Twin Cities Daily Planet (https://www.tcdailyplanet.net/author/eleanor-arnason/page/7/)
There was a discussion on Crooked Timber on possible jobs for a young person in love with literature. Most of the posters said the job market for academics was terrible and it was a poor idea to get a PhD. Continue Reading
I am playing with an idea which I call ‘the visible hand’ in homage to Adam Smith. Continue Reading
I am absorbing the fact that the Republicans in the Senate have apparently successfully blocked extension of unemployment benefits. Since Patrick and I are both collecting unemployment, this is not good news. The theory is, the Rs figure they can win the next election if Americans are hurting badly. Continue Reading
I spend every WisCon, the feminist science fiction convention, the same way—in a daze caused by too much input, too little sleep and too much coffee. Then I come home and spend a day or two sleeping; and then I begin to reflect on the con. Continue Reading
The new Miss USA is Rima Fikah from Dearborn, Michigan. As her name and home town suggest, she is Arab-American — of Lebanese descent, from a Shiite Moslem family and apparently the first Arab-American and Moslem to win the title. She got onto the pageant circuit hoping to pay off her college tuition. Continue Reading
It’s a gray day, and I am struggling with writing that is not going well. The Gulf oil spill sounds worse and worse. The news from Washington is not pleasant. I used to say that every president made the previous president look better. I don’t think Obama makes Bush look better, but I don’t like Obama at all. Continue Reading
I am watching the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico spread. It seems to me that the New York Times is giving it less coverage than the Icelandic volcano, which is a small volcano, as the Icelanders kept pointing out. An inconvenience for air travelers, but not a crisis except for the farmers living right next to the eruption. No one died. Continue Reading
Lyda Morehouse and I were talking about what makes a break-out writer.
I have some sense of what makes a mid-list writer: competent writing skills, reasonable production, the ability to listen to advice from agents and editors — who may not always be right, but do have some idea of what’s commercial. It’s how they make their living, after all. Continue Reading
Patrick and I drove up to Duluth and spent a few hours wandering around Canal Park. The sky and the lake were both bright blue.
Coming back, I worried about money. We have both been out of work for a year now. I wonder if it’s time to admit defeat and say we are not going to work again.
As far as I know, 15-20% of the working population is still unemployed or underemployed. Continue Reading
When I began writing, I felt I could not write unless there was inspiration, a sudden descent of the muse or whatever. In more recent years, I feel I can push along without the muse. However, it’s hard to start without something: an idea that interests me, a compelling image.
Ring of Swords began with an idea or maybe a question. Continue Reading