Ray Bradbury, of course, had the best, most counterintuitive advice about writing wonderfully crafted stories: “Don’t think.” + + + “So don’t think!” he cried. “Don’t think about what?” asked his companion. “That’s the spirit!” And with that, he broke into a full-fledged sprint. He dashed across the front yard and down the slope. HeContinue reading “To FRAP or not to be”
Category Archives: Just sayin’
Addicts to addicts, dust to dust
The formula for making “bingeworthy” TV is very similar to what they used to get kids coming back to the Saturday afternoon serials in the 1930s or ’40s. Back then Commander Cody, or whoever the star was, would be wrestling for control of a small plane, say. The episode would end with the plane crashingContinue reading “Addicts to addicts, dust to dust”
The one thing you need to know
Summer reruns — This is from May 26, 2015. All you need to know is it’s up to you.Whatever “it” is, you can and must take care of it. That realization can and will fill you with fear. That realization can and – if you let it – fill you with the greatest sense ofContinue reading “The one thing you need to know”
What should you tell your kids about your day job?
If you were one of the most famous musicians on the planet, how would you tell your kids about it? When I read Bruce Springsteen’s autobiography recently, I was struck by how reticent he was to make — not just a big deal but — any kind of deal about his day job with hisContinue reading “What should you tell your kids about your day job?”
Cast yourself in the movie
“My mom used to have a saying when things were getting crazy, or we were lost in a dirt road someplace, or any other random thing came up: ‘Just think of it as an adventure.’” That quote — JUST THINK OF IT AS AN ADVENTURE — leapt off the page at me more or lessContinue reading “Cast yourself in the movie”
A dog’s life considered
The dog — the new dog, the one who came into the house to fill the largest void a dog ever left and I know that’s too much to ask of one dog — is curled by my side. I think her eyes are open, so she’s not sleeping, so she’s thinking. What does aContinue reading “A dog’s life considered”
Oxymoronic proverb
They say you should let sleeping dogs lie. But a dog is an open, honest creature, which shows its feelings with enthusiasm and joy. Their very existence is truth. So the proverb makes no sense, Because Dogs, sleeping or awake, never lie.