Category: Writing
-
Long Island & Antiquing
We Schauberts like New York City. By “like New York City” I don’t mean we went there once as senior love birds in high school. Other than our home towns (Salem, St. Louis, Joplin, Dearborn), we’ve probably stayed in New York more than any other city. Last summer we had the privilege of staying on…
-
Write the Breakout Novel
Thanks to Ellie for another great rec to write the Breakout Novel. For one, Maass promises no short cut. Hard work pays. For another, he shifts the blame for bad book revenue from the editors, agents, publishers and publicists to where it should be–on the author. If your story does not sell, you have no…
-
Sitting at the feet of : a Medievalist
When he asked his Franciscan Father, “When did you become a Franciscan?” Alex Giltner’s Father answered, “When I was born.” Alex feels the same about medievalism—he can’t trace back the source. However, like most young boys, he drew close to stories and films of dragons and swords. Then at fourteen, he read The Lord of…
-
Paradise Lost: Book One
Reading a Harvard Classic, journaling for an MIT open course, watching a Yale lecture. Buckle up, this is about to be the most literated fantastic point of ignorance yet. We’ll have a coffee shop version, an appetizer version and a full course meal for this puppy. Respond and dialog as soon as you want to jump…
-
Fletching the Sandman’s Arrows
“What’s your name?” “Fletch.” “What’s your full name?” “Fletcher.” “What’s your first name?” “Irwin.” “What?” “Irwin Fletcher. People call me Fletch.” “Irwin Fletcher, I have a proposition to make to you. I will give you a thousand dollars for just listening to it. If you decide to reject the proposition, you take the thousand dollars,…
-
“Literature is a luxury; fiction is a necessity.”
Recent Work Miscellany The following articles by yours truly will come out next month, this month or next year at this time: “To Prevail or ‘How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Flak’” in Hollywood and Vine (article, May/June 2012) “Poker in the Pokey” in Poker Pro (article, June 2012)* “Stamping the Name” in Encounter (article, May 2012)…
-
What’ll You Think of Next?
Hey gang, Think of this like a love letter from me to you, only less romantic. I save the romance for Kiddo (ask her about the hope chest some time). Every once in awhile,
-
M.I.T. Free
No, that’s not a typo. Thanks to Logan K. Stewart’s suggestion, I’m now going to take on M.I.T. free at the same time as my Harvard Classics readings. Basically, there’s a list of classes: Courses by Department Aeronautics and Astronautics Anthropology Architecture Athletics, Physical Education and Recreation Biological Engineering Biology Brain and Cognitive Sciences Chemical…
-
Storyssentials: Sentence
Brevity and depth–that’s what you can expect from this post if you reflect. It would seem trivial to call “sentences” essential bits of story. Part of this comes from people who assume that writers toil for words. Photographers use photoshop, but they toil for photos. Graphic designers use illustrator, but they toil for graphics. Writers…
-
Open Letter to Adolescents (or Adolescence)
To any adolescent it may concern: When you grow up, your old friends will do different things. One will go to prison. Another will get married and have twelve babies. A third will join a group of anarchists in Seattle only to quit the group later. Another will become a career politician who accepts bribes…