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Learning To Write By The Big Guys
Read more: Learning To Write By The Big GuysHave you seen the ads, on Facebook but elsewhere too, where some of the best known names in writing say they will teach you to write? In some cases they even say they will teach you to write like them? Most of those “lessons” or “studies” are probably real. In most cases these are not bogus or scams, and…
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Obsolete, Part 2
Read more: Obsolete, Part 2Two years ago (see my post of 9/14/2014, “Obsolete”) I posted about words that are going out of style. Words such as “actress” and “comedienne” are disappearing because of the tendency to use one word to refer to both male and female performers. A female playing a role in a film or on stage is an actor,…
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All The Stuff We Throw Away
Read more: All The Stuff We Throw AwaySeveral weeks ago the apartment complex where I live suffered a breakdown of its trash pickup system. Normally, trash is emptied from the dumpsters on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. That means, in a normal week, trash accumulates usually for only two days, and for no more than three days over a weekend. But during this particular week, no trash was…
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Learning From Donald Trump
Read more: Learning From Donald TrumpIn this season of hotly contested political races, including the Presidential one, I think it’s interesting to sit back and try to learn something from all the commotion that surrounds them. I’m speaking here of what writers can learn from the current Republican nominee, Donald Trump. I’ll leave the political and economic and foreign policy and…
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Words To Watch
Read more: Words To WatchReaders of this blog are probably aware that I’ve written three science-fiction novels, though they haven’t been published yet. I’m still trying to get an agent or editor interested in the first one, as a way of selling the whole trilogy. That has taken time, and I’ve tried my hand at other things, notably short…
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Starting Slowly
Read more: Starting SlowlyWhy do written works have to start with something that captures the reader’s attention immediately? We novice writers are told repeatedly that in order to get a book to sell, we have to grab the reader’s attention with a boffo line or sentence. This is because, we are told, readers are a fickle group and will…
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Random Thoughts And Ugly Comments
Read more: Random Thoughts And Ugly CommentsJust a few thoughts about incidents that have taken place over the past few weeks. I’ve completed a massive revision of the third novel in my Anthanian Imperative trilogy, and now the novel looks pretty good. I’ve been working on it for about five years now, and it’s in good enough shape I wouldn’t be…
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All Those Book Reviews
Read more: All Those Book ReviewsDo you write reviews of books you’ve read? I haven’t done many recently, though I suppose I should because I would expect readers to review mine once they’re published. Reviews, especially on Amazon, affect how the book is displayed, and a large number of reviews can impact the book’s position in the ratings. But, for me…
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The Spoken Word
Read more: The Spoken WordI’m going up to Santa Fe tomorrow (August 1, 2016) to read from my first science-fiction novel at Collected Works bookstore. They have an open mike*, and anyone can read a five minute work. I picked out a very short section of the novel, a sort of tiny story within the larger story. I’ve always liked…
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Sex Scenes
Read more: Sex ScenesAre sex scenes really necessary in novels? That depends. I just read a book that had a sex scene that took up one entire chapter, and I got to wondering if it was really necessary to the plot. Did the story really need that chapter? The scene was between two characters, a male and a…