Desk Notes by Charles Schifano

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Listen, Memory
A remarkable coincidence that feels suspicious.
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Charles Schifano
23
Maximization
The best method for pursuing luxury and success is through austerity.
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Charles Schifano
12
Sensations of Childhood
Summertime, when you’re young, lasts forever.
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Charles Schifano
14
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The Problem With Contemporary Writing
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5
Making Judgements
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5
First Drafts
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6
How to Practice Writing
 • Charles Schifano
2
Some Notes on Self-Sabotage
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11
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On Perfection
When a new idea strikes—in the shower, during a walk, amid a lively conversation—the moment feels limitless.
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Charles Schifano
14
Tests of Fluency
Two original tests for fluency in a language.
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Charles Schifano
The Shaping of Character
Defining yourself by your preferences is a fragile way of living.
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Charles Schifano
7
Speaking with an Accent
You’re either from right here, or you’re from over there, and we’ll know the answer once you speak.
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Charles Schifano
2
Perfectly Imperfect
The truth is that I prefer a little complexity, or even a little dysfunction.
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Charles Schifano
13
Those Who Can't Teach
Never underestimate the power of stupidity to reach unimagined vistas.
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Charles Schifano
12
Always Improving
To glance into the rearview mirror as an artist is to glance at an uncomfortably large disaster just behind you.
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Charles Schifano
4
The Power Struggle
The purpose of life.
8
Regret and Remorse
In the sticky heat of a midsummer day, when I am around six years old, I sit at the counter of a smoky bar.
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Charles Schifano
4
Desk Notes by Charles Schifano
Desk Notes by Charles Schifano
Exploring writing, travel, and literature.
Most Popular—Literature
The Problem With Contemporary Writing
To care about the state and quality of writing today is to scream into a void while knowing that the void does nothing but laugh.
Losing a Language
If you have ever learned a new language, you will recognize these struggles.
Most Popular—Personal
Soundless
Nothing makes you doubt the merits of a music education more than a neighbor who takes up the violin.
Whisper
In the São Paulo summer, the air is salty and thick and the rains are always just minutes away.
Most Popular—Contemporary
The Power Struggle
The purpose of life, it seems abundantly clear, is to charge your devices.
How We Read Now
To stroll through the modern library in your pocket is to watch the once static and eternal books around you contort and transform before your very eyes.

Desk Notes by Charles Schifano

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