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.
The Bill Russell Syndrome
What does former National Basketball Association great Bill Russell have to do with leading classes and workshops about writing novels? I’ll tell you…shortly. But, first things first.
Throwback Thursday—A Writer’s Rules Of Engagement: Part Three
Okay, one more post on how writers engage their readers with a strong opening hook, and then I’ll get back to other important matters, such as bad horror movies. Actually, this is the only topic about writing to which I’ve devoted three posts, illustrating just how critical it is to grab readers by the jugular on page one and not let go.
Guilty Pleasures: Armageddon
The 1998 sci-fi/disaster flick, ARMAGEDDON, grossed well over half a billion dollars—so why is it a Guilty Pleasure? Doubtless because its reviews were uniformly awful.
Throwback Thursday: A Writer’s Rules Of Engagement—Part Two
In Part One of this series I wrote about how important—how necessary—it is for writers to engage their readers immediately with an element of the story called the narrative hook. Both literary agents and, ultimately, readers want to get into your story quickly, or you risk losing them.
Guest Post: Tarzan, Jungle King Of Popular Culture
Author David Lemmo and I go way back to the early nineties, when he became one of the first writers to join a read & critique workshop that I facilitated in my home. David enjoyed reading—and writing—the same genres as I did and, given both his writing abilities and his offbeat personality, we really hit it off.
Throwback Thursday: A Writer’s Rules Of Engagement—Part One
This is the first of three posts from 2013 on how writers can engage—or “hook”—their readers from the first page of their novels.
Films About Books: The Babadook
When William Friedkin, director of The Exorcist, proclaims, “I’ve never seen a more terrifying film,” you have to take notice. He was referring to the 2014 Australian psychological horror film, The Babadook, and I cannot disagree with his assessment. This one is designed to cause more than a few sleepless nights.
Throwback Thursday: What’s Left On The Bucket List?
Even though I first presented this post in 2013, I still haven’t made it to the Devil’s Tower. Maybe my aversion to flying has something to do with that? But I just may make it this year. Stay tuned…
“Did You Bullshit Last Week?”
In these challenging times we could all use a good laugh, so this edition of Movie Lines is all about quotes from comedy films.
Throwback Thursday—Guilty Pleasures: Darkness Falls
You don’t want your kids encountering THIS tooth fairy. I first wrote about this film in 2013.
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