Paul Lamb recently chatted on his blog about craving fellowship with like-minded writers. For years, more every other Wednesdays than not, I met with two friends for a writing group. We kept it small by design, and while it lasted, it was a very good thing. Since the group has dissolved, I find satisfaction in […]
Archives for February 2012
The Importance of Stories
If you’ve ever doubted how important a story can be to somebody, watch this (NSFW: some swearing): The quick version of the story: A guy’s friend has terminal cancer and may be dead by June. So the guy jumps online and explains that it would mean so much if his friend could find out how […]
The Book Pile: A Good American
I’ve been following Alex George’s blog for awhile, now. I always appreciate the quiet manner in which Alex talks about writing. Okay, perhaps “quiet” isn’t the right word: Alex is just a humble guy who truly appreciates those who stop by or pick up his writing. In a time when the tone of some authors […]
The End(ing)
Graphic novels are one of my favorite things in the world. Words combined with pictures — and all that happens in between the panels — is an amazing thing. Some days I’m not sure there’s a more perfect medium. Fairly recently, I reviewed Craig Thompson’s Habibi, which — to me — is the perfect graphic […]
What Is Your Reason for Writing?
I’m lucky to be friends with some good writers, all of whom see writing a little differently. One friend doesn’t get as attached to his stories as most people I know. For him, he just sits down and produces. Like a machine. If an editor suggests changes, he’s like, “Sure — whatever you want.” He […]
Han Shot First…Wait, No–Greedo Did!
The weekend of my 8th birthday (1977), my mom took my sister, one of my sister’s friends, and me to see Star Wars at a drive-in theater. It was the coolest thing I’d ever seen — particularly the cantina scene, where we meet Han Solo. In that scene, Han chats with Greedo, a bounty hunter […]
Win a Copy of A Good American
I recently interviewed Alex George about his new book, A Good American. Maybe you’ve heard about the book or seen it on the shelves in bookstores. Or maybe this is the first time you’ve heard about it and you’re wondering what it’s about. This description is straight from the author’s mouth (okay, straight from his […]
Alex George Interview (About A Good American)
One of my most cherished memories is sitting at my great grandmother’s dining room table, listening to her tell her story about coming over from Sicily to America. Growing up in and then near Chicago, I was raised around a lot of people from different places. When I moved to Texas in my teens, I […]
In Defense of Quirky
I’ve recently mentioned the book I’m currently working on, A Magic Life. A couple people have emailed to ask what’s been happening with the novel I wrote before starting A Magic Life. That novel is called Promise, and I’m currently shopping it around to agents. The general feeling from the rejections I’ve received so far […]
Writing Down the Dream
Since the Paris Review put all their author interviews online, there’s no reason for a writer to ever be bored. I love reading interviews at night, before sliding off to Dreamville. The other night before going to sleep, I read this interview with Haruki Murakami. If you’ve never read a Murakami novel, the best way […]
In the Shadow of February
Sometime this morning, after a groundhog tells us all what to expect for the rest of the winter, an armadillo will leave its burrow down here and the message will be: “It’s Texas — who the hell knows what to expect!” It’s been in the mid 70s, lately. While winter in Texas is much different […]
The Timing of it All
On Monday, I wrote about how all stories have — in many ways — been told before. While that should never stop a writer from writing the story they want to tell, it’s not the only obstacle we face as writers. Sometimes the timing of things can send a writer into a wall. Two Months […]