Writing process
Inside ‘Quantum Physics,’ Part 7
We continue today with the story behind the story on the seventh piece of short fiction from my upcoming collection, Quantum Physics and the Art of Departure. To read previous installments, go here. STAR OF THE NORTH Backstory: This story, about a prison inmate waiting out a life sentence for a murder he’s never denied, was … Continue reading
Publishing: pleasure and pain
Welcome to Day 4 of Honesty Week. Look, I don’t know how I feel about self-publishing. Back when I first did it, in those yonder days of early 2009, it was in the most rudimentary way possible. I uploaded my book to CreateSpace. I used one of that service’s horrible pre-fab templates for my cover. … Continue reading
Another Page: ‘Woe Is I’
I’m going to spend the next two weeks on conversational, common-sense usage and grammar guides. For one thing, I pay the bulk of the bills as a professional copy editor, so these issues are important to me. For another, perhaps the most troubling things I see in new writers — and in far too many … Continue reading
Another Page: ‘Bound Like Grass’
One of the more remarkable books I’ve read in the past few years is this memoir, by Great Falls writer Ruth McLaughlin. In it, she details the story of her family’s struggle — ultimately unsuccessful — to survive on homesteaded land in the northeastern corner of Montana. The impressive cover endorsements, from the likes of … Continue reading
Another Page: ‘A Reader’s Manifesto’
This book is what I’ve been reading for the past few days. It’s not a new book; just new to me. And it entered my view at a time when I’ve really been struggling with some of the things I read, things that have received near-universal acclaim but leave me cold, never allowing me to … Continue reading
Progress Report: 6/14/2011
It’s been a light week. And, dammit, I deserved it. A few things: Finally, the Ed Kemmick book, The Big Sky, By and By, is for sale in advance of its official July 26 release date. If you’d like a signed copy, please jet over to Ed’s site and make a totally safe PayPal transaction. … Continue reading
