Justine Musk's Blog, page 54
September 20, 2009
why 'create or die!' is so overrated
*cross-posted to Storytellers Unplugged
Listening to: DJ Shadow
When I was in university, one of my closest friends asked me if writing fiction couldn't be a "hobby" instead of something I staked my future and livelihood on.
I was adamant that it could not. I had to create or die, dammit! I was born to be a writer! Anything else would be a death of the soul!
I wonder about that now. It's good – and necessary – to be passionately dedicated to your art, whichever and whatever the art happens...
Listening to: DJ Shadow
When I was in university, one of my closest friends asked me if writing fiction couldn't be a "hobby" instead of something I staked my future and livelihood on.
I was adamant that it could not. I had to create or die, dammit! I was born to be a writer! Anything else would be a death of the soul!
I wonder about that now. It's good – and necessary – to be passionately dedicated to your art, whichever and whatever the art happens...
September 13, 2009
a little wisdom from David Foster Wallace
(thank you Marta Zieba)
"As if how we construct meaning were not actually a matter of personal, intentional choice, of conscious decision. Plus, there's the matter of arrogance... There is no such thing as not worshipping.
Everybody worships. The only choice we get is WHAT to worship...
If you worship money and things-- if they are where you tap real meaning in life-- then you will never have enough. Never feel you have enough. It's the truth.
Worship your own body and beauty and sexual allure ...
"As if how we construct meaning were not actually a matter of personal, intentional choice, of conscious decision. Plus, there's the matter of arrogance... There is no such thing as not worshipping.
Everybody worships. The only choice we get is WHAT to worship...
If you worship money and things-- if they are where you tap real meaning in life-- then you will never have enough. Never feel you have enough. It's the truth.
Worship your own body and beauty and sexual allure ...
September 12, 2009
Mom, Dad, I'm a freaking American!
This shows you how crazy my life has become: before I got sworn in as an American citizen I didn't regard it as that big a deal. It was like an item on my to-do list: write 1200 words. buy lego set for kid. become citizen. get to yoga. And the fact that I had to drive downtown in order to get sworn in was just annoying.
I've been in California for over ten years now, which stuns me to think about. Five years in Palo Alto, through the rise and fall of the dot.com boom -- after which, when pe...
I've been in California for over ten years now, which stuns me to think about. Five years in Palo Alto, through the rise and fall of the dot.com boom -- after which, when pe...
September 8, 2009
writing as a man
My first tweet of the day:
My protagonist already a bit different than originally envisioned; you don't know who your people are until you start to write them.
Or at least I don't. I can make all the notes I want, brainstorm, write up elaborate backstories, pick apart their psychology, deliberately choose bits of personality from the people in my life who capture my interest and/or imagination, but until I sit down and flesh them into being through actually writing the damn novel do I start t...
My protagonist already a bit different than originally envisioned; you don't know who your people are until you start to write them.
Or at least I don't. I can make all the notes I want, brainstorm, write up elaborate backstories, pick apart their psychology, deliberately choose bits of personality from the people in my life who capture my interest and/or imagination, but until I sit down and flesh them into being through actually writing the damn novel do I start t...
September 3, 2009
Zombies: Encounters With The Hungry Dead
A reader had asked about the title of the forthcoming zombie anthology that includes a story of mine called "Best Served Cold"*. The editor of the antho, John Skipp, took it upon his gracious self to answer the question in full, so I'll just reprint him here:
The book's called ZOMBIES: ENCOUNTERS WITH THE HUNGRY DEAD, and it comes out in October from Black Dog and Leventhal.
In addition to Justine's "Best Served Cold," the book also contains both new and classic works by Leonid Andreyev...
The book's called ZOMBIES: ENCOUNTERS WITH THE HUNGRY DEAD, and it comes out in October from Black Dog and Leventhal.
In addition to Justine's "Best Served Cold," the book also contains both new and classic works by Leonid Andreyev...
September 2, 2009
planning new blog
1
So I'm planning a new blog (as part of a new website) and I've been wondering what to do about this LJ. What makes sense to me is to keep this livejournal as very much that -- a journal -- where I can write about whatever doesn't fit the new blog (Pop Angel: The Creative Life in the Digital Age) and also test out thoughts and ideas that I can then develop into more polished articles for Pop Angel. I see this LJ as being more personal, the new blog more information-oriented, more 'useful'. But
So I'm planning a new blog (as part of a new website) and I've been wondering what to do about this LJ. What makes sense to me is to keep this livejournal as very much that -- a journal -- where I can write about whatever doesn't fit the new blog (Pop Angel: The Creative Life in the Digital Age) and also test out thoughts and ideas that I can then develop into more polished articles for Pop Angel. I see this LJ as being more personal, the new blog more information-oriented, more 'useful'. But
August 29, 2009
some less-than-definitive thoughts on developing 'voice'
listening to: Frank Sinatra
The always-interesting Ben Casnocha, author of My Start-Up Life has also blogged about David Allen's concept of collecting thoughts (see previous post). Ben himself uses the term "fringe thoughts", which I really like. Interesting stuff happens out on the fringes; it's important to pay attention.
I like Ben's recent post about voice, wherein he asks "Is writing advice around 'voice' like career advice around 'passion'?"
Ben writes:
In this informative Q&A with Farrar,
The always-interesting Ben Casnocha, author of My Start-Up Life has also blogged about David Allen's concept of collecting thoughts (see previous post). Ben himself uses the term "fringe thoughts", which I really like. Interesting stuff happens out on the fringes; it's important to pay attention.
I like Ben's recent post about voice, wherein he asks "Is writing advice around 'voice' like career advice around 'passion'?"
Ben writes:
In this informative Q&A with Farrar,
August 27, 2009
battling writer's procrastination: the art of the start, part two
Get things off your mind.
One of the smarter things I did this year was buy David Allen's book Getting Things Done. Six months later, I actually read it. Allen is a wise dude, and a very good writer, and I can't recommend his books enough. But that's not the point.
The point has to do with Allen's observations about multitasking. Multitasking, he says, is a myth (and here, by the way, is a study to back that up). The brain can only concentrate on one thing at a time. (People who appear to multitas
One of the smarter things I did this year was buy David Allen's book Getting Things Done. Six months later, I actually read it. Allen is a wise dude, and a very good writer, and I can't recommend his books enough. But that's not the point.
The point has to do with Allen's observations about multitasking. Multitasking, he says, is a myth (and here, by the way, is a study to back that up). The brain can only concentrate on one thing at a time. (People who appear to multitas
August 23, 2009
the art of the start
listening to: David Bowie
1
I've been working on my novel THE DECADENTS and I keep thinking about a phrase I think Eric Maisel used, in one of his excellent books on the emotional life of the creative process: encountering the work. To me, that is another way of saying writing deep, and I find that, with this book, and at this point in my life, I'm interested in maybe a different definition of success: I want to write deep and encounter the work and do that day after day after day. For once,
1
I've been working on my novel THE DECADENTS and I keep thinking about a phrase I think Eric Maisel used, in one of his excellent books on the emotional life of the creative process: encountering the work. To me, that is another way of saying writing deep, and I find that, with this book, and at this point in my life, I'm interested in maybe a different definition of success: I want to write deep and encounter the work and do that day after day after day. For once,
August 18, 2009
american psycho
I was reading about Tesla online when I came across this in the comments section, from a poster who was vigorously defending my ex-husband Elon Musk from various naysayers: "...he divorced a spoilt psycho and the kids are with him more than her."
And I was reminded of the whole "nuts and sluts" defense (although to be fair, this poster left out any suggestion that I was running around having affairs while taking a break from my golddigging, which is a bit surprising when you think about it becaus
And I was reminded of the whole "nuts and sluts" defense (although to be fair, this poster left out any suggestion that I was running around having affairs while taking a break from my golddigging, which is a bit surprising when you think about it becaus
