These days I'm re-reading Raymond Chandler's masterpiece, The Long Good-bye. I do this as I'm nearing the completion of my own book; I don't avoid fiction as some writer's do to avoid being overly influenced but knowingly read books I want to be influenced by. In this case it's mostly four books I read and … Continue reading Now That’s a Simile
Us writers can obsess endlessly over the optimal amount of daily writing time. Should it be measured in words written? Pages? Hours spent ass-in-chair? I try to get up at around 5:30 to get some writing done before going to work. It doesn't always happen, but I've learned that the best time is from 6:00 … Continue reading Take a Look at Joe Lansdale’s Writing Schedule
Dan Simmons is a writer you might know, and he once said something about writing and reading that has stuck with me ever since. His best-know books are The Terror, Summer of Night, Drood (personal favorite) and Carrion Comfort. The Terror was recently made into a fantastic, if somewhat slow, TV-series, and the book is … Continue reading The 79 Authors You Need to Read to Become a Writer According to Dan Simmons
Sometimes you come across passages that remind you again of what good writing is. I just started the classic Wuthering Heights last night (yes, you need to read the classics) and was taken aback by a passage not just because of the quality of the prose but also by the tone. It was like the … Continue reading The Best Writing of the Week – Wuthering Heights
Graphic novels, comic books and kids' books with too many pictures are given a bad rap. But a surprising new study shows that we are wrong to worry. (Not that I was worried). Parents are often in a rush to get their kids away from comics and over to "proper" books. But now, thanks to … Continue reading I Just Realized Why Books With Pictures Are So Great for Kids
In my edition of The Hobbit, cheap mass-market paperback, there is an introduction by Peter S Beagle from 1973 that contains not one but two passages that are amazingly political and powerful. A Quote For Today, From 1973 The Sixties were no fouler a decade than the Fifties - they mere reaped the Fifties' foul … Continue reading Two Awesome Quotes From The Hobbit’s 1973 Introduction
...to begin with, that is. And Pixar isn't afraid to admit this. In the sublime business book Creativity Inc. (which is also a great book on managing creative teams), Ed Catmull explains how this works as they work on a movie. They get sold on an idea, knowing that the first version is going to … Continue reading Pixar’s Movies All Suck…
I subscribed to Tin House this year. Tin House is a publication that puts out the very best of short fiction and poetry, and getting published there is a sing that you've "got it". The stories are all of the highest quality. Each print issue is also a precious item in it's own right, and … Continue reading Four Tin House Covers
In his book The Art of War for Writers, James Scott Tell tells us the secret to becoming a successful novelist. ...there is one discipline that stands above all else in the quest for writing success. I was fortunate to get this lesson early in my writing pursuit, and took it to heart. It is … Continue reading The Simple Thing it Takes to Become a Writer
I was recently asked by a friend if Her Body and Other Parties was good. I said "No", and the person stared at me. "It's outstanding, " I said. And it really is.
