Category Archives for Well Said
Well Said: Why Write?
George Orwell on the motives for and influences on writing:  …I do not think one can assess a writer’s motives without knowing something of his early development. His subject matter will be determined by the age he lives in—at least … Continue reading
Well Said: Agility, Not Access
Librarian Sara Scribner on why in the digital age we still need librarians (and, I’d add, humanities professors): An info-literate student can find the right bit of information amid the sea of irrelevance and misinformation. But any college librarian will tell … Continue reading
Well Said: The Great Gatsby, aka Trimalchio in West Egg
Novelist and literature professor Eric Puchner on what makes a good story title: Even if we end up cutting the original “creative beginning†of a novel or short story—the part of the novel or story, often, that we’re most attached … Continue reading
Well Said: Muse lost, muse found
Writer David Rothman on the lengths we take to secure a muse, in this case, a pristine copy of Paul Bailey’s latest novel, Uncle Rudolph: The express train gone, I turned back to my left to see if a local … Continue reading
Well Said: “harrowing ordinariness”
Novelist and short story writer Carrie Brown on writing about the underdog and her appreciation [shared with me!] for the novels of Iris Murdoch: I’m interested in what seems to me the harrowing ordinariness of an ordinary life, and maybe … Continue reading