I finished the 3rd draft of my storybook a few days ago. Hooray! I rushed to Staples to have copies printed for my friends and family reviewers. It was exciting right up until the point when I got the bill. Let’s just say that when you have a ~72K word book that ~$.011-$0.22/page can really … Continue reading
Galvanic, Titillating, Intoxicating, and Tickilish Verbs!
I’m fresh back from a couple of days at the San Francisco Writers Conference where I had the pleasure to attend a session titled “Vex, Hex, Smash, Smooch: How to Let Verbs Power Your Writing,” by Constance Hale. Like countless others, I admire the brilliance of literary geniuses for their insane ability to provide detail … Continue reading
E-Feedback for Writers?
It was a few weeks ago when I blogged about the benefit of feedback that playwrights receive in a workshop setting. Can authors receive similar feedback for an unfinished work? It turns out that e-reader devices already collect information that may be useful to authors in this regard. In a broadcast by NPR’s “All Things … Continue reading
The “Public” Perserverance of a Playwright
I had the privilege of seeing “Next to Normal” at the San Jose Repertory Theater a few days ago. The musical had opened on Broadway in 2009 and won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2012. I loved the performance, but admired the content much more. Creators Brian Yorkey and Tom Kitt’s musical showed the … Continue reading
Missing in Action during WWII, but Found in the 21st Century
I saw a remarkable documentary last night called “Last Flight Home.” The film detailed the efforts of a group called the “BentProp Project,” that searched for lost Word War II planes, and their MIA crew, in the Republic of Palau in the western Pacific. The group had discovered planes in both the water and in … Continue reading
Noah Pozner’s Body and The Clockwork Orange
20+ years ago, I was required to read “The Clockwork Orange” by Anthony Burgess for a college English class. English was my favorite subject and I loved to read, but I wasn’t thrilled about the assignment for a very specific reason. I had read the book before. With so much to read in the world, … Continue reading
40 Years Ago, It Would Have Been Me In That Classroom
I listened intently as the experts shared their knowledge on television about guns and mental illness in the aftermath of the December 14 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary. But, when an expert on mass shootings declared that an individual was less likely to become a victim of a mass shooting than a victim of a … Continue reading
The Difference Between A Writing Group and a Drawing Group
I few years ago I joined a drawing group to gain some basic skills that might help with powerpoint presentations. I liked sketching strategic concepts, but I was never able to translate whiteboard sketches into anything that looked halfway professional. After weekly lessons, I’m now a lot better. What’s become more enjoyable, however, is meeting … Continue reading
How To Blog – Tips For Authors
I attended the California Writer’s Club Self-Publishing conference in Fremont, CA yesterday and heard a couple of people talk about the importance of blogging to promote a book. I learned a lot at the conference, so wanted to share some of the goodies. 1. Frequency! Blog 2-3X/wk for one year to establish your audience. It’s … Continue reading
Little Red Schoolhouse – A Memoir That’s Not Quite Right!
I learned a little about the history of 1-room schools on the radio show “Backstory with the American History Guys.” http://backstoryradio.org/ This is one of my favorite programs as I just love it when the historians set the record straight – on all kinds of subjects! In a show titled “School Days: A History of … Continue reading
kelleytjansson 