Quotes #3: Louise Erdrich

 

Little writing trick from Louise Erdrich (from The Paris Review, The Art of Fiction 208) :

I started writing poems with inner rhymes but as they became more complex they turned into narrative. I started telling stories in the poems. But the ­poems I could write jumping up from my desk or lying on the bed. Anywhere. At last, I had this epiphany. I wanted to write prose, and I ­understood that my real problem with writing was not that I couldn’t do it mentally. I couldn’t do it physically. I could not sit still. Literally, could not sit still. So I had to solve that. I used some long scarves to tie myself into my chair. I tied myself in with a pack of cigarettes on one side and coffee on the other, and when I instinctively bolted upright after a few minutes, I’d say, Oh, shit. I’m tied down. I’ve got to keep writing.

 

(Bear writing coaches work as well. Typing tied to chair in Google Images yields surprisingly few pictures of writing-related bondage.)

Popshot #9

I’ve just received my copy of Popshot‘s 9th issue, in which I have a short/flash/petite story. If you’ve never read this magazine, it’s well worth checking out. It is on the slim side, which I must say I appreciate: no filler! I enjoyed every single piece, story or poem.

My story Shrödinger’s wine was beautifully illustrated, as almost all the stories and poems in the issue were. The guy who took care of it (and did a great job!) was Daniel Mitchell, whose work you can check out here.