“There was something cold and hard about her: if you set her afloat on the nighttime sea, she would probably sink any boat that happened to ram her.” “The heavy aroma of cooked chicken quickly filled the little elevator. It mingled with the smell of the rain. Water droplets dotted the floor, suggesting that someone…Continue reading “Birthday Girl,” by Haruki Murakami
Category: Writing Exercises
a brief history of my dream job
This from AP: “Renowned astrophysicist and best-selling author Stephen Hawking has announced he is looking for a graduate student to work for him for one to two years…The candidate can earn about £23,500 ($44,300) and would likely join Hawking on his many travels abroad, according to a job posting on the university’s Web site. Planning…Continue reading a brief history of my dream job
economy
Here is one of the most economical sentence pairings I’ve come across in a while: He couldn’t remember his wife clearly–only the hats she wore. How surprised she would be at hearing from him after this long while; there had been one letter written by each of them since the boy died. Graham Greene, The…Continue reading economy
Bay Crossing
Weird films abound on You Tube. Ever cross San Francisco Bay in a home-made rowboat? The Exercise: Write about an ill-advised undertaking. Or write about a watery adventure.
two new stories on the stands
In the past few days I received two new litmags in the mail that I’d like to shamelessly promote: Glimmer Trrain, issue 60, in which my short story “The Boulevard of Heroes” appears. The Mississippi Review, Summer 2006, in which my short story “The Great Amphibian,” winner of the 2006 Mississippi Review Prize, appears. Lest…Continue reading two new stories on the stands