PAULA WHYMAN
curiouswriter

In which we wonder about writing, food, music,  
& random curious events. 

The latest Authors Guild Bulletin contains seemingly contradictory statements about the creative process by two well-known writers.

Ian McEwan, author of Atonement and Amsterdam, insists that "one thing that's missing from the discussion of literature in the academy is the pleasure principle. Not only the pleasure of the reader but also of the writer. Writing is a self-pleasuring act."

I'll leave that alone for a moment in order to quote Roald Dahl, from the same issue of the Bulletin:

"It happens to be a fact that nearly every fiction writer in the world drinks more whisky than is good for him. He does it to give himself faith, hope, and courage. A person is a fool to become a writer. His only compensation is absolute freedom."

So, which is it?

Mr. McEwan appears to take a great deal more pleasure in his work than most writers I know do in theirs. If this is the case, I'm eager to learn more about his process. But I can't help wondering if both Mr. McEwan's self-pleasure and Mr. Dahl's absolute freedom could be illusions brought on by the whisky...

This just in: The Army Corps of Engineers, an organization with a long history of dubious environmental "management" projects, is finally planning an assault on a longstanding enemy of safety and stability: The Tree.

The Corps has just declared its intention to clear all trees growing within 15 feet of levees--that's 100,000 miles of levees, including everywhere from California to Louisiana--on the theory that the tree roots could interfere and compromise levee stability. There is, apparently, no solid proof that this is the case. But when the Corps has a hunch, well...

You, with your hand raised in the back, you have a question, or just an itch? Oh, you say, won't removing all trees from the wetlands and rivers surrounding levees cause widespread erosion, habitat destruction and destabilization?

Nah.
I'm sure the Army Corps knows best. Just like when they drained part of the Everglades. Yeah, just like that.

Here's the full story.