Bangor Pier
I’ve spent ages reflecting on the words of JD Vance yesterday. I’m not sure if I’ve ever used the word contemptible in a blog before, so I’m grateful to Mr Vance for giving me the chance.
I’ve decided, for the rest of my comments, to follow Hemingway’s advice and just write one eighth of what I think, possibly even less. You will, I’m sure, be able to fill in the rest for yourself.
It’s not that I want to be political in the blog, as politics seems to attract idiots to leave comments, but I keep thinking that if a research student accesses my blog in a hundred years, I don’t want them to think that I knew nothing of world politics. So I have left a note to show that I did notice some historical events before I go back to my hatred of modern life and my obsession with soup.
Jellyfish at Bangor
In case you aren’t familiar with it, here is Hemingway’s quote:
If a writer of prose knows enough about what he is writing about he may omit things that he knows and the reader, if the writer is writing truly enough, will have a feeling of those things as strongly as though the writer had stated them. The dignity of movement of an ice-berg is due to only one-eighth of it being above water.
The rest of the day has been pretty dull, and never really got going. Part of the problem is that I wrote into the early hours of the morning, when I really should have been asleep.
Beaumaris Lifeboat
By the way, isn’t the picture of George Orwell or did I misunderstand something?
Yes, it’s Orwell at Southwold Pier. I just threw some random photos in without paying much attention.
A fine emulation of Hemingway
It’s a good thing to do. If it’s true I will only need to write one eighth of a book. 🙂
I just want to live long enough to see what happens to the “American Experiment”.
I’m not sure I’m going to like the way it ends.
The situation is making many of us very nervous.
Good luck.
We will need it! 🙂
Good advice.
Hemingway was full of good advice. It is years since I have read any of his books, but I will now add them to my list.
I am thinking about taking the advice but years of teaching and having to explain everything three times as clearly as possible have taken their toll and I am hard to shut up.
That is also a useful skill, though a different one. The patience involved in teaching must have made you saintlike. 🙂