Motus Mentis

2 Comments

1. Jason says

   I’ve actually seen this snippet once before Malcolm, testifying perhaps to its popularity. It was at Claire Berlinski’s Substack or Twitter, where the classical liberal journalist said something to the effect that Bowie oozes cool in the video.

   Anyway, it’s a good message for me to ponder starting the new year, an epoch where as you allude we may fulfill the traditional Chinese curse of living in interesting times. Without getting too much into autobiography, since last February I’ve embarked on an ambition since early adolescence, penning a short novel. It’s been a trial (although blessedly not Kafkaesque!), with a perennial awareness of how mediocre or even poor my dialogue and prose is in comparison with mentors, notably the late mystery noir novelist Patricia Highsmith (auhor of Strangers on a Train upon which the Hitchcock film is based, as well as the Tom Ripley series which have translated into myriad films where Dennis Hopper, Alain Delon, Matt Damon, and John Malkovich each portrays the curious anti-hero). Having completed the first fifty pages of Act One, it’s also nerve-racking swimming into the deep end for the final two acts, where I’ll be very much out of my comfort zone.

   Obviously I need to stop whining and just get on with it. As Bowie suggests, the important thing is not to worry about others but to simply satisfy oneself. Merely two pages a day should get me to my goal of approximately 270 pages by the end of March, something I could derive satisfaction and a healthy sense of accomplishment from.

   Best to you Malcolm this new year, as well as JK, Whitewall, and other commentators.

   Posted January 2, 2024 at 5:37 pm | Permalink
2. Malcolm says

   Jason: good for you! Though I’ve been meaning to attempt writing a book for ages, I can never seem to get going with it, so I admire your resolve.

   Posted January 2, 2024 at 5:48 pm | Permalink