Those of you who have been following my blog for a few years may remember my postings about a book I was writing. At the time the book was called Omar’s Snake or The Snake. I forget which came first. I’m terrible at titles. The title is usually the last thing I think of. I [...]
I make it a point to read Thomas Friedman’s columns in the New York Times. He always has thought-provoking comments about technology and politics, especially relating to the Middle East This Sunday his column was especially interesting. Its title was Watching Elephants Fly. Here’s the link. It’s worth reading. Friedman begins his discussion of the [...]
Happy New Year to all my friends! I have to apologize for not posting for far too long. First I was traveling. Then the holidays hit. Then I got sick. A bad case of bronchitis laid me low for two weeks. Needless to say, I got nothing done for the holidays. But now I’m back. [...]
I’ve noticed a funny thing about writing over the years. When you’re stuck and find yourself with no idea of what you’re writing or what you’re supposed to be doing, you can always find dozens of excuses for not writing anything. You have to go shopping; you have to run a wash; you have to [...]
I just caught a whiff of something significant blowing in the wind. Amazon announced that it’s starting a lending library. I’ll have to research this further. So far, this is what I’m getting from what I’ve read online. If you’re a member of Amazon Prime, you’ll be able to download ebooks to your Kindle or [...]
I have to confess to a guilty pleasure. I love reading biographies and autobiographies of rock stars. I think it’s because I lead such a normal, controlled life. I experience such vicarious pleasure reading about people who go totally berserk. Yes, they crash and burn in the end. But what a ride! Right now I’m [...]
Good heavens! I just realized it’s been ages since I’ve posted anything on my blog. No excuses. Blame it on the last days of summer. It got started late here in Oregon. We didn’t have good weather until August. When the weather is good, you want to be outside in the sunshine because you know [...]
I’ll be the first to admit it. I’ve done my share of grumbling about editors. Sometimes more than grumbling; raging and swearing. What?! I revised it twice for you and now you’re turning it down?!!! No, I can’t cut that scene. It’s the key to the whole story. If you like it so much, why [...]
My critique group was winding up its bi-monthly meeting. We were in Nancy Coffelt’s living room. Before we called it a night and went home, I raised a question. It had been on my mind for some time. I asked the group: “What exactly is a memoir?” Every time I scan the New Book shelf [...]
I was rereading my post about writing to authors when a thought occurred to me. Writing a letter to your favorite author? How 20th century! I’ve always believed that schools are 19th century institutions that never got around to dealing with the 20th century. Now they’re in the 21st! Most of the letters I get [...]
