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Desk Notes by Charles Schifano

Desk Notes by Charles Schifano

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Dive into the Water
I must have been about seven or eight years old when my swim coach asked me to stay after practice.
 • Charles Schifano
Elite Mobs
In an earlier time a single critic could sell a novel.
 • Charles Schifano
Sensations of Childhood
Summertime, when you’re young, lasts forever.
 • Charles Schifano
Soundless
Nothing makes you doubt the merits of a music education more than a neighbor who takes up the violin.
 • Charles Schifano
Exclamation!
I don’t remember when I learned about exclamation points.
 • Charles Schifano
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The Problem With Contemporary Writing
 • Charles Schifano
First Drafts
 • Charles Schifano
Making Judgements
 • Charles Schifano
Burn After Not Reading
 • Charles Schifano
The Fine Art of Walking Offstage
My favorite type of plagiarism is self-plagiarism, so let me quote an authority figure on my own thoughts.
 • Charles Schifano
A Shock of Aesthetic Pleasure
To be limited by the practical.
 • Charles Schifano
How to Look at a Painting, at a Life
I can’t look away and I can't explain what I see.
 • Charles Schifano
Shifting Gears in Brazil
I found myself surrounded by Brazilians.
 • Charles Schifano
How Not What
The entire story is foretold in the opening sentence.
 • Charles Schifano
Word Homicide
There’s a cemetery on my computer.
 • Charles Schifano
My Favorite Essay
How far could I push a deception?
 • Charles Schifano
Risky Directions
At one time I was accustomed to giving directions.
 • Charles Schifano
Disorderly Creativity
For a long time, I resisted a truth about creativity.
 • Charles Schifano
Character Without Conviction
Fully believing in fictional worlds.
 • Charles Schifano
Dissociating From Pain
During the past few years I have learned to dissociate from pain.
 • Charles Schifano
Desk Notes by Charles Schifano
Desk Notes by Charles Schifano
Exploring writing, travel, and literature.
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Essays on Craft

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How Not What
The entire story is foretold in the opening sentence.
 • Charles Schifano
Word Homicide
There’s a cemetery on my computer.
 • Charles Schifano
Disorderly Creativity
For a long time, I resisted a truth about creativity.
 • Charles Schifano
Character Without Conviction
Fully believing in fictional worlds.
 • Charles Schifano
How You've Changed My Writing
I didn't expect the writing to contain the past.
 • Charles Schifano
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