Blog Archives
SIX OF THE BEST… reasons to outline your novel
Chris is very matter-of-fact about it — she has to do what she has to do, and if things do get changed back, he’ll never know. In the meantime, he wants to have as much time with her as he … Continue reading
“The Tape Library”
Martha knows her career is ending. She’s known it for years. But when the meeting is called, and she sees that everyone in the conference room is over fifty, she knows she’s out of time. The beginning of my fantasy … Continue reading
SIX OF THE BEST… Dexter adversaries
A show with a superhero character — and, make no mistake, Dexter is a superhero — is only as good as its villains. So, here are six of the best Dexter adversaries. (I say “adversaries” because they’re not all villains. … Continue reading
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April 28, 2016
Tagged arthur mitchell, brian moser, daniel vogel, dexter, doomsday killer, frank lundy, ghost of edward james olmos, hannah mckay, ice truck killer, isaak sirko, james doakes, jordan chase, laguerta, miguel prado, nibbled to death by ducks, ray speltzer, serial killer, star trek iv, superhero, superheroes, surprise motherfucker, the brain surgeon, the probe, the skinner, the two georges, trinity, trinity killer
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SIX OF THE BEST… job interview questions
Recently at work I’ve been interviewing a lot of people — some for my team, and some for a colleague’s team. I have a list of questions prepared; some are super-boring (“tell me about a time you had a conflict … Continue reading
SIX OF THE BEST… things to give up to improve your health
Everything we do gives us a disease or prevents one; every type of exercise is the wrong type of exercise, except that it’s exercise. No matter what your weight is, it’s the wrong weight; no matter what your mental state … Continue reading
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March 11, 2016
Tagged caffeine, canada dry, comfort, dieting, exercise, gatorade, gym, health, juice, meal planning, money, recipe for failure, soda, stress, sugar, sunk cost fallacy, time
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SIX OF THE WORST… things about Fuller House
With the sheer amount of online drama surrounding Netflix’s new Fuller House series, it’s only a matter of time until everyone sees at least one episode. I jumped on that grenade for you and watched the first half of the … Continue reading
SIX OF THE BEST… “great” movies that I just didn’t get
With the Oscars being awarded this coming weekend, I thought I would talk a little about “great” movies. I try to make a point of watching movies that are generally considered great, in hopes that I’ll like them. I mean, … Continue reading
SIX OF THE BEST… things about older cars
While I’m by no means a car aficionado, I do enjoy looking at different types of cars to see what the interiors look like. I tell myself that it’s because I’m trying to decide what I want when I eventually … Continue reading
SIX OF THE BEST… pop-up twitter accounts
Pop-up Twitter accounts are viral self-aggrandizement: accounts that (probably) aren’t officially affiliated with the product, brand, news story, or other thing, but are still out there to get retweets and engagements in hopes that maybe the person behind them will … Continue reading
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February 10, 2016
Tagged aspireyaauthor, broodingyahero, column, columns, counselorworf, dragontadcooper, nerdery public, nonfiction, picardtips, pope benedict xvi, quirkympdg, rikergoogling, savedyouaclick, sb50woodude, self-aggrandizement, six of the best, tng_s8, tokenyasidekick, twitter, typicalyahero, viral, worfemail
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SIX OF THE BEST… reasons not to write what you know
People write what they want to be true, because that’s what they know: they’re stuck in boring or dysfunctional lives and they want out. From SIX OF THE BEST… reasons not to write what you know.
a review of “Stand Up”, in The Clockwork Russian
“Stand Up” is that good. I won’t spoil the premise. Roseman is proud of this one, he notes. I think he should be. If this piece isn’t expanded into a full-length book, it at least needs to be optioned by … Continue reading
SIX OF THE BEST… reasons for giving up on a story
Here are six of the best reasons for giving up on a story — at least in my eyes. Since it’s November, and NaNoWriMo, hopefully these tips help you keep your story on track. SIX OF THE BEST… reasons for … Continue reading
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November 11, 2015
Tagged books, exposition, fan fiction, in medias res, kushiel's dart, mitch hedberg, night watch, pancaking, please don't tell my parents i'm a supervillain, pop culture references, reading, the company, the girl with the dragon tattoo, too many names, wheel of time, worldbuilding
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SIX OF THE WORST… things about submitting your work
Just writing your NaNo novel isn’t enough; it has to be revised, beta-read, formatted, and submitted, or else you’ll never get it published. Even self-publishing takes a lot of work. So what do you do when your story is done? … Continue reading
SIX OF THE BEST… reasons to do it yourself
A lot of nerds are makers of one sort or another. I’m a writer; you might be a crafter, a musician, a filmmaker, or a chef. The thing is: you’re creating something instead of depending on someone else’s work, and … Continue reading
SIX OF THE BEST… nerdy things I did with my school friends
Despite the stereotype of nerds, geeks, dorks, and suchlike having no friends and being insulated from the world, even the most nerdy person has someone to call a friend. I’m proud to say that even at my lowest points I … Continue reading
SIX OF THE WORST… things about playing against the computer
As much as I love playing games with other people, sometimes* it’s not possible to have them around. Sometimes you’re stuck playing a game you love by yourself. Enter the computer player — a reasonably-sophisticated AI that can challenge you, … Continue reading
Book Review: “Snapshot” by Beau Hall
Fifty years ago, Marietta really was a small town, and the thing about small towns is that you can hide a lot of big secrets there. Marvin Hill has been hiding a huge one: for more than fifty years, Marvin’s … Continue reading
SIX OF THE BEST… ways to stop cheating
As nerds, we usually abhor cheating when we’re part of a contest (unless the game calls for cheating as part of the play itself). We think that victories won by cheating are hollow and tainted, and we’re not alone. We … Continue reading
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September 16, 2015
Tagged cheating, deflategate, espn, football, nfl, patriots, protest, scandal, spygate, suspension
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