I’m not the only one who had dreams of writing “the great American novel.” Having a penchant for drawing also gave me dreams of writing the great American comic book, too (sort of like Dave Sim’s great Canadian comic book Cerebus). God knows I’ve had many false starts. Such works take commitment, though. And, as… Continue reading This is the kind of writer I am
Category: Writing
Say-nothing phrases can be fun
There’s a Sara Bareilles song called “Love on the Rocks” that begins We met on a rainy evening in the summertime Don’t think I need to tell you more While some people get annoyed with such say-nothing phrases (another example is, “This person needs no introduction” before a usually lengthy introduction), I delight in them,… Continue reading Say-nothing phrases can be fun
Don’t just link – write something!
The most annoying kind of blog post I’ve ever seen is the link without commentary. I know you’ve seen them before. It’s just a link to something interesting and nothing else. The worst is the link to just another blog post from someone else. I understand you’re excited. I understand you want to share your… Continue reading Don’t just link – write something!
Efficient communication is a worthy goal
There are two instances in which I have had this jumbled-word paragraph brought to my attention: Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn’t mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a… Continue reading Efficient communication is a worthy goal
Typos in official publications
I often find typos in books and newspapers. I understand that copy editors are human and can make mistakes. Today’s San Francisco Chronicle Letters to the Editor section goof is unforgivable, though. Whoever does the copy editing on that should get a firm scolding, some unpaid time off, or a firing. Yikes! Or perhaps they’re… Continue reading Typos in official publications
My Misspellings and Misspeakings
I’ve always considered myself a good speller. Whatever that means. I won the spelling bee in 4th grade, and I was bummed to have been eliminated in the pre-trials in 5th grade by the word necessary. The representative from our homeroom who did get necessary correct (after everyone else had already exhausted the other logical… Continue reading My Misspellings and Misspeakings
Like Depeche Mode, I just can’t get enough
So one day I was watching TV, and this Target commercial came on with a new rendition of the Beatles’ “Hello, Goodbye.” I liked the new rendition, so I Googled it and found out it was by a little-known artist called Sophia Shorai. She has a website and a MySpace page, but as far as… Continue reading Like Depeche Mode, I just can’t get enough
Present Tense in Fiction: aaaaaagggh!
It reads, “Here may be found the last words of Joseph of Arimathea. He who is valiant and pure of spirit may find the Holy Grail in the Castle of aaaaaagggh.” What? …The Castle of aaaaaagggh. What is that? He must have died while carving it. Oh, come on! Well, that’s what it says. Look,… Continue reading Present Tense in Fiction: aaaaaagggh!