Category: Philosophy of Writing
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Epiphany
“A hack is on the constant hunt for ‘ideas’ for his plots, or ‘new angles.’ The real writer is haunted by a plot which he must write out of inner necessity. He is impervious to suggestions.” ~ EDMUND BERGLER Today’s post is a bit of a personal journey, one that will be of interest, I…
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Plight of the Indie
Good morning, all. I just thought I’d use “free-for-all Monday” to point out some sobering facts concerning those of us who write without contract or publishing house behind us. A few points for readers to consider about those who toil in our spare time to create something of value as entertainment…
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Scooby Apocalypse
About a week and a half ago, I had the opportunity to meet Scott Innes, who voiced the characters of Scooby-Doo and Shaggy Rogers in several of my favorite entries in the long-running Scooby-Doo franchise. During our conversation, I learned that Innes works as a morning show host on the radio in Baton Rouge, Louisiana,…
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Do Free Books Garner More Readers?
Readers are the essence, the fundamental piece for any writer. I don’t believe there is a single author who isn’t thinking about pleasing the readers when he/she is writing. My process includes me as a reader. I, the author, need to please myself as a reader before I proceed to write the next chapters. And…
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Life on the Flip Side
The recent passing of Jimmy Buffett – the Father of Trop Rock (and of ‘Gulf & Western’ music, as he once labeled his style in his pre-Caribbean days) – got me thinking about connections among the arts, and how one form of art can inspire another. As Negatrite said a while back, most people probably…
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The Agent
At last, we arrive at the fourth face on my personal Mount Rushmore, and that face belongs to one Mr. Evan Marshall. Unlike the previous three luminaries, Mr. Marshall is not known to me as an author of fiction, though he has written some murder mysteries that I owe it to myself to investigate; see…
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The Bouncer
Welcome back to my series on the writers who most influenced my style. Today I’m going to discuss the third face on my personal Mount Rushmore, R.A. (Robert) Salvatore. Robert writes the Drizzt Do’Urden saga, a series of 53 novels written between 1988 and today. Two of them are spin-offs focusing on minor characters met…
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ALL ALONG THE WATCHTOWER
Jimi Hendrix was one of the greatest guitarists ever, and one fine musician. I think a lot of folks miss that great musicians are also great writers. Sure, their style is more poetic and concise than say, a lengthy and involved novel, but the appreciation and skill of the Craft is there nonetheless. I thought…
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Crossover Characters
Ever since I was a kid, my friends and I would play games where we asked what would happen if characters from different fictional universes met. What would happen if Batman met The Green Hornet? What if Captain Kirk and the Doctor from Doctor Who shared an adventure? Who would win if the Predator and…
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Nothing to Say
“How the hell can a person go to work in the morning, come home in the evening, and have nothing to say?” – the late great John Prine. There are many reasons why this happens in a relationship, most of them unpleasant when it applies to couples. But it only applies to my book writing…
Threads that Bind 