OnWriting: Recent Comments2008-09-07T18:09:56Zhttp://blog.willweaverbooks.com/comments/atom.aspxQuick BlogComment on Annie Proulxtag:blog.willweaverbooks.com,2008-07-18:1206399petra2008-07-18T14:44:06Z2008-07-18T14:44:06Z That said, the opening lines of the first paragraph almost put me off the story at first: the past perfect of the first sentence, the "curls the shining maroon of water-birch bark." But I'm glad I picked it up again and finished it.
"Tits up in a Ditch"--I'm referring to the title--I thought Proulx might have heard the expression and then wrote the story around it. That possibility annoyed me, until I got to Dakotah's return trip to the ranch, her taxi going past all the ranches that had lost some boy or man.
Then it occurred to me what it means "to be lucky" in terms of a character in this story. It means to be alive and somewhat ambulant. No, maybe it's something more minimal than even that.
I agree with you that the story is, in the end, "uplifting" even though its final image is one of descent. I imagine Dakotah slipping but "getting lucky" somehow, her buouyant mind keeping her from going the way of her husband and her grandfather's unfortunate cow.]]>Comment on "Away From Her" and "Sweet Land": Short Stories Go Feature Lengthtag:blog.willweaverbooks.com,2008-03-22:911704Maria K Gracehttp://www.MariaKGrace.blogspot.com2008-03-22T13:47:44Z2008-03-22T12:50:57Z I had never heard of you before yesterday, when my husband and I returned from a trip to the Pacific ocean and relaxed in our Arizona home to watch Sweet Land. Compliments to Netflix, making it possible for boonies-dwellers to see movies off the beaten path. I felt incredibly relieved watching this slow, deliberate film. Wide open spaces. Pauses. Clouds. Time to breathe. Steady cameras!
When a movie compels me to look up the author of the story and a poem, it is indeed a good sign. Congratulations on this fine movie; and now I will go to the library and dive into your writing. "Defect" will be one to the books I will check out.
Good luck, Maria]]>Comment on HAMLET Takes on the ROTCtag:blog.willweaverbooks.com,2008-03-10:884595Jim2008-03-10T18:48:58Z2008-03-10T18:48:58Z Pretty soon you won't have to worry about those silly ROTC programs. They'll be banned everywhere, and with them the defense of this nation. And when America finally falls because of it, the enemies of this country will burn your beloved Hamlet in the town square. Not to mention some of your beloved students.
By the way, if Hamlet had simply used his sword sooner, when he had the chance to avenge his father early on, all the other deaths could have been avoided. It was not the sword that was Hamlet's undoing, but his refusal to use it in a prompt manner.
I enjoy your books. I did not enjoy this screed against the military we both depend on, whether we like it or not.]]>Comment on "Juno": No Movie for Old Mentag:blog.willweaverbooks.com,2008-02-26:855061will weaver2008-02-26T09:53:19Z2008-02-26T09:53:19ZComment on "Juno": No Movie for Old Mentag:blog.willweaverbooks.com,2008-02-26:854914Shimmy2008-02-26T08:34:02Z2008-02-26T08:34:02ZComment on What I Know of Raymond Carvertag:blog.willweaverbooks.com,2008-02-14:830214Chris2008-02-14T14:16:29Z2008-02-14T14:16:29Z This was a beautiful description, by the way: "Think of a small dinner party you might go to, just a few good friends, when everybody drinks a bit much, and truths began to reveal themselves. People gradually start to say things that cannot be taken back. When they go home, they will not be able to return to the same spaces of the heart that they left just a couple hours before. An entire landscape has changed."]]>Comment on Diary of A Noveltag:blog.willweaverbooks.com,2008-02-14:830198Chris Brower2008-02-14T14:08:13Z2008-02-14T14:08:13ZI enjoyed reading this. (I talked to a couple of weeks ago and you recommended this blog, thanks!) Anyway, I'm in the middle of writing a novel, so it's always helpful hearing another writer's process. I'm curious what has happened with this since September 17? Any rewrites, editing, big changes?]]>Comment on What A Writer Should Knowtag:blog.willweaverbooks.com,2008-01-29:797405will weaver2008-01-29T16:08:34Z2008-01-29T16:08:34Z
WW
p.s. thanks for checking out the blog
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