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  • The Elegant Variation is "Fowler’s (1926, 1965) term for the inept writer’s overstrained efforts at freshness or vividness of expression. Prose guilty of elegant variation calls attention to itself and doesn’t permit its ideas to seem naturally clear. It typically seeks fancy new words for familiar things, and it scrambles for synonyms in order to avoid at all costs repeating a word, even though repetition might be the natural, normal thing to do: The audience had a certain bovine placidity, instead of The audience was as placid as cows. Elegant variation is often the rock, and a stereotype, a cliché, or a tired metaphor the hard place between which inexperienced or foolish writers come to grief. The familiar middle ground in treating these homely topics is almost always the safest. In untrained or unrestrained hands, a thesaurus can be dangerous."
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« REPORT: LESLIE SCHWARTZ READING | Main | REPORT: SWINK MAGAZINE PARTY »

July 12, 2004

L.A. EVENT - MEDIABISTRO.COM'S LIT

We had the pleasure of chatting with Darcy Cosper at the Swink shindig and we discussed her upcoming event, LIT - A mixer for literary Los Angeles. Darcy has "made the round trip", having been born here, then spent time in Portland and New York before returning home. She's one more person working hard to build a community of literary types right here in big old nasty spread out L.A., and she's hoping that the event will be successful enough to become monthly. Swink Editor Leelila Strogov is one of the guests of honor, as are the editors and writers of the new essay anthology My California: Journeys by Great Writers.

The details are below, and all comers are welcome but you are asked to make sure to R.S.V.P. if you'd like to attend.

LIT

a mixer for literary Los Angeles

WHO:
Writers, readers, and editors of novels, stories, poems, essays, plays, monologues, arts and culture criticism and reviews, screenplays, television, cocktail-napkin manifestos, and so on.

WHEN:
Tuesday, July 13, 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM

WHERE:
Pentimento Restaurant and Bar on the courtyard at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art Wilshire Boulevard between Fairfax and La Brea. Free parking available.

WHY:
Because not all writers live in NYC — so get out and represent the L.A. literati, you bibliophile, you ink slinger, you savvy subversive scribe.

Come carouse with your fellow writers and readers, enjoy complimentary wine, get special prices on signature summer drinks, and toast to our guests of honor:

-Leelila Strogov, editor-in-chief of the acclaimed new L.A.-based literary magazine Swink

-Editors and writers of the new essay anthology My California: Journeys by Great Writers.

Hosted by mediabistro.com Sponsored by LACMA’s Muse membership program for art enthusiasts on the cutting edge. Callaway Wine courtesy of the Patina Group and Muse.

RSVP absolutely positively required – click here to add your name to the guest list.

We'll be there looking socially inept and carrying our little black Moleskine notebook so do come on up and say "hi." And we're serious about the whole RSVP thing, ok? Don't even think of showing up without one, 'cause "Friend of TEV" doesn't mean a damn thing out there (as we're learning rather painfully).

Posted by TEV at 12:28 AM |

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