Tag Archives: blog

The Pillow And The Baseball Bat

I love the classics. I read most of them decades ago. But I don’t think I can read those same books again with the same enthusiasm and eagerness I had for them years ago. And the reason is not because … Continue reading

Posted in Ramblings | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

If Only

Fred Shaw tells the story: “Once I had the good fortune to talk with William Faulkner. “Tell me about your writing course,” he said. “Do your students want to write, or do they want to be writers?”” Do you want … Continue reading

Posted in Ramblings | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Less Is More

In my article yesterday, I spoke about sex scenes in fiction, and how what was once taboo is now being accepted with such grandiose openness, with books like ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’, aka ‘mommy porn’ as referred to by the … Continue reading

Posted in Ramblings | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Whatever Happened To Less Is More

The other day my friend’s fifteen year old daughter asked me if I have read ‘Fifty Shades Of Grey’. When I said no, she went on to wonder whether it is like the Harlequin books or erotica, or porn. I … Continue reading

Posted in Ramblings | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Are You A Fan Too

In one of my books on writing, I read that many people go through quotes from famous authors, and read interview after interview with successful writers in the hope that the success will somehow rub off on them, that they … Continue reading

Posted in Ramblings | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Stop Look Listen

A story – a tale, a narrative, an account, an anecdote. A short story – a tale, a fable, a novella, a parable. I love to read short stories. My all time favorites are: The Necklace- Guy de Maupassant The … Continue reading

Posted in Ramblings | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Are We Artists

Blocks are to writers as Unidentified Flying Objects are to other cranks. This is the quote I came across in one of my notebooks that I leaf through once in a while. In my notebook there’s no mention of the … Continue reading

Posted in Ramblings | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

How Others Are Doing It

That’s the kind of thing writers always want to know. What other writers are doing. Do they have a writing habit? When do they write? How do they write? Tom Wolfe set himself a quota, ten pages a day, triple-spaced, … Continue reading

Posted in Ramblings | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

I Was Afraid Of It

“One of the problems which will probably haunt me more than any other is the problem of communication between two people. The fact that complete communication is completely impossible between two people, is to me one of the biggest tragic … Continue reading

Posted in Ramblings | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

The Anxiety Of Writing

“Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” Arthur C. Clarke Don’t you love technology? We are a lucky generation of writers. We have tools that make writing and editing an easy task to do. And then we have tools, … Continue reading

Posted in Ramblings | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments