Learning to extend metaphor: taking the red pill
Row, row, row your boat,
Gently down the stream.
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily,
Life is but a dream.
In a recent post, I wrote about how attempting to write changes the way you view works of art. As I continue toiling away, creating artificial worlds in which my characters come to life and try to deal with the situations in which I place them, I find myself thinking more and more about the choices that writers make in the creation of their own artificial worlds.
The Poker Wisdom of Omar and The Wire
“Recall how often in human history the saint and the rebel have been the same person.”
–Rollo May
It’s been 5 years since I wrote anything about poker, so I thought it was time to get back to the roots of this blog and extract some poker wisdom from the greatest character in the greatest show of all time. That’s right, it’s time for some quotes from Omar Little, the Robin Hood of the Baltimore streets, the noble stick-up kid and champion of “the road less traveled.” For me, The Wire transcends television… the show is so good that it goes far beyond the topics it addresses and offers up eternal truths that give us insight into how we should live our lives. Much like Hamlet is about much more than a Prince’s struggle to avenge his Father’s murder, the Wire is about much more than the problems of an American city.
Thoughts on Expertise (part 1): Beating Mike Tyson
“If one really wishes to be master of an art, technical knowledge of it is not enough. One has to transcend technique so that the art becomes an ‘artless art’ growing out of the Unconscious.”
–Daisetz T. Suzuki
I’m not really sure why, but I’ve always been fascinated with the idea of “expertise”. What does it mean to be an expert in something? Should I strive to become an expert in something? Do “experts” tap into some kind of wisdom that non-experts never experience? Am I an expert in anything? How do you become “master of your domain“?
Finding your voice – art vs. craft
“If there is a magic in story writing, and I am convinced there is, no one has ever been able to reduce it to a recipe that can be passed from one person to another. The formula seems to lie solely in the aching urge of the writer to convey something he feels important to the reader.”
–John Steinbeck
A good friend sent me a mail:
“I’d like to see you write about how writing effects how you read, or watch movies, even listen to music. I find creating music effects how I do those things.”
Ask and ye shall receive! Sometimes.
As I find myself trying to learn how to write, the most interesting concept is the notion of “voice” and “style”. I’ve often wondered how I’m perceived in the eyes of other people I care about… do they see me completely differently than I see myself? Similarly, I wonder what I would think of my own writing were I to stumble upon it, knowing nothing about the author. Who do I sound like? Are my characters believable? Does my story feel “true”?
Why 30 for 30 makes the TV Hall of Fame
“Champions aren’t made in the gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them — a desire, a dream, a vision.”
– Muhammad Ali
Living in Ireland for 5 years, and now Germany, I don’t watch much TV. Over the past ten years, the only TV I watch is after the third or fourth person says, “I can’t believe you haven’t seen X yet, you have to see it! (Where X = The Wire, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Breaking Bad).