October 8, 2010

The Editing Begins (Again)


Yesterday was my first full day back in the editing mode--first full day in a month or two. The break was deserved and productive.

Some creative problems are best left to the almighty subconscious. The conscious mind is often prone to stress and irritability. The subconscious, in my opinion, is unpredictable, but when it works, it works a problem and finds a solution. It's what we mean when we say, in reference to a particular vexing issue, "I'll sleep on it."

I've put aside Richard Henry Dana Jr.'s Two Years Before The Mast; I'm now reading Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M. Pirsig. I don't know how the latter might help my analysis of the remaining editing issues for my book. But these things are unpredictable--and that's what creativity is all about.

October 3, 2010

The Cell Phone in Lit and Film


A while back I mentioned the film The Departed as a fine example of effective use of cell phones in modern film and literature; add the just-released Social Network to that list.