.
I can only imagine what it must have been like many moons ago to write an entire novel by hand. So many of us take for granted how much writers really love writing. Would we love it as much if we had to hand write a 300 page novel? Would we have the staying power and the will power to get through it? Or would we fall back on what’s easy, because the love of writing isn’t so strong that we would desire to spend so much time on it? Or would we excuse the possibility of testing our love for writing by saying, what’s the point? If we can get it done faster, then why not? No, I don’t have the answers. And on some level, maybe I feel it isn’t necessary to take the time to hand write a novel. But, what if I did? What if I wanted to test my loyalty to writing? Could I get through it? Would I get through it?
I hand write as much as I can in my journals. It is not enough though. I definitely feel connected to writing in a different way when I hand write. But this antiquating art form will soon go the way of an interesting anthropological discovery of an event in time that died quickly. What will people of the future say about hand writers? Will their curiosity ever get the better of them to the point where they’ll try it? Or will it be scoffed at as ancient and primitive, the methodology of a people who were not advanced enough to understand how little value there was in continuing to hand write once the technology was discovered to speed the process of expressing ideas.
Well, I enjoy what might one day be considered primitive. There is a soul connection in it–something that keeps me grounded to this world, while still allowing me to explore the cosmos. As I’ve written, I’ve learned patience and have better clarity around my ideas. Slow deliberate writing does not rush me along without consideration. It allows me to develop not only my writing, but me. For me, there is nothing like it. Let us hope my patience lasts.
book: ruins of empires by count volney (c.f. volney)
For those who are religious or not religious, read this book. It is for everyone. Â It will allow people from around the world who believe in a particular system of things to get clarity around what they purport to believe.
It will agitate the sensibilities of some, but in the end, for those who are truth seekers, it will awaken you. Volney is a profound writer with incredible brilliance. He is one of the few writers I would recommend. He gives due to cultures who were the founders of certain ideas, albeit bastardized by numerous invaders.
As an avid reader, I was able to connect not only with the history he lays down, but with the sentiment he puts forth. He employs the Socratic method in uncovering truths. This method is used by many writers to dissect certain aspects of knowledge and understanding, while making it easy for the reader to follow and comprehend. Â Because the Socratic method is a discourse between two or more peoples, it gives an almost realtime feeling that the reader is there, discussing the issues with the “wise one.”
Grab a copy. Let this book teach you. It certainly taught me and added something amazing to my knowledge base.
