Writers and their inner critics

ellen_kushner's made a great post on what I've heard called The Inner Editor (a.k.a. The Inner Critic) but what she refers to as The Watcher at the Gates. I'm posting this as much for myself (because it's a reminder that I in particular really need) as for others. It's brilliant.

FanFic on NPR

Novelist and commentator Lev Grossman, prompted by the Lori Jareo/Amazon fiasco, offered an essay this afternoon on "All Things Considered" in praise of fan fiction.

(With thanks to hgross for the tip...)

Note to self

It's Thursday for another 35 minutes. It's not Friday. It won't be Friday for another 35 minutes.

All day this has been a problem.

That is all.

The Letter L

This is how it works: Comment on this entry and get a letter, if you want a letter. Write ten words beginning with that letter, including an explanation of what the word means to you and why.

kradical hit me with the letter "L":

1. Leonard: My father's first name.

2. Long Island: Where I grew up.

3. Lake Union: The lake situated about 5 blocks from my house. From Gasworks Park, which resides on the north end of the lake, one can get one of the best views of the Seattle city skyline available anywhere.

4. Lochnagar, as in Royal Lochnagar, a fine single malt scotch, one of the first for which I developed a geniune attachment. Hard to get the in U.S., or perhaps I just haven't tried hard enough.

5. Ladies of Llangollen: My first performance with the chorus was as a narrator for its "Faraway Places" concert. The narration included notes about these ladies, known for their "unconventional" relationship and the literary salon they hosted in the late 18th-early 19th centuries in Wales. Speaking about them required me to learn the unique Welsh pronunciation required by the double-L spelling. Later on, one of the women in the chorus gave me a lovely poem by one of the Ladies, which I still have magneted to my refrigerator door.

6. Lactose, as in lactose intolerant. That's me. I can have small amounts of dairy product without too much trouble. Some dairy products (I'm thinking of cream cheese in specific) seems to have an almost psychotropic effect on me, consistently sending me into deep depression for the length of an afternoon if I'm not careful about how much I eat. This makes bagels and cream cheese a rare delicacy for me.

7. Lancaster, PA: Where my folks took my brother and I for a memorable vacation when we were kids. We stayed on a farm with a Mennonite family. It was there I had my first contact with kittens, clearly a life-altering event.

8. Littleton Coin Company: Producers of most excellent numismatic supplies.

9. Lomonosov: The name of a Russian company that produces beautiful porcelain figurines. I have a couple of porcelain kitties made by same.

10: Lemming: What I am for participating in yet another meme. ::grin::

Gee, that was harder than I expected.

Wanna letter? Just ask!