Writing
10.10.16 Berry, flashin’ those high beams
We all deserve the same level of treatment, the same level of respect. And if I could guarantee that no one would ever give me a pass again for whatever superficial element of my appearance might make them decide to do so — so that everyone else’s appearance would also not matter when it comes to violations of the law — I would happily pay the fine.
Read More10.03.16 Debates and ‘Denial’: ‘There aren’t enough films about teamwork’
The fact is that your vote counts, even in a state where we “know” the result ahead of time. It counts as much as your getting vaccinated does. It counts as much as you paying the right amount of taxes. When you don’t, when many don’t, and we’re all made weaker for it.
Read More9.4.16 ‘August was a heavy month and now the nights are drawing in’
August was a heavy month And now the nights are drawing in — Bob Geldof It’s not so weird to want some time off. It can be a little weird to take time off when you a) make your own schedule and b) are looking to take time off from things most folks might consider…
Read More08.13.16 Exit, pursued by meat bees
The meat bees are humming. We came to this incredible little beauty spot in Three Rivers, California (near the Sierra Mountains) a few days ago; we leave in just a few more. And because of this lucky find on HomeAway, I’m able to sit outside with the latest draft of my story — I’m trying…
Read More7.3.16 ‘Some stories are true that never happened’: Notes on my teacher, Elie Wiesel
We try to remember the good things, yet those slip from us. We try to forget the bad things, yet often they become sticky. But to make the choice to stand as a living memory is a bold, courageous decision – and few can be said to have shouldered that burden better than Elie Wiesel.
Read More6.8.16 Guest author L.J. Cohen: Integrating her past with a novel future
The expression of an injury shouldn’t function solely as a plot point, used and then discarded, but needs to serve a larger purpose in terms of overall story, characterization, and stakes. Having a background in rehabilitation, anatomy, and physiology helps me add a degree of realism to the story, essential even if I’m telling a tale of sentient space ships, plasma weapons, and worm hole travel.
Read More04.27.16 ‘Send me postcards from your journey, dear novel’
Getting your book published is a series of lottery wins: Assuming you’ve written something worthy, it is a lottery to earn an agent. It is another lottery for that book to end up on bookshelves and in the hands of eager readers. And it is a further lottery to actually please enough readers that you get to do it again, and again, and again. If you win all three lotteries, you have a successful novel!
Read More4.24.16 ‘Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to get through this thing called life’
The ability to disappear into the moment of creation with a writer is fairly dull to watch; that same blending/vanishing act, when performed on stage to a thumping beat and a heart-soaring melody, can be breathtaking.
Read More4.17.16 ‘Yes, there were little musicians’
Keep hard at work on the penny whistle lessons. You, too, could feel the Force one day.
Read More4.08.16 20 Years in NYC, Pt. 5: ‘Keep your eyes on the spinning top’
What I think I’ve discovered in the last 20-odd years (some rather odd years, at that) is that planning is a good thing, but not the only thing. Sometimes you just have to get the top spinning — and watch where it goes all on its own.
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