So here’s the thing: I haven’t posted much in a long while, but I have a good excuse: I’ve been working on the first draft of a new book. Well, not so much a first draft as a zeroth draft: 90,000 words of unconnected vignettes that don’t hang together. No change there, you might thinkContinue reading “A Return to the Blog (and a return to the novel)”
Tag Archives: Creative Writing
Review of ‘The Bullet Catcher’s Daughter’ – Rod Duncan
I don’t usually blog about books I’ve read, but I’m going to make an exception for the Bullet Catcher’s Daughter, known to its friends as TBCD. The book deserves all the hype it’s getting elsewhere, and if you haven’t heard about it, then you’ve been spending too much time on the Scottish Referendum. The realContinue reading “Review of ‘The Bullet Catcher’s Daughter’ – Rod Duncan”
A Morality Tale Concerning Vinegar
This isn’t exactly about creative writing, but as a writer, I consider it a morality tale about the state of the modern world. Here’s the thing: for as long as I can remember, Sarsons have made vinegar in a convenient little glass bottle with a sprinkler thingy on the top that screwed off when youContinue reading “A Morality Tale Concerning Vinegar”
Dealing with ‘The Hobbit’ Pitch
“Look, Peter,” I say, “you gotta think big. There ain’t but twenty movie stars could carry that kinda budget into opening weekend. And not one of them plays under five-six, OK.” He goes, “You think the hero’s too small?” like it ain’t obvious. I say, “Of course, he’s too damn small. ‘The Rings’, they hadContinue reading “Dealing with ‘The Hobbit’ Pitch”
More About My Struggle With Poetry
So, on Thursday night, I was listening to someone read a poem about a rocket disaster (don’t ask me the reason, it’s too complex). The poem began with some beautiful imagery about the preparations for launch, then switched, two-thirds of the way through, to some very factual sentences reporting the disintegrating situation that led to allContinue reading “More About My Struggle With Poetry”
