Author Archives: Gerald M. Weinberg

Why I Am Now Writing Fiction – 1

Posted on December 3, 2010 by

“Why would someone who has a long, successful non-fiction writing career suddenly shift to writing fiction? I’ve been asked that question numerous times in the past couple of years as I’ve learned the fiction craft and business. Heck, I’ve asked … Continue reading →


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Top Words Exercise

Posted on November 19, 2010 by

I’m always seeking exercises that are fun ways to sharpen my writing. In 2007, I discovered that Merriam-Webster online <http://www.word.com/> tracks the top word lookups each month. I found the list and explanation for September’s 2007′s Top 20 at this … Continue reading →


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Wordtree, the Next Great Writing Tool

Posted on November 12, 2010 by

By now, everyone knows the rags to riches (and back to rags) story of Visicalc, a couple of guys with an idea who revolutionized the computer market. And everyone with some spare time and a garage is trying to figure … Continue reading →


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Posted in Blogs, mystery | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Burnout, Part 2: Recovering

Posted on November 5, 2010 by

Burnout is all too common among writers, but we need not be as helpless as small animals trapped by a forest fire. Help comes from understanding how burnout happens, and from some paradoxical actions—much like the intentional setting of small, … Continue reading →


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Burnout—Part 1: Why We Burn Out

Posted on October 29, 2010 by

“Lord, grant that I may always desire more than I can accomplish.” – Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475-1564) It had been a dry, dry year in the forests of Northern New Mexico, and we had many, many tens of thousands of acres … Continue reading →


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A scintillating, quintessential elixir

Posted on October 22, 2010 by

100 Most Beautiful Words A scintillating, quintessential elixir This felicitous list can be a bit esoteric, but in the end it’s an exuberant and mellifluous efflorescence of language. See if you agree with the words that were judged most beautiful … Continue reading →


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Posted in Blogs, Humor, Science, science fiction | 1 Comment

Dealing With Envy

Posted on October 15, 2010 by

One of my writing classes was going to hike out to Poverty Gulch for an outdoor Aikido experience. Alan said he hadn’t brought any suitable boots, so I asked him what size he wore. “Thirteen,” he replied, thinking nobody would … Continue reading →


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Posted in Blogs, Travel | 1 Comment

Satir’s Self-Esteem Tool Kit, for Writers

Posted on October 6, 2010 by

Virginia Satir, the famous family therapist, was fond of metaphors and collected them from a profusion of sources, such as The Wizard of Oz, by Frank Baum. In that story, remember, the Wizard gave the Scarecrow a brain, the Tin … Continue reading →


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What’s Been the Effect of Banning My Stuff?

Posted on September 29, 2010 by

Whatever it was intended to do, banning things increases interest. Continue reading →


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Posted in Blogs, Poetry | 1 Comment

Editing Filler Words

Posted on September 16, 2010 by

As an undergraduate, I graded Freshman English papers. I learned to recognize papers written in a dorm closet after lights out. One of the clues was the number of filler words used to pad the assignment to the requisite length. … Continue reading →


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Posted in Blogs, Writers on Writing | 4 Comments