Tag Archives: Writing

An Invitation To a Mud Bath

Famous writers aren’t as famous as celebrities from other walks of life, such as actors or rock stars. There are exceptions to the Known By Looks stuff, such as Neil Gaiman doing a rock star image and Donna Tartt’s actor … Continue reading

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A Pachinko Through My Reading and Writing History

Expanded from comments posted to CarolynMarieReads on  Youtube’s book tube on 25 Oct 2527 — My mother would give me a mmpb in my Easter Basket, and I believe the first one ever was Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens. From … Continue reading

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Why I’m So Old

Years ago, having published short fiction for more than a decade, in scads of magazines (remember them?) and anthologies, I’d begun writing novellas and novels.  Some of my novellas began appearing, notably in the War World Series of military sf … Continue reading

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Culture Theft Vs. Exploration

Cultural appropriation would neither work nor matter if it didn’t sell. It is those supporting it that make it vile. There is a racist market for such theft. When Pat Boone whitened music by Little Richard or Chuck Berry, that … Continue reading

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Torn in Twain

Sam Clemens wrote well but lost interest in many of his stories before finishing them. “A Ghost’s Story” is a good example. This led to strong openings, silly middles, and tacked-on endings. When interest stayed strong throughout, he produced masterpieces.  … Continue reading

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Books, Music, Atoms, Electrons, & You

I don’t like publishing at ALL and I think there’s room for a total revamp. Thing is, getting product to customer. This requires defining product. As cited in Being Digital by Nicholas Negroponte, it’s a matter of atoms versus electrons.  … Continue reading

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Hemingway’s Body Armor

There was no excuse to offer and he offered none for the way he acted at times, the things he said or wrote. Hemingway summed it up once. “When I write I’m an artist. When I’m done writing I’m a … Continue reading

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‘Smiles Remain’

He sits writing in a notebook on a bench in the garden at Linderhof in Bavaria.  The day before, the 155 steps of the tower at Neuschwannstein clamped his heart and left him in what he thought were the throes … Continue reading

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Scribbles for Jingly

Learn:  YA books are booming because adults read them because they’re EASIER TO READ.  Break down your own work to 4th grade level and watch your sales blossom.  Cynical, perhaps, but accurate advice. Your writing has to be good enough.  … Continue reading

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Childhood Fiction Lessons

Grew up around guys whose sense of humor included dead-pan tall tales, to test people, to see how far along they could string them.  If the listener didn’t balk, they were laughed at once they left.   It was more … Continue reading

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