Love Stinks - Marlon James on Dylan, Curling in Indy

I get home from work at 3 pm. Tired enough, I decided against going out again for Downtown Muncie's First Thursday. I eat dinner - pork stew - and start on the email.

I found some interesting writing advice, and an idea, under a bad title on CrimeBriefs (anything mentioning Cornell Woolrich will get my attention, too bad he is forgotten today): 

WAS 'THE LEOPARD MAN' HOLLYWOOD'S FIRST SLASHER FILM?

Woolrich has written a proto-serial killer novel, but it is also as if he peered into the future and came back from it having watched giallo films from the 1960s and 70s. Between the first chapter and the denouement, Black Alibi consists of almost nothing but a series of elaborate set pieces ending with a woman stalked and murdered. Newly introduced characters are developed for us to know them slightly; that’s it. We care a little about them, no more. Then the killer eliminates them. About the police inspector leading the case, Robles, we know next to nothing other than his professional function, and Manning is not drawn in great depth. So we have characters well-sketched but briefly met, and we find no complexity in the episodic plot. All this means that the prose itself, the effects achieved through the writing, has to shoulder the burden of keeping the reader engaged. But Woolrich pulls it off; he maintains his grip through the tension and horror he evokes in the set pieces. In every chapter, as a future victim comes closer to her ultimate fate, the writing is highly descriptive. Woolrich emphasizes what the pursued woman hears, feels, sees, and imagines she sees. He is adept at creating suspense through prolongation, at slowing things down for the reader whenever a character’s terror mounts. And the reader, in his mind’s eye, can see what’s unfolding with a stark clarity. No wonder so many filmmakers over the years have chosen to adapt Woolrich’s works for the screen. 

 I find out Indy has a curling club. I got into curling with the 2010 Winter Olympics. Interesting things in Indy; I am pushing up against my ban against a car. I work on "Love Stinks" - the files won't open, I fix that, I try to figure out where I am, and I'm worn out by it all by 9 pm.

 Going out: Planning your 2024 Indy arts & culture calendar 

Curling on the Canal: Learn to Curl

Marlon James on Bob Dylan’s Nobel Prize, Authenticity as Pose, and Not Reading His Book Reviews 

I thought to get up at 4 am. When I woke at 2 (I keep waking up every few hours these past few weeks), I decided against it, to stick to my usual 5 am. I need to add green peppers to the stew, tidy the room, and finish this post. I remember now why I wanted to get up early. Ferrari departed Muncie. I see the doctor today. I will get back to "Love Stinks" tonight and this weekend. I answered an email from Paul S.

And I admit here Lana Del Ray fascinates me - I am not sure what her style signifies, or where she found it. The wispy voice is both whispery and strong.

 sch