Halloween is fast approaching and I, for one, am really excited. My daughter is going as a princess butterfly. A princess butterfly is what happens when a four year old smashes two concepts that she likes together and it becomes its own thing, like this video I saw online where someone made a ham andContinue reading “The Time Management Massacre”
Category Archives: Writing
Quiet Riot
I’m not religious, but given that Rosh Hashanah is this week it seems appropriate to repent, at least as far as writing is concerned. It has been a little more than a month since I made some lofty promises on which I have yet to deliver. In fact, I haven’t written creatively or even readContinue reading “Quiet Riot”
Write With Urgency
I had this great idea for a post. Every night my wife and I read our daughter a couple of books before bedtime. It used to be one book, but that little sneak somehow negotiated her way into two stories a night. That’s fourteen stories a week. Sixty picture books every month. Our library receiptContinue reading “Write With Urgency”
Lullabies and Nursery Crimes
Andy Pinkerton walks into my office first thing on a Monday morning. I haven’t even tasted the sippy cup of milk sitting on my desk when he shuffles in and lingers at the edge of my desk, hands folded in front of him, eyes roaming the floor and four walls of the office. Andy neverContinue reading “Lullabies and Nursery Crimes”
The Write Time (Ugh. Really? A Pun?)
My wife granted me the ultimate gift for a parent of two small children, several hours of blissful solitude. Grabbing my laptop and car keys I drove down to the Barnes and Noble Cafe where I sat in a corner drinking a sugary latte. My intention was to take these few precious hours and hammerContinue reading “The Write Time (Ugh. Really? A Pun?)”
Bespoke Consumption
An interesting article by IndieWire last week looked at Christopher Nolan’s distaste for all film consumption options outside of a cinema. The referenced interview was all about the recent release of his war film Dunkirk. To Nolan, Dunkirk is all about theatrical viewing as it is the only way to “make you feel like youContinue reading “Bespoke Consumption”
An Exercise in Stereotyping
When writing, cliches are to be avoided by any means necessary. As advice, avoiding cliches has become so prevalent as to become cliche itself, right up there with “write what you know” and “show, don’t tell.” The reason, of course, is that cliches are comfortable. And, like pillows piled on a plush couch or thick,Continue reading “An Exercise in Stereotyping”
Breathing Life into the Undead
An absolute titan of horror died over the weekend. The godfather of the modern zombie flick passed away at the age of 77. His importance to genre fiction cannot be overstated. His legacy will endure for generations. George A. Romero’s zombies will always matter, despite the seemingly insistent push to shovel watered down, generic pilesContinue reading “Breathing Life into the Undead”
Story Mining
Ella Fish died tonight. She was a bright blue betta fish with streaks of red in her tail that fanned out behind her when she swam like hair being blown back by a strong Kansas wind. She was a male betta fish but since my daughter named her and insisted it was a girl, EllaContinue reading “Story Mining”
Who in their write mind…
Word on the street is that if you want to succeed in the writing business, you need to have a blog. Just ask Google for reasons why and you’ll get a litany of articles extolling the virtues of blogging. But if just having a blog was enough, then all my adolescent LiveJournal entries would’ve certainlyContinue reading “Who in their write mind…”
The Barberry Writers 