Category: The Writing Life
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Daddy Issues are Overrated
When my dad hooked back up with the babysitter he’d originally cheated on mom with, my siblings and I didn’t hear from him for a month. I was eating at a Texas barbecue joint a block from Times Square when that carpenter and millwright finally returned all of my ignored calls. I paced in the…
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In Memoriam Zoe Kaplan, requiescat in pace
Zoe Kaplan, whom I interviewed here a few months back and who placed a story in Of Gods and Globes III, passed away the night of Wednesday, October 9th. She was just 28 years old, the age of my kid sister. She was Jewish — in the middle of #ReadsofAwe, worked at a Jewish boarding school…
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Gen Con 2024 day 004 — Banana Dragon, Poetry, and Legacy at Sea
Day 003 of Gen Con I FINALLY slept in a bit. And by a bit I think I was up at 6:30am or something. I showered and ate my morning sausage and eggs that I’d been frying up. What shocked me the most about staying with those four guys is that NONE of them eat…
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Of the Making of Books there Is No End?
I grew up in a fairly conservative religious community that abhorred study and praised ignorance, in a way. From this assumption folks would often quote in my general direction of the making of books there is no end. They believed along what Asimov said of many Americans: that my ignorance is as good as anyone…
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Matthew Kressel Interview
Lancelot Schaubert — Hey there, Matthew Kressel! So when did you first dip your toe into the genre? Or into make believe? Matthew Kressel — The first time I wrote anything with the hope of it being published was in college after I had one of the most incredibly vivid dreams of my life, and…
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William Atheling and The Issue at Hand
While he wrote fiction, James Blish secretly sent in a ton of critical essays pushing by force the entire genre to think critically about itself under the pseudonym William Atheling, Jr and the title The Issue at Hand. In it, he gave scathing rebukes of his best friends — some of his contemporary masters of science…
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ADHD Background Noise and International Coffeeshops
I’ve talked to several writers lately about ADHD background noise. When does it help? When does it hurt? How do coffeeshops play into that? I’m noticing something simple about myself. I do benefit from coffeeshop noise, but not from active conversations in my own language nearby. Whatever’s happened to my brain since moving to NYC,…
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Anthony Cirilla Interview
A Dialog Between Editor Lancelot Schaubert and Three-Time Contributor to OF GODS AND GLOBES, Dr. Anthony Cirilla : * * * Ed. Lancelot Schaubert: So this Of Gods and Globes series isn’t astrology, or isn’t supposed to be, so what the heck are we doing here — enough for a third volume? Dr. Anthony Cirilla: As…
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Paul Pelkonen is Star Wars Canon
Remember Paul Pelkonen? The opera critic who was one of my best friends in the neighborhood? The one who had the massive heart attack at 43 and died while I was in Joplin at Creative Arts Academy? He had a huge funeral here in the community? Paul Pelkonen was well respected in the community for years,…
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How to Write a Novel Title + How to Title a Story of Any Kind
Let me teach you how to write a novel title or how to title a story of any kind. If writing a novel is like having a baby, then titling it is like naming your kid. And parents fret over the names of their children. Big time. Have you seen the sheer number and size…
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Unconference 2023 — How do I prepare for Writer Unboxed?
As I’m sitting here preparing for the Writer UnBoxed Unconference 2023, I’m realizing that we’re (1) likely taking up several writers from Brooklyn and therefore I’m answering the question (2) How do I prepare for Writer Unboxed? Here’s how I’m preparing: Writer Unboxed Unconference 2023 isn’t a formal con. If you’re expecting the nerdgasm dorkfest…
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How do I use Shunn Manuscript Format?
Bill Shunn not long ago released a piece on manuscript format due to what seems to have been a dearth in standardization at the time. His guide has come to be known as Shunn Manuscript format. Some, for whatever reason, found his guide hard to find — or hard to follow — so I’m writing my…