Old Man and Me

I finished "The Old Man and the Sea" by Ernest Hemingway last night during our flight to Florida. This was my first time reading the novella (Remember Zionsvillians, I came to honors English late) and I must admit, I enjoyed it a great deal more than Hemingway's dull "The Sun Also Rises."

First, I love the novella short form. "The Old Man in the Sea" is just the perfect length to keep me interested before reading ADD strikes. Second, it's wonderfully focused, a virtue sadly lacking in the aforementioned "The Sun Also Rises." Third, I love Hemingway's sparse prose. I see my own style of writing reflected in Hemingway's superior rhythms. And fourth, I was inspired by "The Old Man in the Sea" because I think I detected weak spots in the prose. Detecting weak spots is just a step from correcting them and this gave me a boost of confidence in my own writing skills.

Too bad Greg had to send me a few of his most recent short stories. Superbly crafted, Greg. I am jealous!