Why is a Raven Like a Writing Desk?

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Why is a raven like a writing desk?

The Mad Hatter poses this riddle to Alice in Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland.

“Have you guessed the riddle yet?” the Hatter said, turning to Alice again.

“No, I give it up,” Alice replied. “What’s the answer?”

“I haven’t the slightest idea,” said the Hatter.

“Nor I,” said the March Hare.

Alice sighed wearily. “I think you might do something better with the time,” she said, “than wasting it in asking riddles that have no answers.”

I, too, puzzle over the riddle, but unlike Alice, I am not so quick to label the asking as a waste of time. And although Carroll himself has said the riddle has no answer, I think it is this that intrigues me most. The riddle then becomes, for me, a mirror of my own life. A constant question that changes meaning daily…and the answer always seems to be a breath away. If I can just think it out, examine it long enough. Like the Seeing Eye pictures that were all the rage in the 90′s – if I stare at it long enough, perhaps I can see the beautiful picture of a fish within the confusing kaleidoscope of colour. In truth, I never have been able to make anything out of those Seeing Eye pictures. My friends would gasp as the image came into view for them, while I strained my eyes to glimpse anything other than the mess of pigment splattered on the paper. But I never could give up looking. And I feel I’ll never give up asking. Why is a raven like a writing desk? I’m not sure, but I’ll pluck the feather from the raven, dip it in some ink, put pen to paper, and perhaps in the writing, I will find the answer.

11 thoughts on “Why is a Raven Like a Writing Desk?”

    1. Thanks, Ladonna. I would love to hear what you come up with in the writing 🙂 How’s everythingn going this week? Hope you had a nice weekend and thanks, as always, for supporting me.

  2. For some reason I feel like the answer to the riddle can be found in the rookery of Tower Black, at the Wall in Westros. By the way, does the raven happen to have a third eye? 😉

    I hadn’t thought about those Seeing Eye pictures in a while. They’re a great analogy for writing–especially for us pantsers. Sometimes we can’t see the picture until the first draft is complete. Then we can unfocus, ‘see’ it, and go back, painting our vision in for the muggles to see. “Clever girl,” said the March Hare. 🙂

    1. I wish the raven did have a third eye, maybe he could tell me how to fix these sagging middle rewrite issues. *sigh* I’m afraid I’m going to have to find out on my own.

      I love being lost in Westeros. Maybe George knows the answer. (in my mind we know each other on a first name basis) I would love to meet him and ask him. Who can write like George? He’s amazing.

      You use your quill, and I’ll use mine. Maybe we can all find parts of the answers together. Pansters unite! 🙂

  3. Super cool post! You sucked me in with Alice then dazzled me with a legit observation. I rather like that comparison, and I admire your dedication to figuring out the answer. I assume you’ll let the rest of the world in on it, right?

    Until then, enjoy that Raven quill.

    1. Hi Hope,
      Thanks for stopping by! I’m glad you enjoyed the post. I’ll totally let you know if I find the answer. 😀

  4. Like you, I want the answer to the riddle.
    I have a love/hate relationship with riddles. Like the end of the Dark Tower series, my mind recycles the un-answers(like unbirthdays)but in the purging I make my own riddles, and like Vaughn(as always) so astutely pointed out, this is much the process for a pantser. It’s our job to riddle the muggles, and paint the story for them.
    No matter how long I stared, I could never see the sailboat. I always saw something else between the splats.
    Great post, my kindred spirit.
    🙂

    1. Tonia, you are indeed my kindrid spirit. That’s what I love about the online writing community, the friends I’ve made are awesome! . As I said to Vaughn, I’ll use my quill and you use yours…we can share what we learn in the process and maybe the answer will become clearer. Pansters unite! 🙂

    1. Tymothy, thanks for stopping by! Lets keep searching. If you find the answer before I do, let me know. 🙂

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