A Venn diagram designed by author Jimmy Chen. This pie chart illustrates what’s in my head in terms of what I think about writing, and who goes where. This of course is just a partial list, and my apologies for the lack of contemporaries, and women. Again, this is a view into my head, and probably subject to some disagreement. I think of all writing being from the head (pros: cerebral, conceptual; cons: didactic, dry), the mouth (pros: language, poetics; cons: empty banter, pure form), and the heart (pros: empathic, intimate; cons: sentimental, emotional) . My favorite writers, those in the white dashed center, are able to write from all three places. Other writers I admire are writing from two places. Others tend to fall into just one category, somewhat consumed by that point of view. Authors near the outer edges of their category may be seen as my critique of them, for the excessiveness of that sensibility. It would be interesting to see where you disagree, and why, and list those who I’ve failed to mention, and place them accordingly.

A Venn diagram designed by author Jimmy Chen.

This pie chart illustrates what’s in my head in terms of what I think about writing, and who goes where. This of course is just a partial list, and my apologies for the lack of contemporaries, and women. Again, this is a view into my head, and probably subject to some disagreement. I think of all writing being from the head (pros: cerebral, conceptual; cons: didactic, dry), the mouth (pros: language, poetics; cons: empty banter, pure form), and the heart (pros: empathic, intimate; cons: sentimental, emotional) . My favorite writers, those in the white dashed center, are able to write from all three places. Other writers I admire are writing from two places. Others tend to fall into just one category, somewhat consumed by that point of view. Authors near the outer edges of their category may be seen as my critique of them, for the excessiveness of that sensibility. It would be interesting to see where you disagree, and why, and list those who I’ve failed to mention, and place them accordingly.

5th August 2011
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Comments
jimmy chen venn diagram author writer 
  1. tycarpawa reblogged this from oliveryeh
  2. ceurosfitzner reblogged this from oliveryeh
  3. stirmymind reblogged this from lovecanleavetheroom
  4. axis-parataxis reblogged this from lovecanleavetheroom
  5. devilpod reblogged this from oliveryeh
  6. itscristeenuh reblogged this from anarexic
  7. infernalcakewalk reblogged this from oliveryeh
  8. herecomestheanxiety reblogged this from tristrapedia and added:
    I love the fact that James Joyce is directly in the middle
  9. missdisorder reblogged this from tristrapedia
  10. cigarettes-and-robatussin reblogged this from oliveryeh and added:
    interesting… although i feel chekhov belongs in the middle.
  11. hoperesideswithinthismess reblogged this from oliveryeh
  12. chpinterns reblogged this from oliveryeh
  13. ibethebutcher reblogged this from onehundreddollars and added:
    I’d say Burroughs is as much head as he is mouth.
  14. praisethefallen reblogged this from tragicregimeofinfinitedebt
  15. traversefamilypicnic reblogged this from youredoingitincorrectly and added:
    ok but why is nabokov, that puzzlebox of a writer, outside the Head? Vonnegut has no Heart? Salinger “a bouquet of late...
  16. youredoingitincorrectly reblogged this from traversefamilypicnic and added:
    You know, this is honestly pretty perfect other than… Rand is just a shitty writer who does not belong. I think Ginsberg...

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