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I have no idea how the editors of the New York Times decide what books to review and how prominently to feature those assessments. I’m particularly intrigued by the choices they make when they revist a book with multiple reviews. This week, the Times featured reviews from two books that caught my attention. In both […]
I’m really at the point of puking up last night’s dinner right now which wouldn’t be cool since I doubt hoisin sauce and Thai chili paste would be very tasty the second time around. I’ve debated whether or not to mention this or not, but it’s reached a point where you almost have to say something, […]
Miss Snark has some valuable information on what NOT to do when preparing your submission to an agent or editor. According to the snarkilicious one, these are the ultimate signs of being a rank amateur. Check out Miss Snark’s post, make an offering of some gin, and learn from her.
Since I can’t link to the specific […]
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Defamer  had a hilarious suggestion of Joey Fatone portraying author James Frey in the film version of the controversial memoir A Million Little Pieces. And on that note, I’m hoping this can be the last post on the Frey controversy for a while.
What Do I Think?
Good question. I’ve resisted weighing in with an opinion on […]
This is what makes people question the media these days… Last Thursday, The Christian Science Monitor ran an article on the nature of self-publishing. The article, that interviews a self-published author, quotes a couple of industry experts, and details the obstacles that these authors face. My question is why anyone would consider this new information […]
I really wanted to like this book. The author has great credentials, the subject matter is of particular interest to writers, and the reference materials are impeccable. But reading this thing was like the old spy movies where our hero is subjected to the drip… drip… drip… drip… drip… drip… drip… drip… drip… drip… drip… […]
I’m utterly amazed how this can actually be used by a professional writer, in a professional magazine. This is something that we all have done, so don’t act like you didn’t, but usually we outgrow this after the first few stories. So I’m just shocked to see it in an otherwise decent story I read […]
This heatwave is really starting to piss me off. Seriously. I’m beginning to take this personal like. I walk to work and by the time I get to my office, sweat is dripping off my face and pooling in my keyboard. But my grandma always told me to count my blessings so I think how […]
I had no idea. All these years, I thought Cool Hand Luke was just a fantastic movie from 1967. I had no idea that it’s actually true and that Strother Martin’s character, The Captain, was not a prison warden but actually a Creative Writing Department Chair. You too? Well, you had it wrong, just like […]
You all don’t need this, but its here, just to say we told you so.
Writerisms: overused and misused language. In more direct words: find ‘em, root ‘em out, and look at your prose without the underbrush.
am, is, are, was, were, being, be, been ‚Ķ combined with “by” or with “by ‚Ķ someone” implied but not […]