Lynda Barry –
Cartoonist, Novelist, and Filipina Redhead:
What It Is

Review by Ariadne Unst.

What It Is by Lynda Barry. All books by Lynda Barry. Lynda Barry's Reads a Cartoon Book.

What It Is by Lynda Barry. New in 2008. Brilliant visual workshop for writers. One Hundred Demons by Lynda Barry. A treat to see her art evolve in new voices, leading to this beautiful, all-color book of heart-breaking cartoon stories. The! Greatest! of! Marlys! by Lynda Barry. Endearing, hilarious, and touching, the life of goofy and creative pre-teen Marlys, with her sister, freaky brother, and cousins. The messy excitement of adolescence in the best (or Greatest!) of selected cartoons from 1986-2000,

Related pages: Home. How to Write (books). How to Write (recipe). How to Read: books. How to Listen.

Why this book is great:

  Teaches you to draw, write, sing.

  Gorgeously illustrated with ink-link drawings, watercolor, and collage.

  Provides a thousand and one places for you to begin writing.

  Teaches you how to follow the wandering mind ... this "takes practice".

  Tells you about time:

We say I do not have that kind of time. The kind of time I have is not for this but for that. I wish I had that kind of time. But if you had that kind of time, would you do it? Would you give it a try? This kind of doing both takes and gives time -- makes live the dead hours inside us. But how to begin it? And [p. 81] she shows you.

  Shows the value of your hand being in motion.

  Shows the seriousness of play.

  Gives you the answer to the questions

• "What is an idea made of?"

• "Where are images found?"

• "Do memories have mass? ... motion? ... inertia?"

• "What is the formless thing that gives things form?"

• What and where "is a story before it becomes words?"

• "Why are monsters in so many old stories?"

• "What was yours [your monster as a child]?"

• "What is a mood?"

• "What is the difference between lying and pretending?"

• "What makes something meaningful?"

• "Why write by hand?"

• And more ... much more!

  A willingness to explore bad memories as well as good.

The real joy is knowing that if you felt the trouble in the story, your kingdom isn't dead. [p. 54]

  Written and illustrated by Lynda Barry!

Great books by Lynda Barry:

	The! Greatest! of! Marlys! by Lynda Barry. Endearing, hilarious, and touching, the life of goofy and creative pre-teen Marlys, with her sister, freaky brother, and cousins. The messy excitement of adolescence in the best (or Greatest!) of selected cartoons from 1986-2000,
	One Hundred Demons by Lynda Barry. A treat to see her art evolve in new voices, leading to this beautiful, all-color book of heart-breaking cartoon stories.
	Cruddy by Lynda Barry. An illustrated novel that is engaging and harrowing. This is an extremely dark and weird and funny book.

Related pages: Home. How to Write (books). How to Write (recipe). How to Read: books. How to Listen.

Copyright © 2008-2012 by Ariadne Unst.

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