Although the facts of time and place have receded into legend, like many historical records of the birth of Modernism, it is certain that a packet of Japanese prints arrived in Paris around 1860 and instantly created a widening wave of amazement, incredulity, and exhilaration. The shock of encounter was so great, and the moment…
Perfectionism is the voice of the oppressor, the enemy of the people. It will keep you cramped and insane your whole life, and it is the main obstacle between you and a shitty first draft. I think perfectionism is based on the obsessive belief that if you run carefully enough, hitting each stepping-stone just right,…
I have a small confession to make: despite my best intentions and my resolutions for the new year, I've already cheated. Maybe even more than once. My Saturday work plan isn't going so well and, about those cookbooks I supposedly swore off, I found myself overcome by temptation about three weeks ago when I took…
You could say that January came in like a lamb and is going out like a lion. The beginning of the new year is always full of promise, but goals and resolutions don't always progress as swimmingly as one might hope. Put another way, I suppose what I'm continually surprised to discover is that it's…
Dining with Dostoevsky 