Friday, November 17, 2006

Ten miles of ground glass

Many of you Usual Suspects probably saw this, but in case you didn't (or if you're an Unusual Suspect in need of reading suggestions for the weekend), the NYT is carrying an obit for Nick Proffitt, correspondent turned novelist.

That's the sort of leap that everybody talks about but few, perhaps fortunately, make. It's built deeply enough into the cultural DNA that reporters in journalism novels have unfinished novels in their desk drawers too (I'm thinking of Philip Caputo's "DelCorso's Gallery," which also contains the greatest resignation-by-Telex line since Flavius Josephus). Nick made it well enough to turn out three of the things, each worth your attention.

Obligatory copydesk sermon? Sit on your hands first time through a story. Sometimes, the words are in the right order when they get to us.

I think I'll read a bit of "Gardens of Stone" tonight (I'd forgotten the female lead was up from the Foremost Newspaper of the Carolinas). Cheers.

1 Comments:

Blogger Strayhorn said...

I did not know of this and am very sorry to hear it. I recall several pleasant evenings at their house and the fabulous fur jacket that Marti sported after his book was sold.

8:13 AM, November 22, 2006  

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