How do you become a good writer?

And how do you define what a good writer is?

I just read a great article by Tom Chiarella in this month’s Esquire. The prose was sharp, tight, and witty. I would love to be able to write a great sentence like that — where I can fully explain the scene and my emotions and the cause and effect, and keep it under seven words while still being funny.

I don’t think anyone can teach you how be a great writer, and that it comes naturally through practice. And I guess there are a lot of unseen re-writes, a lot of crap along the way to muddle through before you get that great sentence. It’s like the gold idol scene in the beginning of Raiders of the Lost Ark: Indiana Jones has to navigate through booby traps and treasonous, backstabbing guides and killer spiders before he gets that little golden sentence… and at the end of the act he ends up losing it anyway to the rival French archaeologist. The rival is his editor.

What’ll it be, boss?

I’ve been practicing saying that all this week as I attended bartending school down in Toms River. I’ve been unemployed for almost three months, I have no cash, and let’s face it: I need a job. I’ve always been interested in bartending (and by that I mean I like to look at hot bartenders while I binge drink at a bar), so I figured, what the hell?

To tell you the truth, I’ve been really enjoying the class, and I’ve been learning a lot more than just what goes into a stinger (brandy and white creme de menthe). Tomorrow is the big test, where I have to identify some types of liquors, fill in the ingredients for some specialty drinks, and do a practical test at the bar. Should be fun. Obviously (hopefully), this isn’t my next career, but I should make some decent cash.

Super/Fat/Celebration Tuesday

Well, I was wrong about the Super Bowl. Unbelievably, incomprehensibly wrong. And that’s A-OK with me. I am very happy that the Giants won the game, knocking off the Patriots* and rendering their 18-0 (now 18-1) record absolutely meaningless. Congrats to the Giants, maybe us Jets fans will get a break one of these days.

There was a parade in Manhattan today for the G-Men, and it’s also Fat Tuesday in New Orleans. And it’s also Super Tuesday. So I hope you’ve been gettin’ out the vote. Speaking of that, I’ve had an idea to spin off a politics-only blog from this one. I’m not sure about that yet, but I think it would be a cool idea as the primary season heats up and November draws closer. Hmmm. The more I think about it, the more I like it.

I’m also going to sign up for bartending school tomorrow as I continue to look for a job AND think about graduate school. I need some quick cash, and I like the whole idea of mixology, so why not? Looks like we hit all three categories (soon to be only 2???) in this post.

What are you lookin’ at?

So, welcome to my blog. I love sports, I love politics, and I’m living a life with seemingly no direction. Sit back and enjoy.