Brevity might be the soul of wit (Shakespeare) and of lingerie (Dorothy Parker), but it has now evolved to be ubiquitous and fashionable in a wordy kind of way… Twitter stories, flash fiction, even one-sentence poems and one word responses to emails. However tantalizing or practical some of these are, too much abbreviated word-play is a bit like feeding mind and heart on nothing but hor d’oeuvres. I want to shout, “WHERE’S THE MAIN COURSE!”

An appreciation for short snappy creative writing seems somehow inevitable though. While the world lauds mindfulness, it demands multitasking and the expectations for productivity are ever-expanding. We just don’t have time for lengthy reads… and maybe we don’t have patience anymore. In any given moment it seems a thousand things call for our attention.

No doubt we also owe some of the penchant for sound-bites to our explosion of tech toys and social networking. I could certainly give them up if I had to, but I’d rather not. Nor do I want to give up the convenience and economy of my Kindle library, which is perfect for living in small spaces.

Nonetheless, on Saturdays like this – with no immediate deadlines, no appointments, no chores – I love to live in my big chair with a book and an iced coffee mojito. What luxury to get lost for long hours in an imagined world, painstakingly created, served up on paper with good old-fashioned paper binding.

Wishing you a pleasant Saturday.
Jamie

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International bestseller John Lescroart joins Alex Dolan on Thrill Seekers, Authors on Air, Blog Talk Radio

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