A few years – decades, even? – ago, I was watching David Letterman and his cheeky gap-toothed New York humour as was the norm of my late nights, and this time, Peter O’Toole was one of the guests on the show. I’ve seen many actors, actresses and celebrities (yes, that’s a third category) on Letterman […]
Writing with messianic determination Read More »
When I posted my rant on the inexcusability of writing excuses two weeks ago, one of my readers commented that, yes, it’s true, we have no excuses as writers and we don’t have any more excuses to not write than a firefighter has any excuses to not fight fires. Think about it. MMA fighters don’t
Overcoming the inertia as a writer Read More »
Two of the greatest laments I hear from would-be writers and other artists are the lack of time and the lack of inspiration. Well, guess what? Those are unacceptable laments. If you want to see your words make it into print – be that via ebook, self-publishing or the traditional print – you have absolutely
The inexcusability of writer excuses Read More »
Everything out there begins with a seed. Trees in the forest. The chicken on your plate – chicken-and-egg debate notwithstanding. And in particular, movies. Movies begin with a little nugget in some writer’s mind. The writer sits stooped over his umpteenth pint in the pub, engaged in banter with his neighbourly barfly or bartender at
Here’s to the screenwriters who started it all Read More »
One topic that seems to come up regularly in my writers’ group is – and I’m just as guilty of it as anyone – the shift of point-of-view in telling in a story. Example? Joe looked at Sarah and thought she looked absolutely dynamite. His heart felt like it was being squeezed in a vice
The art of the point-of-view Read More »
You’d be hard pressed to find a use for books other than reading. Some people use them as doorstops, others use them to prop up a table leg to cut down on the wobbling. Others, still, like to use them for bonfires. But that’s another story. One guy, however, found a way to turn books
Making an art form out of an art form Read More »
NaNoWriMo is now done and over with for another year. Thousands of people the world over are rejoicing over their successful advent to the magic number of 50,000 words in the month of November, and thousands more are drowning their failures in a bottle of cheap wine with their writer friends.
Giving birth to book and baby Read More »
As a writer, I strive for – and dread – these moments. The moments where I must create something new out of thin air. I’m one of those writers who will go long, dry spells without writing much at all, and then suddenly, furiously, in a moment of self-torture, I will chain myself to my
Keep your NaNoWriMo in NaNoWriMotion Read More »
I’m now more than 12,000 words into my latest Nanowrimo journey. This is my fifth kick at the 50,000-words-in-30-days can. I’ve been successful twice, and failed miserably twice. But more so, this is my fourth time doing it longhand. With pen on paper. The old Shakespearean way, with ink stains everywhere, all over my hands, my
Storytelling, the longhand way Read More »
That’s right. November 1 is my birthday. I can hear the caterwauling outside, shouting this question from the streets: “How old are you now?” Well, I’m 40. Yup, entering the fifth decade of my life. And now, there’s another huge cacophony outside my window. No, people don’t have torches nor do they want me to
Happy birthday to me Read More »
