In an effort to process all that has happened in the past months, I collected and recorded what I'm calling Mantras for 2020.
Finding Inspiration in the Artist’s Statement: Matsuo Bashō
Feeling stuck? Need some inspiration? Check out a nearly 400-year-old artist's statement by Japanese haiku master Matsuo Bashō and some reflections on how uplifting his thoughts and words are.
The Fate of Dystopian & Post-Apocalyptic Fiction
Where do dystopian and post-apocalyptic genre fiction stand when the external world looks worse than the stories?
Zebulon Contest News…
Happy shut-in coronavirus days to you, internet traveler. I'm dropping a little shred of good news fluttering your way on the winds of uncertainty, isolation, and a shocking scarcity of toilet paper... This week, Pikes Peak Writers announced their winners for the 2020 Zebulon Fiction Contest. My entry, HALF-LIFE (the SF post-apocalyptic novel I'm currently… Continue reading Zebulon Contest News…
The Irishman: A Brutal Review
I wasn't going to write about this movie. I watch a lot of movies and I don't write critically about most of them, partly because I know any film is a labor of love for someone involved and I don't want to hurt anybody, partly because none of the films I've really had problems with… Continue reading The Irishman: A Brutal Review
Pitching a Novel in a Tweet? What is this, the technological dystopian future?
On January 30, 2020, I participated in my very first Twitter pitching event. And girl, do I have some THOUGHTS. But first, maybe some definition of terms. I know not all of the people who read this blog are writers, and y'all might be thinking, what the heck is pitching? When writers write a story,… Continue reading Pitching a Novel in a Tweet? What is this, the technological dystopian future?
2019 in Books
Another year, another book list... Best new author discovered: N. K. Jemisin. My mind was totally blown by her adult fantasy trilogy, which begins with The Fifth Season. I plan on reading much more of her in 2020. I did better working in nonfiction books this year! Every one of them was worth reading, but… Continue reading 2019 in Books
Does The Matrix Hold Up 20 Years Later?
The Matrix. Everyone's favorite late 20th-century, existential-crisis-inducing, groundbreaking sci-fi cyberpunk, slo-mo-happy film. Keanu Reeves, grunge, sunglasses, leather pants, guns for days, kung fu... What more could any sci-fi movie fan want? The Matrix, the Wachowski's first blockbuster hit, came out on March 31, 1999. Twenty years ago. This is mindbendingly hard for me to believe,… Continue reading Does The Matrix Hold Up 20 Years Later?
What I Learned from My First NaNoWriMo
November is gone. I have to take a moment, to lift my head from the laptop, to let my eyes adjust to the sunlight, to start breathing again. 50,011 words. National Novel Writing Month is over. I did it. None of it feels real. I wonder if this has to do with John Gardner's idea… Continue reading What I Learned from My First NaNoWriMo
NaNoWriMo 2019: Week 4 Update
can't talk right now got to write 5,653 words in three days or less with a national holiday in the middle whose idea was it to do this in November my god happy thanksgiving i guess and see you on the other side unless i write myself to death which is possible given i'm feeling… Continue reading NaNoWriMo 2019: Week 4 Update
