A monthly letter from Gotham’s dean of faculty, Kelly Caldwell (usually writing advice)
A few weeks ago, I got into a mild Twitter spat. (I know! Trust me, whatever you’re yelling, my husband already gently suggested. Twice.)
Usually, I can avoid social media quagmires. This time, I lapsed because a friend (an actual friend, not a “friend”) took something I said, and restated it so that it meant something else, something I totally disagree with. Then he called me an idiot for holding a belief I don’t hold and saying something I never said. Continue reading “Logical Fallacies”
Recently, while out with a writer friend, I asked what she’d been up to lately. “Today I finally found the lede for the story I’m working on,” she said. She paused a moment. “Isn’t that the best feeling? When you find your lede?”
For those of you not familiar with “lede,” it’s a word some nonfiction writers use for a story’s beginning. And yes, when you find your story’s beginning, the true, right beginning, it’s an exhilarating moment, indeed. Continue reading “The Opening”
Last year, when I started planning my summer reading list, I decided—instead of combing the usual lists of Great Beach/Hammock/Backyard Reads—to follow the advice of author Melissa Harris-Perry, to read books recommended by people under the age of 18. Continue reading “Summer Reading Suggestions”