Andy Unedited
Exploring Books, Life, and Writing
When we write, starting with an outline is almost impossible. That’s the case I make in Write Better (chapter 3, if you are interested). First comes observing, thinking, questioning, reading, researching, discussing, jotting notes, and maybe drafting paragraphs. Somewhere in the middle we start organizing our ideas. New York Times columnist David Brooks describes how …
When I was in elementary school, I struggled to read. I remember one particularly embarrassing episode when I was required to make a oral book report in third grade. I chose Winnie-The-Pooh, thinking it would be relatively easy to get through. Whether due to lack of discipline, lack of focus, or lack of confidence, I …
Recently I was interviewed by Melissa Wuske in Foreword Reviews, which has focused on independent book publishing since its inception. To whet your appetite, here’s an excerpt below. You can find the whole interview here. Accessibility has been a huge boon to writers and editors. With so much information digitized, in a few keystrokes we …
One of the main problems writers have is that we keep getting in the way of our own work. We fret if our ideas are any good, if our writing is stale, if anyone will enjoy it or be moved by it. Thinking about ourselves in this way can bring our work to full stop. …
The Old Testament has taken a lot of hits in recent years. And it’s understandable when all people see are harsh rules and religious wars. It can seem so unenlightened if not downright wrong. Let’s admit it. The Old Testament is a foreign country. Even when translated it can seem like it’s in a different …
Eighty years ago, as World War II was erupting, the president of the University of Chicago, Robert Maynard Hutchins, made a speech which sounds like it could have been given today. He leads with a strong assertion. “Democracy is not merely a good form of government; it is the best.” His reason for this is …
“Be an adult. Quit your whining. Grow up.” Jordan Peterson is the crusty, old coach who does not tolerate excuses, lack of effort, or stupid choices. He expects the best from you and won’t settle for anything less—not because he needs another victory but because he wants the best for you. Listening to him read …
We say thank you almost as much as we say hello. It’s common courtesy, acknowledging the value of a comment, a gesture, a favor, and of the worth of those around us. It binds us to our fellow humans, even if we do it somewhat mechanically. In recent years I’ve been thinking about a deeper …
It’s not too early to think about that graduation speech you are going to give next May. David Brooks has some ideas about what you should not say. Early in The Second Mountain, David Brooks delivers a devastating critique of the hyper-individualism one usually hears in commencement speeches: Be yourself. The future is limitless. Look …
When it comes to the Bible, scholars and non-scholars have something in common. We can both get lost in minutia. Academics can get lost in the details of philology and morphology. The rest of us are prone to proof-texting, ripping verses or phrases out of context as if the Bible were a book of disconnected …