March 16, 2024
On remembered joys, advice to forget, and the power (or limits) of memory
Greetings!
Old friends and new, it is a delight to have you back for another dose of reading, writing, and randomness. To conjure up today’s theme, reflect upon this quote:
Quote of the Week:
"Memory is the diary we all carry about with us."
– Oscar Wilde
A Series I Enjoy Reading Even More Than I Remembered:
The Sandman by Neil Gaiman. When I was in middle school, I loved comic books. I collected them like kids today collect … TikTok followers? Anyway, I had hundreds of them, boarded and poly-bagged in long white boxes, everything from mainstream superhero titles to indie one-offs. As much as I liked X-Men and Spawn, I didn’t really go back through them after the initial read-through; I got the gist the first time.
The Sandman was different, though. It was dark, yes, and weird and confusing, but I knew something unique was happening on those pages, something I could decipher if I just went back and read them again. I bought every new copy when it came out, and snatched up any old ones that appeared in the backroom of Hey Kids! Comics! When the series ended, I had a reasonable clue what had happened, but I couldn’t be sure.
Thirty years later (long after I sold those long white boxes), I picked up a collection of The Sandman in graphic novel form — a whole story arc in one book. I read it in a day; the old characters came back to me like old friends, and that familiar uncertainty walked with me through the pages once again. Not only did the tales of Dream hold up after all this time, they seem better now — more comprehensible, yes, but all the more delightfully deep and mysterious for that. A Game of You is a terrific story arc, and The Kindly Ones is the pinnacle of the series, but I suggest you dive right in the middle with Season of Mists … that’s what you do in most dreams anyway, isn’t it?
Writing to Forget:
“Garbage Out, Gold In.” I had the pleasure of doing an author visit at a middle school today, and several students asked me for advice about overcoming Writer’s Block. I explained that this “block” doesn’t happen because we run out of ideas; rather, we come up with ideas we don’t like and we can’t move past them.
A solution? Get the garbage out of the way so fresh ideas can pop up. Write down those stupid, silly, or just plain illogical thoughts to clear your head … and then keep writing. Something different (if not better) will occur to you, and you’ll get those wheels moving again. Repeat until you have a thought you actually want to pursue, and boom! You’re already writing, so you can run with it.
A Humbling Display of Our Memory’s Limits:
Humans vs Chimps. When I first saw this video, I was stunned. How is this possible? Was it the product of clever editing? A fun prank? An AI deep fake? Trust me — this is 100% real. And don’t forget it!
And that's it! Did you like what you saw? Please share Lau’s Little List with anyone who you think would enjoy an extra dose of reading, writing, and randomness in their lives!
I would greatly appreciate any feedback you'd like to provide. Which recommendation was your favorite? What would you like to see more or less of in the next installment? Do you have any other suggestions? Feel free to leave a comment below with your thoughts.