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AL Kennedy

1 Have humility. Older/more ­experienced/more convincing writers may offer rules and varieties of advice. ­Consider what they say. However, don’t automatically give them charge of your brain, or anything else – they might be bitter, twisted, burned-out, manipulative, or just not very like you.
2 Have more humility. Remember you don’t know the limits of your own abilities. Successful or not, if you keep pushing beyond yourself, you will enrich your own life – and maybe even please a few strangers.
3 Defend others. You can, of course, steal stories and attributes from family and friends, fill in filecards after lovemaking and so forth. It might be better to celebrate those you love – and love itself – by writing in such a way that everyone keeps their privacy and dignity intact.
4 Defend your work. Organisations, institutions and individuals will often think they know best about your work – especially if they are paying you. When you genuinely believe their decisions would damage your work – walk away. Run away. The money doesn’t matter that much.
5 Defend yourself. Find out what keeps you happy, motivated and creative.
6 Write. No amount of self-inflicted misery, altered states, black pullovers or being publicly obnoxious will ever add up to your being a writer. Writers write. On you go.
7 Read. As much as you can. As deeply and widely and nourishingly and ­irritatingly as you can. And the good things will make you remember them, so you won’t need to take notes.
8 Be without fear. This is impossible, but let the small fears drive your rewriting and set aside the large ones ­until they behave – then use them, maybe even write them. Too much fear and all you’ll get is silence.
9 Remember you love writing. It wouldn’t be worth it if you didn’t. If the love fades, do what you need to and get it back.
10 Remember writing doesn’t love you. It doesn’t care. Nevertheless, it can behave with remarkable generosity. Speak well of it, encourage others, pass it on.

agenda de telefon 1994-95 constanta

bellu dorelian 623137 cel mai bun prieten al meu pina la 14 ani. e prin bucuresti, nu l-am mai vazut de vreo doi ani
bencau narcis 669025 - coleg de clasa in liceu. tocilar
balan claudiu 668849 - habar n-am cine e
bracacescu cristina 645068 - o fata cu care am iesit cind eram anul I de facultate. un dezastru.
bianu dragos - fost coleg la radio sky. boem, simpatic. voiam sa ne facem trupa si sa cintam ca clawfinger
birsan oana 630107 - o fata cunoscuta intr-o tabara
alexe vali - nu stiu cine e
burlacu gabriel 648577 - coleg de liceu, am facut impreuna revista “ceata”
banciu carmen 668260 - prima mea iubire
chiriac ines 614734 - cred ca am fost la acelasi liceu. mai recent sintem “prieteni” pe facebook
comanita bebi 660284 - prieten f bun in c-ta si in primii doi-trei ani de bucuresti
custurea gabi 665331 - coleg la radio sky, facea emisiune cu mircea solcanu
draghici gina 673535 - fosta colega de facultate in anul I jurnalistica - la jalnica facultate andrei saguna. cred ca a abandonat-o.
dragan claudia 628429 - colega de clasa in liceu

crocodile, unul dintre primele filme ale lui kim-ki duk, are unul dintre cele mai emotionante finaluri pe care le-am vazut in ultima vreme. personajul principal se leaga cu catusele de iubita aflata pe fundul apei. apoi instinctul de conservare triumfa, incearca sa se dezlege, dar nu reuseste si ramin amindoi pe canapeaua aruncata in riu de ceva timp. mai puternic si mai credibil ca romeo si julieta.
secrets in their eyes, care tocmai a luat oscarul pentru film strain, e un film care inainteaza lent, plotul politist poate chiar plictisi la un moment dat, dar ultimele minute, desfasurate intr-un ritm deloc alert, m-au tinut lipit de scaun. nu se intimpla nimic spectaculos, dar povestea in sine si modul in care e construita merita multe stele.

Esther Freud

1 Cut out the metaphors and similes. In my first book I promised myself I wouldn’t use any and I slipped up ­during a sunset in chapter 11. I still blush when I come across it.

2 A story needs rhythm. Read it aloud to yourself. If it doesn’t spin a bit of magic, it’s missing something.

3 Editing is everything. Cut until you can cut no more. What is left often springs into life.

4 Find your best time of the day for writing and write. Don’t let anything else interfere. Afterwards it won’t matter to you that the kitchen is a mess.

5 Don’t wait for inspiration. Discipline is the key.

6 Trust your reader. Not everything needs to be explained. If you really know something, and breathe life into it, they’ll know it too.

7 Never forget, even your own rules are there to be broken.

acum mai bine de un an, cind am prezentat pentru prima oara ceva la miercurea lejera, inainte de spectacol am fost extrem de relaxat. asta pina in momentul in care s-a stins lumina si mi-am dat seama ca ma duc pe o scena pe care nu fusesem niciodata unde voi fi urmarit de o multime de necunoscuti. am simtit brusc o frica pura, paralizanta. totusi, avind la baza un text pe care-l citeam, a fost destul de ok, cel putin asa mi s-a spus. cu lecturile eram relativ obisnuit, pentru ca mai citisem de citeva ori in public. desi a iesit bine, citeva ore dupa spectacol aveam corpul rigid si dintii inclestati.

inainte de concertele cu grupul sanitar, imi construisem un ritual de relaxare.
in ziua respectiva nu faceam nimic altceva, ma uitam la un film sau la concerte, citeam, pierdeam timpul cu gratie.
uneori ma duceam la un salon de masaj.
de citeva ori s-a nimerit sa merg cu o noapte inainte la cite-o petrecere si sa fiu mahmur. ceea ce imi accentua anxietatea. in vremea aceea mai aveam atacuri de panica si reactionam puternic la orice fel de stress. pe scena insa, avindu-i pe ceilalti doi linga mine si un scenariu de show, scapam de trac dupa prima piesa. desigur, ajuta si faptul ca nu cintam live.

cel mai greu a fost la lorgean theatre. desi eram in propria casa, faptul ca deschideam spectacolul ma termina. ma simteam responsabil de tot ceea ce avea sa urmeze. nu eram in stare sa comunic cu actorii, ma refugiam autist in dormitor. oricit as fi repetat (si nu aveam mai mult de 2 minute de introducere), momentul in care deschideam usile si vedeam chipurile atintite asupra mea, aflate la mai putin de un metru, era de fiecare data coplesitor.

apoi, tot facind workshop-uri din zona performance-ului, am inceput sa ma obisnuiesc cu expunerea.

la a doua aparitie de la miercurea lejera am fost extrem de anxios. ma intrebam ce naiba caut acolo, de ce vreau sa fac asta. atmosfera de dinainte e extrem de puternica, toata lumea e in miscare, vorbeste, isi cauta locul, se stabilesc parteneri, se repeta, unii renunta in ultima clipa sau se decid brusc sa faca ceva. de data asta, cind am ajuns pe scena m-am simtit confortabil si bucuros ca sint acolo si ca ma pot juca. ceea ce s-a si simtit.

miercuri, la “death metal is alive” n-am fost nici foarte emotionat, nici relaxat. mai degraba nevrotic. inainte avusesem intilnire/repetitie la alta piesa, ceea ce n-a fost ok, ca n-am mai putut intra intr-un alt flow.
a inceput si s-a terminat (abrupt) cu desincronizari tehnice si, undeva pe parcurs, m-am pierdut. spre deosebire de data trecuta, voiam sa termin cit mai repede. pentru ca n-am repetat inainte cu partener (performance-ul presupune un voluntar din public), n-am mai suprapus textul pe miscare si, dat fiind situatiile imprevizile, am sarit bucati din el, dupa ce deja il scurtasem ca sa potriveasca in 15 minute. pentru cei care fac asta de ani de zile, miercurea lejera este chiar un moment in care incearca lucruri si se raporteaza relaxat la ceea ce iese. desi nu prea mi-a placut ce a iesit, ma bucur ca am pe ce lucra de acum in colo.

Jonathan Franzen

1 The reader is a friend, not an adversary, not a spectator.

2 Fiction that isn’t an author’s personal adventure into the frightening or the unknown isn’t worth writing for anything but money.

3 Never use the word “then” as a ­conjunction – we have “and” for this purpose. Substituting “then” is the lazy or tone-deaf writer’s non-solution to the problem of too many “ands” on the page.

4 Write in the third person unless a ­really distinctive first-person voice ­offers itself irresistibly.

5 When information becomes free and universally accessible, voluminous research for a novel is devalued along with it.

6 The most purely autobiographical ­fiction requires pure invention. Nobody ever wrote a more auto­biographical story than “The Meta­morphosis”.

7 You see more sitting still than chasing after.

8 It’s doubtful that anyone with an internet connection at his workplace is writing good fiction.

9 Interesting verbs are seldom very interesting.

10 You have to love before you can be relentless.

death metal, originally uploaded by jean_lorin.

miercuri, incepind cu ora 20

la miercurea lejera

Poate ca v-ati intrebat de ce ultimele volume dintr-o serie (sa zicem Harry Potter) au mai multe pagini decit primele. De obicei, primul volum e o brosura de 100 de pagini, iar cel de-al cincilea cintareste trei kilograme. La americani si englezi, scriitorii si jurnalistii sint platiti la cuvint. Cu cit articolul/cartea are mai multe cuvinte, cu atit cistiga mai mult. Pentru jurnalistii cu statut de freelancer, acest sistem se dovedeste a fi foarte stimulativ. Ii determina sa acopere cit mai complet un subiect, iar pe editori sa taie cit mai mult. |ntrucit traiesc din scris si in ultimii cinci ani n-am mai calcat intr-o redactie decit in vizita simt nevoia unui alt sistem de retribuire. Nu ca pateul vegetal n-ar fi bun (chiar daca nu sint vegetarian) dar orice exces dauneaza. Acest sistem se bazeaza pe jocul de Scrabble, acel joc care le permite copiilor sa-i ridiculizeze pe adulti atunci cind reusesc sa formeze cuvintul “urechelnita”. Astfel, anumite litere ca J, H, K, Q, W, Z, mai putin intilnite in limba romana, folosite cu larghete, ar putea ridica sensibil valoarea articolelor. Cuvinte ca zarzare, quadrant, kilogram, xilofon quaker, kerosen, haltera, aflate vesnic intr-un con de umbra, ar ar capata, in sfirsit vizibilitate. Cred cu tarie ca, intr-o democratie adevarata, toate literele ar trebui sa aiba aceeasi importanta. De exemplu, cei mai multi romani nu folosesc deloc litera W. Mi-ar placea ca in orice articol pe care il voi scrie de acum inainte sa folosesc cuvintul wolfram, chiar daca fac cronica unui western sau recenzez o carte de poezie. Daca un autor reuseste ca intr-un articol sa foloseasca toate literele rare, va primi un bonus. Secretarul general de redactie va avea instalat un program special de calculat. In incheiere, pentru cei care se plictisesc acum intr-un bar, iata un exercitiu practic: puteti calcula cit as putea obtine pe acest articol, iata valorile literelor: A 1, G9, N1, U1, B9, H10, C1, I1, P2 1, X10, D2, J10, R1, Z10, E1, L1, S1 2 Jo F8, M4, T1, W- 10 lei. Cecul sa fie trimis pe adresa redactiei.

Richard Ford

1 Marry somebody you love and who thinks you being a writer’s a good idea.
2 Don’t have children.
3 Don’t read your reviews.
4 Don’t write reviews. (Your judgment’s always tainted.)
5 Don’t have arguments with your wife in the morning, or late at night.
6 Don’t drink and write at the same time.
7 Don’t write letters to the editor. (No one cares.)
8 Don’t wish ill on your colleagues.
9 Try to think of others’ good luck as encouragement to yourself.
10 Don’t take any shit if you can ­possibly help it.

Helen Dunmore

1 Finish the day’s writing when you still want to continue.
2 Listen to what you have written. A dud rhythm in a passage of dialogue may show that you don’t yet understand the characters well enough to write in their voices.
3 Read Keats’s letters.
4 Reread, rewrite, reread, rewrite. If it still doesn’t work, throw it away. It’s a nice feeling, and you don’t want to be cluttered with the corpses of poems and stories which have everything in them except the life they need.
5 Learn poems by heart.
6 Join professional organisations which advance the collective rights of authors.
7 A problem with a piece of writing often clarifies itself if you go for a long walk.
8 If you fear that taking care of your children and household will damage your writing, think of JG Ballard.
9 Don’t worry about posterity – as Larkin (no sentimentalist) observed “What will survive of us is love”.