We’ve talked about great opening lines before, but what about the rough starts? The American Scholar has listed the “Ten Worst Opening Lines” and believe it or not, they’re well worth reading.
Rough Starts
Roger Angell has worked at the New Yorker for 58 years.
In his profile of Roger Angell, Sridhar Paddu offers this astute observation from Charles McGrath: “Which is the greater—Roger the writer or Roger the editor? It’s kind of a toss-up.” Bonus: Angell’s piece about Don Zimmer, who just passed away this week, is well worth your time.
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Most Misleading Machine Name
Espresso Book Machines are coming to Barnes and Nobles stores in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, allowing customers to “make a physical print book of a hard-to-find book, a public domain title or self publish a book.” Espresso Book Machines also win our prize for “Most Misleading Machine Name.”
Lucky Writers
Catherine Banner writes on the “privilege and luck it takes to live the writer’s life.” Pair with this Millions essay on not quitting the writing life.
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Distraction-Free Writing Platforms
A new distraction-free writing platform has emerged. Can QuietWrite unseat WriteRoom as the best tool for internet-enabled authors?
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Fictitious Abstractions
Recommended Reading: On educating teenagers’ emotions through literature.
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