Articles We Love
Here’s Elaine Appleton Grant again with a guest post. One of my New Year’s Resolutions isn’t just to increase my sales, but to improve my writing and write more complex and literary features. I needed a little inspiration, so I did two things: I went back and reread some of my favorite articles, and I asked writers on an online forum for their favorites. Now’s your chance: what have you read in the last 1, 2, 5, 10 years that you love? Post it here, tell us why, and I’ll compile the list and repost the whole thing later. To start it off, here are two of mine, both by The New Yorker’s Malcolm Gladwell:
“The Pitchman,” about Ron Popeil, of infomercial fame. This is really, really fun — and brilliantly written.
“Smaller,” about, believe it or not, the technology of diapers. What I’d give to have the kind of mind that ferrets out ideas like this – that you can look at diaper technology as a way in to understanding the miniaturization of just about anything! And funny, of course:
My father, also a writer, always reminded me that “you have to read the other guy’s stuff” if you want to be a good writer. We’ll be reading lots of the other guys’ stuff in my course, “Magazine Writing Basics,” which is still open for new registrations!
A couple years ago, I picked up the “Money Issue” of The New Yorker. Inside was fascinating essay written by Meghan Daum about her descent into debt, despite being well-educated, smart, etc. It was raw, honest, and made me uncomfortable — I suppose I’d rather talk (and read!) about sex than money. Ooo, and it’s online: http://www.meghandaum.com/articles_by/art_by_misspent_youth.html . Back in the early 90s, the Hartford Courant had a Sunday magazine, and it was filled with surprisingly good narratives. One I recall was written by Nancy Slonim Aronie, about her short-lived tenure working with the volatile editor Frances Lear. It was funny, sad, intelligent — all the things I love in a good story. Oh how I wish I could find back issues of this magazine, because there are a lot of stories worth re-reading. Also, Tom Junod’s “Falling Man,” a longer reported story about the haunting (is iconic the right word?) photo of a WTC worker falling to his death on 9/11. It’s a horrible subject, but utterly fascinating with this writer’s skill. Here’s the link, with a warning: many people find the photo disturbing and it’s front and center on the web page: http://www.esquire.com/features/ESQ0903-SEP_FALLINGMAN .
Many years ago, Esquire ran a profile on Mr. Rogers that’s still one of the most incredible things I’ve read. I had to search like crazy to find an online version (it’s since been taken off Esquire’s site) and this was best I could find: http://www.thedqtimes.com/pages/castpages/other/fredrogerscanyousayheropg1.htm
Robert, I’m so glad you thought of that story and went to the trouble to find it! Now that you bring it up, I remember it — and it’s absolutely phenomenal. I got a little teary-eyed just thinking about it. It’s the kind of story that makes me wish I could write like that!
Elaine
This essay by Vanessa Sands comes immediately to mind. She said everything I would have said, but much better. Maybe I still had some pregnancy hormones left over when I first read it and sobbed (the happy kind) all the way through. Even reading it now is like reliving the first few months of motherhood.
http://pregnancyandbaby.com/pregnancy/baby/Stay-at-home-parenting-as-a-career-choice-5150.htm
It takes “you just had to be there” and it puts you there. I love it.
Carolyn
This seems pretty uncanny. And, I’m a pretty long in the tooth 62 year old male re-emerging writer whose not very gushy. BUT, I came to this site about three weeks ago. How I found it, I don’t remember, but I was looking for a site like this. I need(ed) a source to read and possibly share writing experiences. Then, WHAM! I find the Renegade Writer website.
After exploring the site and reading for about two days, I’m duly impressed. I order LF’s and DB’s books: “The Renegade Writer: A Totally Unconventional Guide…”, and “Renegade Writer’s Query Letters.”
I’m busy with other stuff for about two weeks. I return. there’s a post from Ms. Elaine Appleton Grant. She responds to a Jan. 3 “Articles We Love,” from this section. She’s talking about Malcolm Gladwell, and mentions an article: “The Pitchman,” I read, about same, only three days ago! I also read Gladwell’s “None of the above: What I.Q. doesn’t tell you about race,” in the New Yorker.
I’m thinking: “Ive got to read more of this guys stuff. He’s absolutely mesmerizing.”
So, what lead me to this site? Were the odds of finding such a site that seems to personally speak to me “pre-ordained”? Is it my karma or LF’s and DB’s compelling sales pitch? I don’t know. All I know is after writing off and on for the last 12 to 15 years over a 30 year period, It’s time for me to do what I want: full time writing. That’s how I will go out. Doing what I want to do.
Thanks Mss. LF, DB and Grant.
Clarence