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An article appeared on Space.com a few days ago about a newly discovered planet, Gliese 581g.  If you’re not familiar with new planets, this planet (called an extrasolar planet because it’s […]

What is imagination?  Got any ideas? A dictionary definition of imagination might be the power to create something in one’s mind; or to form a mental image of something not present to the […]

Do you use Facebook?  Do you send emails?  Do you Tweet?  [God save us all from that word.]  Do you blog, or comment on someone else’s blog?  Do you leave […]

Do you like the exclamation point?  I do. As a beginning writer, I’ve heard several admonitions about using exclamation points.  Elmore Leonard says you’re allowed no more than two or three […]

One of the most common maxims doled out to new writers (like me) is the tried, true and worn dictum, “Show; don’t tell.”  Personally, I don’t care much for it. […]

I really like my garbage can, don’t you?  The person who invented the garbage can should get a Nobel prize.  It’s always there when I  need it, stashed comfortably beneath my sink.  […]

I just got back from Bubonicon 42, the science fiction convention sponsored by the New Mexico Science Fiction Conference, held in Albuquerque August 27-29.  Interesting convention (usually abbreviated as “con”).  The theme […]

Do you believe in inspiration?  I do. I’m using “inspiration” to mean a thought coming to you suddenly, appearing fully formed in your brain without having to think about it or do […]

Last week I suggested there might be things our minds can’t really conceive of related to the universe in which we live.  Here’s a similar concept.  (This is what I get from sitting around […]

The human mind is a wonderful instrument, capable of intense reaches of imagination and ingenuity.  With it, we’ve traveled the stars and delved into the interior of the atom.  We’ve […]

It is a frequently stated truism that, “There is an exception to every rule.”  But many people have pointed out that some rules seem to have no exceptions.  Take, for example, the […]

I want to set down a few comments on word usages I’ve heard over the past several years. Two of these come from combat situations, which isn’t unlikely since we’re […]