I realize, Cherished Reader, that I have been neglecting you and this blog. Please forgive me, I have no excuse but for the ordinary slings and arrows that assault us all. I blink, and the year has passed me by.

It is Christmas day as I write this, and it is come so fast I have barely got in under the wire to get presents and cards and all the ( Read more... )

There exists a headstone I may have glimpsed now and again from the road; my commute takes me past a national cemetary, so I drive past many such headstones. On the plain stone slab is carved the legend SMITH; it's all I spot as I zoom past. Today is Memorial Day, and I am thinking about you, SMITH. Never mind the parades, never mind the ceremonies ( Read more... )

I had the opportunity to meet Daniel Ruettiger on a business trip this past week. For those of you who don't know who this is, Daniel Ruettiger is the "Rudy" of the eponymous 1993 film. Stiil in the dark? Very well, here: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108002/. This is probably the most inspirational sports film since Rocky; so shame on you, ( Read more... )

In between our Fundamentals blogs, Cherished Reader, I will of course blog about my own literary-endeavors-du-jour: to wit, I have been adjured by the whip-wield-woman (she'll likely comment when she reads this) to resurrect a story I wrote over ten years ago and submit it to a most excellent market that has opened a narrow window of submission. ( Read more... )

OK, Cherished Reader, this is a writing blog let's talk about writing. My genre of choice is horror / thriller / dark fantasy so that is what we will blog about. First things first -- why write a story? Jonathan Swift says: "The end of all scribblement is to entertain." I will not dispute Mr. Swift in this, but remember fiction is "the lie that ( Read more... )

I have a confession to make, Cherished Reader: Your humble blogger is church-goer. Moreso, your humble blogger is a retired Elder at his local Presbyterian Church, is a teacher's assistant at Sunday school, occasionally fills the pulpit and preaches the Word, and, perhaps most importantly, plays the bass guitar in the church praise band ( Read more... )

One of the linguistic ironies of being a writer is that in order to dominate, you must first submit.

You may be pleased to know, Cherished Reader, that I performed not one but two such acts of literary jiujitsu not ten minutes ago at my local Post Office, to wit: "Pale Pink Walls and White Furniture" has been submitted to the extraordinary editorial ( Read more... )

Like most writer-types, I tend to live a good portion of my life inside of my own head. "Ah, the life of the mind!" you may say. "Look upon me!" bellows John Goodman's character from the burning hallway in the film Barton Fink, "I will show you the life of the mind ( Read more... )

OK -- Cherished Reader, here's what's going on in the writing front so far ( Read more... )

How good was Poe as a writer ( Read more... )