In search of judgment
The greatest gift for every writer is judgment–Obari Gumba Back in December, Agent Carrie and I had our annual strategy session, where we set the course for the upcoming year. One of the things Carrie wanted me to do, once I was finished writing the first draft of the WiP, was to take a new […]
Hello, Square One
Oh, hello, Square One, I…wasn’t expecting to see you here. How are you? It’s been a while, hasn’t it? Four years? Really, that long? Time flies, huh? Sorry I haven’t kept in touch, you know how it is. Well. I’d love to stay and hang out, but– Yeah, sure, we can hang out a little. […]
We’ve been here before
Recommended reading if you haven’t already run across it on Facebook or elsewhere: Fuck you, I like guns. I may have said this before, after some other school shooting, or a mass murder in a gay nightclub, or a massacre at a movie theater, but I’ll say it again: I’m not anti-gun. I don’t want […]
One of the big problems with this country, summed up in a single sentence
According to a story on CNN’s website this weekend, during a 2006 meeting with employees angered over a new rule that would force them to share tips with their supervisors, casino mogul Steve Wynn said this in response to a woman who stated the rule would cost her fifteen to twenty thousand dollars a year: […]
Musical Monday: Jackie Wilson said what?
It’s a Monday, there’s something like eight inches of snow on the ground (despite the forecast that told us we’d have half that, at most), and I’m kind of tired and achy, hoping it’s not something coming on. So, we’ll have some rather chipper music today! About two weeks back, I completely got Van Morrison’s […]
Thoughts on Sleeping Beauties, Part I
A couple of weeks back, I wrote about the Netflix series, Godless, a good show on many levels but one that fell far short on living up to the promise of its preview, which looked to be a lot more woman-driven than it turned out to be. This week, I’m finally coming back to Sleeping […]
Thoughts on ‘Summit Fever’
Last week over at Writer Unboxed, Annie Neugebauer wrote about the perils of ‘Summit Fever,’ a condition in which mountaineers allow the desire to reach their goal–the top of the mountain–to supercede good judgement in getting there (and back down again) safely. If the mountaineers are lucky, they make it safe and sound and maybe […]
Godless: Opportunity Missed
A couple of months ago, The Wife made me and The Magpie watch a trailer for a new Netflix show that was soon to be airing. Pretend for a moment you have neither heard about nor seen trailer or the show itself, and watch the trailer (just under two minutes): I’m not necessarily a “Western […]
Weekend Update: (Temporary) End of the Cold edition
Greetings, all. Woke up this day to a welcome sight: the mercury in our outdoor thermometer was above zero, which it hasn’t been before sunrise in close to a week. Not that you can feel it, mind you; took the dog out and was surprised at how cold it felt, courtesy of a decent breeze […]
New Year and Old Business (Reading List, Part IV)
Well, good morning, and welcome to 2018, I hope it’s a good one for you. Thank you to all of you who come by and spend a few minutes every week with me, and especially those of you who regularly have something to say. I always aim to give you something to come here for, […]