During ReaderCon 23 I participated in a gathering called "Meet the Prose." It's an interesting party game where each of the professionals carry around labels with quotes from their works. Attendees are given sheets of wax paper and encourage to collect quotes. I decided I'd like to share the ones I managed to gather. See… Continue reading Meeting the Prose
ReaderCon23 Part 2: Motivate Me
Motivation is like momentum. When you have it on your side, it feels like nothing will stop you. But when it's gone, it's like your legs have been cut off. Writing ceases to be a joy. Instead it's like dragging bloody leg stumps over asphalt while feeling every little bit of broken glass dig in.… Continue reading ReaderCon23 Part 2: Motivate Me
Lessons from ReaderCon23 Part One: Why We (don’t) Write
On my other blog, I have personal notes from ReaderCon23, but as this one focuses on my creative efforts, I will focus on the lessons I pulled from the various panels there. I think the first, and greatest lesson, is "You are not the only one, boyo!" It was a theme in the "City and… Continue reading Lessons from ReaderCon23 Part One: Why We (don’t) Write
ReaderCon – Night the First
Where to begin? This is my first ReaderCon. Two names drew me here: Peter Straub and Caitlin R. Keirnan. Straub wrote Mystery, one of my all-time favorite novels, and Keirnan I've been following since the 90's. Her story "Faces in Revolving Souls" continues to create a great ache of recognition inside me. And then I… Continue reading ReaderCon – Night the First
Penmonkey Get Up, Get Coffee…
We all have our collections of books on writing or photography designed to inspire and educate us. For writing, for me, it's the three pillars: Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott, On Writing by Stephen King, and Zen and the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury. For photography, it's Hot Shoe Diaries by JoeMcNally. Now,… Continue reading Penmonkey Get Up, Get Coffee…
Wisdom in a Glass of Dandelion Wine
LiveJournal page, but no real thoughts about him. It still upsets me when I think he's gone. I discovered him via Little Falls Library. One of the reasons I find myself re-buying his books is I checked out the ones in the library so often, I thought they were mine. The Martian Chronicles got the… Continue reading Wisdom in a Glass of Dandelion Wine
Cake or Death
Charles Stross posted up a little item based on a Mind Meld on SFSignal and this particular quote stood out for me: In fact, those people who are doing the "big visionary ideas about the future" SF are mostly doing so in a vacuum of critical appreciation. Greg Egan's wonderful clockwork constructions out of the… Continue reading Cake or Death
Essays on Heresy and Cognitive Dissonance
"Creed sucks! I hate you, and I hate the band you like!" Red vs. Blue: Real Life vs. the Internet still maintains a punch. Despite being ancient by our standards, this one exchange depicts a core problem I've run into when reading blogs by authors, photographers, and other members of the creative community. When a… Continue reading Essays on Heresy and Cognitive Dissonance
Vanishing Bookstores
Crossroads books exists. If you Google it, you'll find the name. There's a lovely website with an address. It's simple and small and everything you would expect from a bookstore in Culpepper, VA. When you call the number, the husband and wife who own the store answer. Would you like a book? If they don't… Continue reading Vanishing Bookstores
New Skins
First, if you have an allergy or aversion to existential moments, where one looks into the face of ennui and questions one's position in the world, I'd skip most of this entry. In the last few weeks, my day job underwent several massive changes. Structures were taken, shaken and shattered. We are now operating under… Continue reading New Skins
Biomechanoid Blues 