Comments on: Cultural Notes from All Over http://www.jincywillett.com/journal/2008/06/04/cultural-notes-from-all-over/ I Would Not Burn the Library of Alexandria For You Fri, 21 Nov 2008 03:15:28 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.3 By: Jincy http://www.jincywillett.com/journal/2008/06/04/cultural-notes-from-all-over/#comment-1277 Jincy Thu, 07 Aug 2008 00:22:33 +0000 http://www.jincywillett.com/journal/?p=62#comment-1277 What happened next? What happened next?

]]> By: Penny http://www.jincywillett.com/journal/2008/06/04/cultural-notes-from-all-over/#comment-1153 Penny Mon, 04 Aug 2008 07:06:37 +0000 http://www.jincywillett.com/journal/?p=62#comment-1153 Penny was the actor’s assistant. In the seven years of her employ, she had succeeded in making herself virtually indispensable. Having quickly graduated from making his travel arrangements, Penny now oversaw all of the day to day minutiae of the actor’s life, even going so far as to lay out his clothes in the morning. Penny thought of herself not as the actor’s right hand, but rather as his left nut. She was that important. Penny hated the writer and complained bitterly about her presence. For her part, the writer seemed to bear no ill will toward Penny, whom she called Faye for no apparent reason. The actor tried to explain to Penny that writers, because of spending so much time in their own heads, were socially retarded. They lurched through life like enormous clumsy children, making terrible first impressions and even worse second ones. Often mistaken as misanthropic or unfriendly, writers were at heart shy and gentle creatures. Normal people found writers disconcerting only because it was impossible to discern whether a writer’s reticence masked haughty superiority or immeasurable thickness. If only, keened the actor, one were able to penetrate that jungle of unknowability. Buried treasure would surely await. After all, writers were fiercely intelligent and extremely witty. Imagine, said the actor, cracking open a coconut and finding Oscar Wilde. All that was required was patience. Penny didn’t have that kind of time. Penny was the actor’s assistant. In the seven years of her employ, she had succeeded in making herself virtually indispensable. Having quickly graduated from making his travel arrangements, Penny now oversaw all of the day to day minutiae of the actor’s life, even going so far as to lay out his clothes in the morning. Penny thought of herself not as the actor’s right hand, but rather as his left nut. She was that important.

Penny hated the writer and complained bitterly about her presence. For her part, the writer seemed to bear no ill will toward Penny, whom she called Faye for no apparent reason.

The actor tried to explain to Penny that writers, because of spending so much time in their own heads, were socially retarded. They lurched through life like enormous clumsy children, making terrible first impressions and even worse second ones. Often mistaken as misanthropic or unfriendly, writers were at heart shy and gentle creatures. Normal people found writers disconcerting only because it was impossible to discern whether a writer’s reticence masked haughty superiority or immeasurable thickness. If only, keened the actor, one were able to penetrate that jungle of unknowability. Buried treasure would surely await. After all, writers were fiercely intelligent and extremely witty. Imagine, said the actor, cracking open a coconut and finding Oscar Wilde. All that was required was patience.

Penny didn’t have that kind of time.

]]> By: Karen http://www.jincywillett.com/journal/2008/06/04/cultural-notes-from-all-over/#comment-899 Karen Tue, 29 Jul 2008 01:54:09 +0000 http://www.jincywillett.com/journal/?p=62#comment-899 eeek - my writers' group is almost here. Must be quick. I worshipped your book, The Writing Class. I want our wee writers' group to be able to critique like that - even the woman who leads a class on short story writing can't critique like that. DARN IT!!!!!! I live in Vancouver, B.C. Can you come out here and inspire me? We have a lovely beach here that will not be cold and bitter until at least Sept. 10. I laughed and giggled and chortled and etc. at the writers' class stuff. So true, so true. hee. Can I send you all of my stuff so you can fix it for free? Hmmm, thought not. My writers' group is edgy and I think we are one potato chip away from killing each other. But not like in your book. I'm rambling. eeek - my writers’ group is almost here. Must be quick.
I worshipped your book, The Writing Class. I want our wee writers’ group to be able to critique like that - even the woman who leads a class on short story writing can’t critique like that. DARN IT!!!!!!
I live in Vancouver, B.C. Can you come out here and inspire me? We have a lovely beach here that will not be cold and bitter until at least Sept. 10.
I laughed and giggled and chortled and etc. at the writers’ class stuff. So true, so true.
hee.
Can I send you all of my stuff so you can fix it for free? Hmmm, thought not.
My writers’ group is edgy and I think we are one potato chip away from killing each other. But not like in your book.
I’m rambling.

]]> By: your number one fan http://www.jincywillett.com/journal/2008/06/04/cultural-notes-from-all-over/#comment-405 your number one fan Sat, 14 Jun 2008 05:42:40 +0000 http://www.jincywillett.com/journal/?p=62#comment-405 r u supposed to be funny? (answer: YES.) <3<3 r u supposed to be funny?

(answer: YES.)

<3<3

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