Betsy Devine: Funny ha-ha and/or funny peculiar

Making trouble today for a better tomorrow…

Betsy Devine: Funny ha-ha and/or funny peculiar header image 4

Those “I figured out what’s wrong with me” moments

August 4th, 2004 · No Comments

I remember once, in college, going in tears to my advisor to tell him,
“I’ve figured out what’s wrong with me! When I’m sober, I act the way most people act when they’re drunk.”

“Yes?” My advisor was unimpressed by this tragedy. “I assume you have noticed most people like to get drunk?”

* . * . *

Tonight I found an ugly flaw in some writing I’d been proud of–thanks to John Gardner’s On Becoming a Novelist.

This time, I don’t want anybody to make kind excuses– “It isn’t a bug,
it’s a feature.” It’s a bug, dammit, and it’s mine. But now that I’ve
seen it, I’m going to take great care in crushing it into a sticky
green ewwwww spot.

Tags: Learn to write good