Last month I was involved in a book discussion that sprawled over the entire landscape of literature, as they do. At one point a person began deriding the recent crop of YA steampunk-Victorians, naming some best selling authors in a … Continue reading
Monthly Archives: January 2016
One of the perks of being an author/editor/internet personality is that authors get opportunities to do interviews with great folks like Beth Barany and her Blab-Chat. https://blab.im/beth-barany-let-s-chat-secrets-of-fiction-writing-w-bethbarany-askawritingcoach-guests It was fun, relaxed, and went overtime. I got dragged kicking and screaming in … Continue reading
by Brenda W. Clough This hack assumes that you are not writing your ms with a ball point pen on yellow lined pads, the way I wrote most of my earlier novels. But if you are using a word processing … Continue reading
Sometimes I think I’d like to build a Tiny House ™, something small, easy to keep tidy, with enough but no more than I need. Part of this is being an inveterate pack rat who is haunted by the shame … Continue reading
Literally. Walking down the street staring at your phone is a good way to get injured. And that goes double or triple if you’re skateboarding or riding a bike while texting or reading. I’ve seen several recent posts on Facebook … Continue reading
A Facebook group I follow brought up a small question that led to a bigger one. The small question was why the show YOUNG JUSTICE was canceled. It was an excellent show and it got high ratings. What was up … Continue reading
A well-known politician recently stated that the US economy “is flatlining.” This is a metaphor that refers to the loss of a heartbeat or brainwaves. It is not a statement of fact about the US economy, but there are people who will … Continue reading
“Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.” — Mark Twain As I read these words, I am reminded of what William Penn, Quaker and namesake of Pennsylvania, said: “Let us then try what … Continue reading
G is for Genre. Genre is vitally important to authors. Genre allows us to locate agents, publishers, and readers who are interested in the specific types of stories we write. Genre is one of the first markers that classify books. … Continue reading
I’ve written sarcastically about the search for “The Great American Novel.” As far as I’m concerned, the search is over. This one (Some Luck by Jane Smiley) will do just fine.
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