The Way of all Words

“Most of the basic material a writer works with is acquired before the age of fifteen.” — Willa Cather

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A few years back, one of my grandchildren mentioned that whenever she writes a story, “I let the pen go where the pen wants to go.” She was nine at the time.

I took note of it because it was one of the better insights into a style of writing I admire, plus I’ve learned over time to listen carefully to kids when I’m thinking about how to tell a good story.

Most writing teachers will tell you to focus on the structure of your story; they may even advise you to work from an outline. There is nothing wrong with that advice, especially for school or work assignments. But there’s also nothing more likely to suffocate your creative impulses than having too detailed of a plan. 

Therefore, when it comes to story-telling/writing , I’m of the opinion that you just have to work yourself into the right mood. The one where you can just let it flow. Out there beyond where any known form of outlining can take you.

So how do you get there? Methods vary. Some people meditate. Some pour a drink (not recommended.) Some light up a joint (really not recommended, you’ll never get started.) Some nap. Some exercise. The very best way for me is to meet up with a friend for coffee. 

Anyway, once you’re writing you’ll know you’re on the right track if — to paraphrase my granddaughter — the story is going where the story wants to go, plus that’s where you want it to go as well.

(Thanks to Sophia.)

NOTE: I’ll get back to the Trump tsunami of outrageous acts soon. I just had to take a break from that stuff to preserve what is left of my sanity. But one thing — Go Canada!

HEADLINES:

• Canada announces retaliatory tariffs on long-time ally (Reuters)

• Why tariffs on Mexico and Canada could drive up grocery costs, in 3 charts (CNN)

• Trump tariffs will cost U.S. households $830 a year, study says (Axios)

• Trump hits Canada, China and Mexico with tariffs (Reuters)

• Canada, Mexico Want America to Feel the Pain of Tariffs Too (WSJ)

• Our Health in the Hands of a Man Who’d Make Us Sick (NYT)

• Pro-RFK Jr. letter to the Senate includes names of doctors whose licenses were revoked or suspended (Politico)

• Wiping out ‘gender ideology’ (Reuters)

• Washington Crash Renews Concerns About Air Safety Lapses (NYT)

• Army helicopter was alerted to plane’s presence two minutes before collision (WP)

• EPA workers receive emails warning their employment could be terminated (CNN)

• CBS News Set to Hand Over Transcript of ‘60 Minutes’ Interview to F.C.C. (NYT)

• Pentagon removes major media outlets, including NBC News, from dedicated workstations in new 'rotation program' (NBC)

• Exclusive: Musk aides lock Office of Personnel Management workers out of computer systems (Reuters)

• How an arcane Treasury Department office became ground zero in the war over federal spending (CNN)

• See how thousands of federal agency websites have changed under Trump (WP)

• FBI Agents Are Stunned by the Scale of the Expected Trump Purge (Atlantic)

• Trump prepares to revoke legal status for many migrants who arrived under Biden (CNN)

• House GOP is nearing a massive tax and spending bill for Trump’s agenda (WP)

• 183 Palestinian prisoners freed from Israeli jail after Hamas releases three Israeli hostages (BBC)

• How the World Is Reeling From Trump’s Aid Freeze (NYT)

• What Does Chinese AI Start-Up DeepSeek Mean for Nvidia Stock? (Motley Fool)

• DeepSeek Arrived. America Freaked. What Happens Now? (WSJ)

• DeepSeek: What lies under the bonnet of the new AI chatbot? (BBC)

• The Media: Are They Media-Obsessed? (The Onion)