Mike Crowl's Blog, page 16
May 22, 2019
More on proprioception
More from John Jerome's book, Stone Work, on the subject of proprioception. Page 148
Wading on through fallen leaves, I make one more small mental obeisance to proprioception, to the entire sensory universe that gives me a self to take out for walks like this. My head tells me this is true – that the sense are where the self comes from – but it is a touch too psychological, and therefore fuzzy, for my tastes. I’m more comfortable with the harder edges of physiology and physics. Ah, that’...
John Jerome on proprioception
Back in the mid-nineties I read at least two books by John Jerome, who was a kind of essayist, but whose essays usually encompassed a whole book. The first, The Writing Trade, was greatly inspirational to me early in my writing 'career.' I enthused over it in my journals.
The second, which I don't remember a lot about now except that I enjoyed it greatly at the time, was called Stone Work, and basically looked at the issue of building a stone wall. In July 1995 I copied out a shortish se...
The second, which I don't remember a lot about now except that I enjoyed it greatly at the time, was called Stone Work, and basically looked at the issue of building a stone wall. In July 1995 I copied out a shortish se...
May 12, 2019
Thomas Hardy, the Time-Worn Man
Some time ago I read Thomas Hardy, the Time-Worn Man, by Claire Tomalin. Not the most cheerful or pleasant character, but interesting, and the book is notable for Tomalin's often ironic comments. These are some extracts that I noted at the time. The page numbers refer to the Large Print edition and the sections in italics are my comments.
Page 100: Poor Hardy, suffering pangs of guilt for even thinking of imitating great writers. He needed someone to tell him it is what writers...
Page 100: Poor Hardy, suffering pangs of guilt for even thinking of imitating great writers. He needed someone to tell him it is what writers...
April 23, 2019
Awesome Gang Interview
An updated version of an interview that first appeared on Awesome Gang...
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a writer, composer and pianist, as well as being a father of five and grandfather of twelve (with a thirteenth due later this year). Though born in Melbourne, Australia, I’ve lived in Dunedin, New Zealand, most of my life.
I’ve written for as long as I can remember, but only really began to be serious about it in the early 90s, when I took a course that encour...
I’m a writer, composer and pianist, as well as being a father of five and grandfather of twelve (with a thirteenth due later this year). Though born in Melbourne, Australia, I’ve lived in Dunedin, New Zealand, most of my life.
I’ve written for as long as I can remember, but only really began to be serious about it in the early 90s, when I took a course that encour...
April 22, 2019
Story structure is hard work
The last couple of months...
I've been spending what writing time I have on my fourth children's fantasy, so blogging has gone a bit on the back-burner.
The biggest difficulty with this latest book is not only that I'm doing it on my own without the help of my usual co-writer, but that for ages there was a big hole (and I'm talking ginormous) where there should have been the bulk of the story.
The First Act, as you might call it, was mostly fine. In fact it was fine through versions 1, 2 and 3 e...
I've been spending what writing time I have on my fourth children's fantasy, so blogging has gone a bit on the back-burner.
The biggest difficulty with this latest book is not only that I'm doing it on my own without the help of my usual co-writer, but that for ages there was a big hole (and I'm talking ginormous) where there should have been the bulk of the story.
The First Act, as you might call it, was mostly fine. In fact it was fine through versions 1, 2 and 3 e...
February 18, 2019
The woman goes fishing, and fishes!
The following column was a result of my wife starting to fish, and catching fish, including a couple of substantial salmon from the Otago Harbour. I haven't been able to verify all the facts in the piece, though several of them can be seen online.
Fisherwomen. 28 July 1993
I've come across an advertisement for a fishing book which proclaims that the author’s wife goes fishing, and fishes! The sentence speaks of a woman performing a stunt contrary to her nature.
When did fishing become...
Fisherwomen. 28 July 1993
I've come across an advertisement for a fishing book which proclaims that the author’s wife goes fishing, and fishes! The sentence speaks of a woman performing a stunt contrary to her nature.
When did fishing become...
January 22, 2019
Covers and paperbacks
It's been a year of biting the bullet.
When I say 'year' I'm including 2018, since that's when most of what I'm going to talk about happened.
Each time since 2014 when I uploaded a new book to Kindle I intended to produce a paperback version as well. And I got myself an account at CreateSpace to do this, but somehow held back from going through with the whole process. Formatting an ebook seemed a piece of cake by contrast with preparing a book for print. The thing that was my main sticking poin...
When I say 'year' I'm including 2018, since that's when most of what I'm going to talk about happened.
Each time since 2014 when I uploaded a new book to Kindle I intended to produce a paperback version as well. And I got myself an account at CreateSpace to do this, but somehow held back from going through with the whole process. Formatting an ebook seemed a piece of cake by contrast with preparing a book for print. The thing that was my main sticking poin...
January 20, 2019
Men, do you know you have a prostate gland?
British men largely unaware of the role of the prostate says a heading to a short article I came across today.
I'm not surprised by this in the slightest. It was only when my doctor - some years ago now - suggested having a PSA test regularly that I even knew I had a prostate. Is that possible? Had I been nearly 50 years on this planet without knowing about this vital part of my male anatomy?
Maybe my prostate had been mentioned in passing, but when you have an internal organ that behaves...
I'm not surprised by this in the slightest. It was only when my doctor - some years ago now - suggested having a PSA test regularly that I even knew I had a prostate. Is that possible? Had I been nearly 50 years on this planet without knowing about this vital part of my male anatomy?
Maybe my prostate had been mentioned in passing, but when you have an internal organ that behaves...
January 9, 2019
Banks and bouncers
The following column originally appeared in Column 8 on the 21st July, 1993. Like a number of my columns, it's a bit of a riff on an idea that drags in a bunch of possibly unrelated issues. The BleedUsSlow Cup (generally known to rugby fans as the Bledisloe Cup.) It's fought over between Australian and New Zealand teams - mostly annually.
Banks and bouncers
Bledisloe Cup courtesy HpeterswaldSome time ago I promised I’d write about banks and bouncers. And seeing a bouncer be...
December 28, 2018
Unjust leadership?
The following column appeared on the 14th July, 1993. Considering our current Labour Government, strong on promises and weak on action, we don't seem to be much better off. And the hints of socialism are everywhere amongst their policies.
Unjust leadership?
After a friend asked me if I knew the opposite phrase to ‘distaff side’ (‘spear side,’ we discovered), she took up my last column’s complaints about Mr Bolger, and said, ‘But who would you put in his place?’ I had no answer.
In spite of...
