Category: Notebook
-
Let’s all stop saying “after the jump”…
The phrase “after the jump” on blogs is one of my particular pet peeves, and I have noticed that usage does not seem to be abating. One reason why it’s annoying is because the majority of the readership has no idea what it means — including the blogger, in many cases. Besides being unintelligible, it’s […]
-
The comic book adaptations of Stephen King…
Two of Stephen King‘s longest works — the Dark Tower series and The Stand — are currently being adapted into comic book form, and a third, The Talisman, is forthcoming. I am reading both the Dark Tower and Stand series. Here are my thoughts. Unlike the novel series, the Dark Tower comics tell the story […]
-
Thoughts on publishing & the digital age…
I have been following all of the conversations about the future of publishing, particularly with regard to e-books, going on over the past few months with interest. I thought I’d share some of the more interesting conversations I’ve found, as well as some of my still-nascent thoughts on the whole kerfuffle. I have a bit […]
-
The care and feeding of an introvert…
We introverts are much misunderstood and maligned creatures. An introvert is a person who feels drained when they are with other people too long and who recharges from being alone. Extraverts, on the other hand (and there are so many more of you), recharge from being around other people and can’t stand being alone. Yes, […]
-
Does peak oil mean a return to Little House on the Prairie?
I just finished reading an excellent post-collapse novel called World Made by Hand by James Howard Kunstler. (Here is my review.) I like to read novels in a vacuum, not knowing much about the book or the author, if I can help it, so my opinion of the work won’t be tainted. So I didn’t […]
-
Practical uses for blogs: Journals and research notebooks
The blog has become so popular because it is a format that has a wide variety of uses. Generally, web surfers are used to seeing blogs used in one of the following ways: to present information and news on a narrow subject in small, manageable chunks, generally supported by advertising to communicate news about a […]
-
But the chaos is all so beautiful…
I have always been fascinated by randomness. I am not alone, as shown by the ancient pastimes of gambling and divination. It is our lot as humans to peer into the chaos of the universe and try to discern patterns there. But perhaps a bigger question is whether our lives have some purpose or whether […]
-
The endless quest to live forever
There was a story in the New York Times Science section this week about testing beginning on drugs that may slow aging. (Please read the article for all the science stuff — I’ll wait.) Obviously, this is the Holy Grail of medical science — literally. Since humans first comprehended their own mortality, they have been […]
-
Writing for love or money? They aren’t mutually exclusive
Here are some follow-up thoughts on my post about why writers should not write for free. Some readers may be wondering if I am saying that you should never write anything without getting paid for it. That actually is not what I’m saying at all, but let me clarify. What if you just really love […]
-
They won’t buy the cow: Why writers should not give away their work
I saw a couple of posts on this subject on the World in the Satin Bag, and the subject of whether writers should give away their work for free is a perennial debate. So in case anyone cares, here are my two cents’ on the subject. I was a working writer for 9 years. By […]