3.25.2009

Exhibit 17.13

Notes

* Did you know The Cupboard has a blog? I'm always the last one to find out about these things. It's right here. We're still trying to figure out what it will be (other than awesome). I haven't written anything for it but that's only because Dave hasn't told me how to post. I'm not certain, but I think he wants me to stay away lest I make everyone sad or post black-and-white photos or randomly name drop Kansas City Royals.

* I would do all of those things if given the chance. You've probably noticed.

* I have three Flasher pieces in the new Salt Hill which you should pick up here for reasons that have nothing to do with me and everything to do with it being a beautiful book. There's a lot of fantastic writing, too--and then my lucky pieces which are mostly notable for coming from a manuscript I keep forgetting about. If you're curious, in these pieces the Flasher "is asked for change," "tries to be a nudist," and "tells a joke." That nutty Flasher.

* I think this is the end of the Flashers. This despite me presently recapturing my love for writing the word "Flasher."

* Speaking of The Cupboard and flashers--okay, not really--Mathias's volume is coming out so, so soon. Mathias would also like you to know about this.

* You want to click on that link.

* Uninteresting work note: Every so often I'll listen to an album on a co-worker's iTunes, usually something new that I want to check out or something I'm surprised to find (Temple of the Dog? Sure, why not). This is fine and good and why our iTunes are linked together in the first place (it is not, despite what I initially believed, a contest. If it were, I wouldn't have had to make my own "Office's Best iTunes" trophy).

But then these albums end and I'm at the mercy of whatever the alphabet says is next. This is a problem because it usually takes at least 20 minutes for me to figure out that I'm hearing something new.

I guess I'm trying to explain why I'm currently listening to Smash Mouth. It's important that there be a reason for this. I need you to believe me.

Especially you, Julio Pimental. You most of all.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Do you think that if one is an aspiring writer and his or her writing style is more like that of Meg Cabot (author of The Princess Diaries) than of anyone else, he or she should abandon all dreams of literary greatness and resign himself or herself to a life of prosaic high school teacherhood?

A. Peterson said...

Hmm.

Well, I would say there's no dichotomy there. Teach high school. Don't teach high school. Write literary fiction. Write popular fiction. None of these things (even the last two) are really mutually exclusive.

Nor are they necessarily things one should ever have to resign oneself to. The only bad choice, at least as far as writing is concerned, would be to do something that doesn't interest you (a different, smarter person would probably substitute "make you happy" for "interest you").

The rest of it just stuff (stuff to pay the bills, stuff to satisfy your ego, stuff to keep you busy, etc.) Most of the time the writing is just stuff, too, but if you're writing what you want to write, it will at least be your stuff. And if it's your stuff, you've found a way to put a little bit of yourself into the world.

I have no doubt most people find something similarly special in their lives (more than a few from teaching high school, no doubt).

It's a good thing though, the only true thing, really, and it exists outside of publications or conceptions of "literary greatness" or even whatever one does for a paycheck.

You do that, you'll be alright.

Thus ends the first installment of my new favorite segment on this blog: Adam Peterson answers random, anonymous questions.

I'm not in any way being facetious. I enjoyed this.