Monthly Archives: July 2010

The Devil in the Boot

Posted on July 31, 2010 by

Last week, on one of our rare returns to England, we decided to break our journey and re-visit a couple of our old homes. By coincidence, both happened to be former pubs. Here’s a picture of the first, The Boot, … Continue reading →


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Posted in History | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

Book View Café Holds 30th on the 30th Contest for Fool’s Paradise

Posted on July 30, 2010 by

What type of women do stagehands typically marry? Continue reading →


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Posted in Announcements | Tagged | Leave a comment

Tweet! Social Networking and Friends

Posted on July 30, 2010 by

My question is not so much about how do you get around the term “friending” because I don’t think you can.  “Linking” would appear to be more neutral…except isn’t there exactly as much pressure, for those who feel social pressure … Continue reading →


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Posted in Book View Cafe | 14 Comments

So You Want to Commit Novel #9: Short vs long

Posted on July 29, 2010 by

Are you writing a short story or a novel? Science Fiction Fantasy Writers of America, SFWA, defines fiction lengths for the purpose of their Nebula Awards. Short Story: less than 7,500 words. Novelette: between 7,500 and 17,500 words Novella: between … Continue reading →


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Posted in Writers on Writing, Writing life | 8 Comments

Brave New (Journalism) World: When It Changed

Posted on July 29, 2010 by

Got some inside information you want to expose about a major government failure or a corporate cover-up? Who you gonna call? WikiLeaks. As of last Sunday, when WikiLeaks published its Afghan War Diary, 2004-2010, it’s now clear that you no … Continue reading →


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“That title from a better man I stole”

Posted on July 28, 2010 by

It’s as well that there is no copyright in titles, or half my books would have been disbarred from the get-go: Paradise, The Refuge, The Garden… It’s odd, actually, to find myself with a backlist of such plain titles. I … Continue reading →


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Posted in Book View Cafe | Tagged , , , | 9 Comments

A Padawan’s Journal, Entry #13: Sidekicks—Not Just Plucky Comic Relief

Posted on July 28, 2010 by

Chewbacca, R2-D2 & C3PO, Puss ‘n Boots & Donkey, Rose Tyler, Artemus Gordon, Samwise Gamgee, Baldric, Lord Bowler & Socrates Poole, I-5YQ & Den Dhur. What do these names have in common? They are all of that special variety of … Continue reading →


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Posted in Books and Reading, science fiction, Star Wars, Writers on Writing | Tagged , , , , | 10 Comments

Weird and Wonderful: Making a Movie

Posted on July 27, 2010 by

I’m exhausted. After blogging about independent movies a couple weeks ago, I decided to go out and make one this past weekend. Just like that. I’m not sure about the wonderful part. Guess we’ll make a judgment on that once … Continue reading →


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Posted in Film | Tagged , , , | 8 Comments

Write It Again, Sam: A Few Thoughts on Revision

Posted on July 27, 2010 by

Last week, I finished the rough draft of a novel and after taking a couple of days to play, I have begun a second draft and am thinking about the process. This second go-round has several important functions. One is … Continue reading →


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Posted in Announcements, Writers on Writing | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Writing Nowadays–the Perfect Wedding

Posted on July 26, 2010 by

Weddings are chock-full o’ writerly goodness, yeah?  You have family members who don’t get along.  You have a solemn ceremony which can be disrupted.  You have a large group of people who have to be in a certain place at … Continue reading →


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Posted in Writers on Writing | 12 Comments