Patrick DeWitt Archives • DAVID G

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BETTER MEN? BETTER THAN WHAT?

October 11, 2024 by David Gillaspie

The idea of better men is different than Best Man. If you’ve ever been selected as a Best Man, you know what better feels like. Somehow, someone valued your friendship, in spite of how you might value yourself. Can anyone be a better man? Let’s not get carried away.

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: accountable, allen ginsberg, American President, athletes, author, best man, better, better man, better men, blog, blogger, Blogging, boomerpdx, community, current author, dependable men, failure, fence, good, good man, inspired children, JFK, Kurt Vonnegut, old men, Patrick DeWitt, plan, public, public good, public service, responsible, sports, value, vote, voter, voting, writer, writers, young men

FAST LEARNING WITH PATRICK DEWITT AND BOB COMET

August 22, 2024 by David Gillaspie

Reading new material for fast learning is the way to go. Hands on experience? Also good when combined with reading new material. But something happens when new material comes in the way of reading a novel. The novel is ‘The Librarianist’ by Patrick deWitt.

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: bob comet, content management, experience, fast learning, French exit, good impression, great writing, hands on, Huck Finn, impression, learning, Love, love actually, love story, Mark Twain, Martin freeman, new beginning, new material, novel writing, Patrick DeWitt, reading, sisters brothers, the librarianist, time travel, Tom Sawyer, writer's skill, writers

LOVE STORY WITH CLOSING DOORS AND WINDOWS

July 20, 2024 by David Gillaspie

The love story in The Last Rave is a warning. But a warning for who? From a gender perspective it’s a warning for women who want more from their guy. Turns out some guys have bigger problems than women who want them to want more with them.

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: acid, blog, blogger, cocaine, cough syrup, drugs, education, Emily witt, enthusiasm, history, Love, love story partner, LSD, MARRIAGE, marriage counseling, party, Patrick DeWitt, rave, raves, relationship, relationships, the last rave, the New Yorker, warning, weed, writer, writers, writing

YOU WANT ME TO WANT TO?

July 17, 2024 by David Gillaspie

In Patrick DeWitt’s novel French Exit, the mom asks her thirty-two year old son to get something for her. “Please bring me my cup.” “I will if you want me to.” “I want you to want to.” And he obeys. So I ask . . .

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: baby boomer, being happy, best writers, blog post, bloggers, BOOMER, capabilities, complain, guilt, happy, Ken Kesey, novel, oregon arts watch, Oregon book awards, Patrick DeWitt, potential, quitters, want to, will, willing, writers

COMPLAIN, COMPLAIN, COMPLAIN

June 29, 2024 by David Gillaspie

If a writer isn’t complaining, what are the other options? After a quick look since I came up with nothing, it’s praise. Praising. But we’re not used to praising. That needs to change.

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: authentic, authentic writing, be authentic, blog, blogger, common man, complain, complain culture, complain effectively, complaining, complaint, culture, dread, education, family, favoritism, fear, French exit, manchurian candidate, Patrick DeWitt, politician, politics, praise, praise the lord, praising, screaming, stage fright, write, writer, yelling

SISTERS BROTHERS BOOK, MOVIE, AND MORE

June 25, 2024 by David Gillaspie

The Sisters Brothers by Patrick DeWitt spooked me from the moment it showed up. What kind of tricky title was that. Would it be about brothers and sisters, sisters who wanted to be brothers? I had to find out, and so I did. I picked it up and read it. Then what?

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: aboutions, book, book review, book reviews, library, Mark Twain, movie, movie review, new author, novel, Patrick DeWitt, picaresque, picaresque novels, Portland, sisters brothers, story, t c boyle, the librarianist, twitter, unlettered, writer, writers, writing class, writing dream, writing reality

WRITING ROOTS: HOW DEEP DO THEY GROW

April 27, 2024 by David Gillaspie

Writing roots are reading roots. Everybody knows that from their first grade if they had a teacher as good as Mrs. Baker. I recall her saying, ‘Our writing is a reflection of our reading.’ I believed it then as I believe it now. (Folding a corner to mark my place in Patrick DeWitt’s novel The […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: characters, comeback story, conflict, English major, family roots, history major, Patrick DeWitt, readers, reading, reading roots, sisters brothers, story, story structure, teacher, work roots, write, writer, writing, writing roots, written story