06/15/2010 • 12:19 PM 0
Myanmar used to be called Burma. A secretive totalitarian military regime took over. Apparently the media doesn’t like it but it is reality. Reporters must stop saying “Further tragedy in Burma today, sometimes called Myanmar” or “Myanmar, formerly known as Burma” or “Burma! Burma! Burma!”
Filed under: Uncategorized, Burma, Media, Myanmar, Reportage
06/03/2010 • 11:51 PM 0
There’s a place you can go where a story is waiting for you. Dozens of stories unfold there. It’s a rich well of humanity’s follies. Spin, permutate, combine what you see and you’ll find plenty of drama unfolding with each person you observe.
A single case can be fruitful but I like the arraignments where they go through dozens of cases in a short time.
Sit. Watch. Take notes. In criminal court you are neck deep in conflicts to fuel thousands of stories.
As a crime reporter I once saw a witness describe what the two offenders wore at the scene of the crime. They were not a couple of Lex Luthors. These geniuses wore exactly the same outfits to court that they wore on the day they robbed a liquor store. It sure made it easier for the witness.
The laughter through the courtroom was spontaneous, echoing off the marble as they were quickly hauled away.
Filed under: Uncategorized
05/28/2010 • 8:33 PM 0
Horror writers may benefit from the weirdness of this word…
Mastomenia
meaning
(brace yourself)
menstruation through the nipples.
(Or…next week on House.)
And speaking of House, here’s another thought to stir your neocortex. If you were in a TV show, are you comic relief, the star, co-star or (heaven forfend) an extra? House is obviously the star of House, but it’s more than just the name on the door. He’s the brilliant, crazy alpha.
Sure, we’re all stars of our own movies, but look around. Is this what being a star really looks like. Are you really the center of the plot or are things happening around you? Are you making stuff happen? Do things happen to you instead of you initiating the action? What role are you playing in your life? Is somebody else getting all the good lines? Is somebody else getting all the action?
If so, you need to stop reading this blog, fire your writer and get a new one. I don’t believe in God, but I do believe in heroes, and anyone can be a hero. All we’ve got is each other, so we need heroes. We need stars. We don’t need more underpaid extras following orders in the background and pretending they have conversations and lives and purpose.
What are you? Decide what you are. Then go be that, dammit.
This is the most inspiration you’ll ever find in what I write…but I really had to make up for laying mastomenia on you.
Filed under: Uncategorized
04/28/2010 • 8:47 PM 0
Writing can be torture. However, when you win a prize for your writing, or see it published, suddenly it seems like all the waiting and wondering and false starts were worth the trouble. Here’s a story that won third prize in the Toronto Star’s Annual Short Story Contest. There is torture, some magic realism and ultimately, redemption. Enjoy!
Filed under: Uncategorized
Winner of Writer's Digest's 2014 Honorable Mention in Self-published Ebook Awards in Genre
The first 81 lessons to get your Buffy on
More lessons to help you survive Armageddon
"You will laugh your ass off!" ~ Maxwell Cynn, author of Cybergrrl
Fast-paced terror, new threats, more twists.
An autistic boy versus our world in free fall
Suspense to melt your face and play with your brain.
Action like a Guy Ritchie film. Funny like Woody Allen when he was funny.
Jesus: Sexier and even more addicted to love.
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05/19/2010 • 9:00 PM 0
Just to be clear, this is a blog about writing
Just received an objection to a post. The comment listed some of Israel’s war crimes and tied those sentiments to a rather benign post in which I used Margaret Atwood as an example of a writer many other writers admire. The writer assured me they did not envy Ms. Atwood because she accepted an award from Israel.
It is always interesting to see how readers interpret your writing. Some read everything through their own particular lens, so brace yourself for some interesting reactions. You can not predict how some people will see what you write. I’ve seen many examples over the years and it almost always takes me by surprise. Actually, I was not unsympathetic to all the arguments presented, but, this is not the forum for Middle East politics. There are lots of sites for that and frankly, I get so much exposure to those topics, I’m glad to have a space on the web dedicated to better writing. It’s through better writing and reading comprehension that ideas are better expressed and conflicts (I hope) resolved. If you want my attention, a screed is not the right gas for that engine.
If you are interested in the issue of Margaret Atwood accepting an award in Israel, here’s a link to Pulse which sums it up. Tablet magazine printed a response from Ms. Atwood. You can engage in the topic there since I want to keep my issues here about language, writing better books, and getting published. It’s all about the fun here, folks. (And I promise I won’t try to hijack your political forum by talking about grammar and what you should read and write!)
Please spread the word:
Filed under: Uncategorized, reader comments