Everybody feels the greater force of the climax that assumes its right place without an effort, when the time comes, compared with that in which a strain and an exaggerated stress are perceptible. The process of writing a novel seems to be one of continual forestalling and anticipating ; far more important than the immediate page is the page to come, still in the distance, on behalf of which this one is secretly working. The writer makes a point and reserves it at the same time, creates an effect and holds it back, till in due course it is appropriated and used by the page for which it is intended. It must be a pleasure to the writer, it is certainly a great pleasure to the critic, when the stroke is cleanly brought off. It is the same pleasure indeed ; the novelist makes the stroke, but the critic makes it again by perceiving it, and is legitimately satisfied by the sense of having perceived it with good artistry. It is spoilt, of course, if the stroke is handled tactlessly and obtrusively ; the art of preparation is no art if it betrays itself at the outset, calling attention to its purpose. By definition it is unrecognizable until it attains its end ; it is the art of rendering an impression that is found to have been made, later on, but that evades detection at the moment.
~Percy Lubbuck on Balzac, characterization and foreshadowing, from The Craft of Fiction, 1921
Teach thy tongue to say 'I do not know', and thou shalt progress.
— Maimonides, born around this date in 1135
A baffled backpacker heading to Sydney, Australia found himself in Sydney, Canada
THE BBC ON SPAGHETTI HARVESTING IN TICINO:
AKA, fake news, the early days.
(Via Jim Geraghty, who adds, “Reality has made April Fool’s Day kind of superfluous.”)
A DUTCH backpacker has found out the hard way there is more than one Sydney in the world when he found himself in Canada rather than Australia.
Leonard Gontarek is the author of over
one book of poems. He was raised by
wolves and is a disappointment to them...
If you are born on Christmas Day you know everything ...
IT’S PRETTY: The Black Cuillin Is a 1930s Art Deco Coupe for the 21st Century
THANK YOU FOR SHARING: Yes, Burglars Read Your Social Media to Learn When You’re Away
By using system of electrodes and sensors, researchers at the National University of Singapore have devised a way to digitally transmit the basic look and taste of lemonade to a plain glass of water.
Apparently the idea behind this rather bizarre project is to let people share sensory experiences over the internet, New Scientist reported.
Alcohol Really Is Good for Your Heart—Most of the Time Time is no joking
DNA-bothering eggheads brew beer you were literally born to like
Molecule kills elderly cells, reduces signs of aging in mice AAAS
© Riya Sharma, India, Commended, Open, Wildlife, 2017 Sony World Photography Awards
WHAT CONSTITUTES REASONABLE MAINSTREAM OPINION Current Affairs
WELL, THIS IS THE 21st CENTURY, YOU KNOW: This Drip-Proof Wine Bottle May Be the Greatest Scientific Breakthrough of Our Time
IT AIN’T THE BODY: The surprising male body type women lust after most
America’s 100 Richest Places Bloomberg
America’s 100 Richest Places Bloomberg
How many books will you read before you die? (Doesn’t work for everyone)
THE SCIENCE IS SETTLED, COVERING YOUR BOOBS IS MICROAGGRESSION:Staring at boobs may give a boost to male lifespans
How human sacrifice propped up the social order Nature. Curiously relevant today ...
This humble scientist, a ‘national treasure,’ showed us how to understand birds WaPo
Writers have long been envious of the visual language of painters. Yet “We don’t read Maupassant for the colors, or Zola for the lighting,” Zola
Writers have long been envious of the visual language of painters. Yet “We don’t read Maupassant for the colors, or Zola for the lighting,” Zola
ANOTHER ESCAPE TUNNEL FOUND BENEATH A MEXICAN PRISON: Looks like it was dug to help Los Zetas cartel gunmen.
Mexican authorities said Friday they found a long escape tunnel beneath a prison in Tamaulipas that likely took many months to dig.Prison officials in the northern Mexican state said more than two dozen inmates escaped through the underground passageway.. Twelve of the 29 escaped prisoners have been recaptured.One of the escapees killed a person in a carjacking attempt in the state capital, Ciudad Victoria, where officials say the Zetas drug cartel operates.