Hats off to Raymond Chandler
“Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery that mediocrity can pay to greatness.” So said Oscar Wilde.
While I hope my work isn’t mediocre, I can understand the sentiment behind the statement. We who doff our caps at others are acknowledging something which we appreciate and would probably like to do or achieve.
I have a weakness for reading Raymond Chandler. Every once in a while I’ll return to any one of a number of books on my shelf. A great writer. By all accounts a greater drinker also, but that’s neither here nor there. I’ve always loved reading Chandler and, not so long ago, as an idea to ‘unblock’, I wrote a small, Chandleresque sketch. It only runs to 68 words but after doing so I found a new impetus to my writing.
I hope you don’t find it too mediocre…
She offered me a coffee. I took it like a man. Black, no sugar; like my mood. I don’t know which discount supermarket she’d bought it from but even with hot water added it was as dry as a Saharan wind. I managed to drink it without pulling any expression except appearing concentrated on what she was saying, which wasn’t much. Her words flowed like an uphill stream.
My Words, My World 