Swords, Specters, & Stuff
Welcome to My World
I started this blog in January 2012 for one simple reason: I love to write. I named it “Swords, Specters, & Stuff” because I especially love to write about writing, about books and movies in my favorite genres, about authors that mean a great deal to me. But there’s more to it than that, which is why I included “Stuff” in the title. It is “Stuff” that gives me carte blanche to write about anything, which is why you’ll see stories about special trips to Cooperstown, Sedona, and other places; about getting older; about baseball; about the otherworldly way in which I met my soul mate; about the loss of good friends, and so much more. Enjoy! And feel free to leave a comment.
Always “Acknowledge” Your Writing Coach
Happy New Year! Here is a fun and meaningful story for you writers out there. I first presented it a few years back in my writers’ newsletter, so there are some dated references, but also a number of updates. Enjoy! So, why should you “acknowledge” your writing...
Plumbing The Depths
BENEATH HEAVEN LIES HELL. BENEATH HELL LIES… The Cave. Actually, I probably could’ve designated this claustrophobic 2005 horror flick as a Guilty Pleasure, even though I’ve always enjoyed watching it. Not so others, apparently. Research revealed that it barely broke...
Ghostly Legends Of The Whaley House
There are some human beings who are dimly aware of their own deaths, yet have chosen to stay on in what used to be their homes, to be close to surroundings they once held dear. - Hans Holzer Few houses in San Diego are as historically important as the Whaley House. In...
Guilty Pleasures: Tremors
THE ULTIMATE UNDERGROUND MOVIE. IT WILL LEAVE YOU LEGLESS! Yep, that was a tagline for the 1990 horror/comedy flick, Tremors. It didn’t bother me one bit, because—heck, they had me at its main protagonist, Kevin Bacon, one of my favorites. (Factoid: he played in the...
A Memorable Date
I made it through December 3rd yesterday. December 3rd? It comes after Thanksgiving and before Christmas, Kwanza, and (most of the time) Chanukah. This year it falls on a Tuesday, an innocuous day of the week at best. So what’s the big deal? Three years ago, on...
Your Book: Managing Expectations
A person of some fame and accomplishment (in endeavors other than writing) contacted me some years back to see if I could assist her in writing a book about her life. At first thrilled and honored, I quickly re-evaluated the possibility of this happening when she...
A Real Turkey
This being Thanksgiving day, what would be more appropriate than to write about a turkey of a movie? I’m talking about Mimic 2, the 2001 sequel to one of my favorite horror flicks, Mimic (duh). In 1997’s Mimic we had an Academy Award-caliber cast (Mira Sorvino, Josh...
Writers Are Amazing
I’ve worked with countless writers over the decades as a coach and editor, and interacting with the majority of them has been a joy for me. But with some, not so much. The difference? The “not-so-muchers” don’t take critiquing well, are defensive, and some actually...
“They’re Here Already!”
I spent part of last weekend giving workshops at the 12th Annual La Jolla Writer’s Conference down in San Diego. This excellent conference was launched in October of 2001—it almost got canceled because of 9/11—and I served on its founding faculty, as well as on every...
“Give A Writer A Fish…”
Actually, the quote goes something like this: “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” Depending on where you look, it is either an old Chinese proverb or it comes from the Talmud. (I always thought that the...
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