Archive for January, 2007
The World of Serious Writing Confuses Me
by David Niall Wilson
I’m finding a lot of similarities between discussions we’ve had here at Storytellers Unplugged, and the novel I’ve been reading, so I thought I’d use this place, and this space, to try and sort them out a little. The novel in question is “The World According to Garp,” written by John [...]
Writing Is Difficult For Me
by Dick Hill
Writing is difficult for me. I don’t exercise the muscles enough. Oh sure, I shoot off a fair number of emails to friends and business acquaintances, and I endeavor to make those entertaining (and for the business contacts, endearing), but that’s easy stuff. The expectations of most of these folks [...]
Target Acquired
Since James Joyce came up in several comments over the last few days, I thought I might mention here that, back around 1978, he was damn near responsible for getting me booted out of college lit class. He was pretty much directly responsible for the C– I got on the final exam.
Bastard.
I will also add [...]
Storytellers Unplugged 01.28.07: Mid-Life Heebie-Jeebies
by Wayne Allen Sallee
Hello to everyone at the Round Table and in the audience. I’m making a late entrance here, thanks to David Niall Wilson and Stephen Mark Rainey, the Dukes Of Hazzard in modern horror. Dave has kindly offered to cut and paste what I write here and post it on the [...]
The Day I Sold Porn To Nuns: A True Story
Every aspiring writer of speculative fiction should, I think, put in some time working in a bookstore. And I’m not talking about a cozy, snug used bookstore whose real purpose is to accumulate enough literature in one place to create a verbiage singularity that will let the hobbits out of wherever they’ve been hiding and [...]
Gotta Dance
by Janet Berliner
For those of you who have not seen “Singing in the Rain,” abandon this essay at once and buy, rent, borrow or steal it. Pay particular attention to the incomparable Gene Kelly’s “Gotta Dance.” It’s about passion.
Which has what to do with writing?
Everything.
The late film reviewer and interviewer Stu Kobak wrote:
“Creative [...]
Theme and Understanding
“The first responsibility of the writer is to be understood. After that comes entertaining, influencing, teaching. But none of that is possible without understanding coming first.” – “Vegas Rick” January 22, 2007
Theme is everything.
Ain’t it?
Nah, it ain’t.
As Mr. Richard Steinberg points out, understanding takes priority. What good is “theme” if few people get the message [...]
An Interview With My Muse
by Jeffrey Thomas
Horror/SF author Jeffrey Thomas was kind enough to make time in his busy schedule to chat with me about his life and views as a writer. Looking untanned and ill-rested, Thomas greeted me in the mirror of his bathroom, while brewing a cup of ginger tea, burning a stick of incense, and playing [...]
Le Nénuphar Isolé Incarne La Solitude Essentielle De L’existence
By
Richard Steinberg
“Al dra ‘n bobbejaan ‘n goue ring, bly hy nog ‘n lelike ding,” C.J. Langenhoven
How true that is.
Words for every writer, serious about their craft, to engrave on their frontal lobes, emblazon on the hearts, print out and carry around in their pockets. Perhaps even one of the “three great [...]
The Morton’s Syndrome
By Jeff Mariotte
The Morton Syndrome
“When it rains it pours.” That’s what it says on the side of the Morton Salt can in my pantry, but it could as easily describe the summer monsoon rains or the way work can show up unexpectedly, all at once—or the alternative, which is worse.
I’m a full-time writer, which [...]
