Category: Writing
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Of Making Many Books There is No End ?
I grew up in a fairly conservative religious community that abhorred study and praised ignorance, in a way. They believed along with what Asimov said of many Americans: that my ignorance is as good as anyone else’s knowledge. I understand that the rational capacity of any given person is up to the task of puzzling…
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Ash Wednesday poem
My Ash Wednesday poem is from my poetry podcast. I’m reading first from my book Inconveniences, Rightly Considered — a collection of poems I wrote between 2005 and 2017. Featured Download: For a quick tutorial on how to write your own poetry, click here.
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Writing Tools VS. Story Craft
In June I will again join the Ozark Creative Arts Academy for high schoolers to teach some writing tools and story craft seminars. This year I plan to shape my talk out of the overflow of a conversation I had last year with Dr. Giltner and Dr. Cirilla at the Niagra Falls retreat. It goes something…
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Five-Pronged Eyes Poem
My Five-Pronged Eyes poem is from my poetry podcast. I’m reading first from my book Inconveniences, Rightly Considered — a collection of poems I wrote between 2005 and 2017. Featured Download: For a quick tutorial on how to write your own poetry, click here.
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Sense of Wonder : Awaken and Enliven
As I’ve now said in Art and Fear, in Carefree Art, and in The Hipster Fallacies (and as was implied in the quote on Science and Agnosticism) it is the job of the artist to awaken the sense of wonder in the world, to use their imagination as the organ of meaning and connect the…
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Sound of Silence : Doors of Stone Prep
Apologies for delaying this reread of Kingkiller since OCTOBER. Still anxious to get it all read in preparation for whenever Doors of Stone comes out in the distant future (don’t want my intentions to get misconstrued again). But I’m mainly anxious to get it reread because rereading books we love is fun. To explain the delay:…
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Flying Tips and Future Planes
After selling both of our cars four years ago, Tara and I have flown a disproportionate amount compared to the rest of our lives since coming to New York — enough to offer some flying tips. I can say, for starters, don’t fly United or American and, frankly, John Oliver was right to say that…
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Episode Story and Serialized Blogs : Segment
Once you’ve dissented against the norms in the blogging world, once you’ve clearly outlined how — exactly — you intend to help others, once you’ve focused on substance and earned the consent of readers who want you to contact them on a regular basis, once you’ve fermented your own style and substance until the blog is…
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Best Fails in Your Blog : Lament VS. Ignore
Once you’ve dissented against the norms in the blogging world, once you’ve clearly outlined how — exactly — you intend to help others, once you’ve focused on substance and earned the consent of readers who want you to contact them on a regular basis, once you’ve fermented your own style and substance until the blog is…
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Constructive Feedback on Your Blog : Relent
Once you’ve dissented against the norms in the blogging world, once you’ve clearly outlined how — exactly — you intend to help others, once you’ve focused on substance and earned the consent of readers who want you to contact them on a regular basis, and once you’ve fermented your own style and substance until the blog…
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Create Your Own Blog : Ferment VS. Specialize
The intent of your decision to create your own blog, the substance of your decision to create your own blog, and the consent of your blog’s audience all will ferment and begin to make a cohesive whole. That’s when things start to pick up steam. I don’t mean specialize. People talk all the time about…
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How to Blog : Consent
People happily pay for things that help them. Back when I lived in Joplin and had a car, I happily paid for oil changes even though I knew how to do it myself because it gave me more time to work on my writing. I happily pay for delivery when I’m in a rush because…