Category Archives: Working
I guess there was a sense of inevitability about it
Astronomers are greatly disappointed when, having traveled halfway around the world to see an eclipse, clouds prevent a sight of it; and yet a sense of relief accompanies the disappointment. Simon Newcomb Jean-François Martin, Le Monde des livres (‘The world of … Continue reading
You’re going to lose the day if you keep this up long enough
You may or may not have noticed that I’ve been having some trouble writing anything here. Autumn has this kind of congealing effect on my brain – I feel pallid and sluggish, like a custard square under hot lights. Why … Continue reading
Me and David Hill
Editors really must keep cuteness out of biographical notes. – NZ author David Hill in a review of Sport 39 1. My first reaction is: oh, come now, David Hill. We’re talking about New Zealand. Everyone knows everyone. If we’re honest, … Continue reading
The rest is easy (a found poem)
Crime stabbed fiction (by Jonathan Wolstenholme via Points de Fuite) I’ve been doing a lot of writing recently. When I was feeling a bit disheartened today I revisited the Guardian’s good old Rules for Writing Fiction (though the rules could apply … Continue reading
My question for myself
Keep a light, hopeful heart. But expect the worst. Joyce Carol Oates He got the job. (by Bill Wetzel) If anything is a symbol of the job interview, it’s the plastic tumbler of water on the empty desk. This is a … Continue reading
Things I’ve wanted to write
After Bill Manhire, “From an Imaginary Journal” in Sport 39 ♦ An essay about the cultural history of the custard square, titled “Cake of a thousand leaves” (in reference to the its original French name, gâteau de mille-feuilles), beginning with an excerpt from Kerry … Continue reading
Giz a job?
Why do we work? I guess so that we can more fully enjoy the moments when we are not working. Work offers a kind of life template – you study so you can get a job (or so the grown-ups … Continue reading
Listing
Hungry Joe collected lists of fatal diseases and arranged them in alphabetical order so that he could put his finger without delay on any one he wanted to worry about. Joseph Heller, Catch 22 My life is not ruled by the … Continue reading
