Storytellersunplugged

Pressing issues have prevented a post by our usual 20th personality, Justine Musk, so I'm expanding something I've written previously in my own on-line journal and hope that it will suffice.  Next month, Justine will be back in her regularly scheduled slot ... I’ve been involved in some discussions lately that caused a particular passage in “The Haunting of Hill House” to stick in my mind, and I thought I’d share.  There are actually two issues involved, so bear with me.  The initial ... Read More

I’m in a bubble-bursting mood today, but I’m not sure that’s really a bad thing.  Some bubbles need bursting.  Most of these little lumps of coal are meant for the newbies in this crazy business, who need every bit of advice they can get, and who also need a good bubble bursting every now and then to keep them honest.  1. All publicity is not good publicity.  Rampaging across the Internet like a lunatic, making jackass posts on public forums, and starting pissing ... Read More

-- Bev VincentEver try to push a rope? Much more difficult than pulling one, isn’t it?Several years ago, Stephen King conducted an experiment. He picked up a long-dormant story and started posting it in installments on his web site. The hype around the story of The Plant focused on the marketing aspect: King sold it on the honor system, $1 per installment. If a high enough percentage of downloaders didn’t pony up, he would stop publishing the story, which he figured was ... Read More