Category: Uncategorized
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Excerpt from Pilgrimage to Skara
Shameless plug for the book, along with a quick excerpt: * * * * * * * Keilie shivered. “I’m frightened.” “Me too.” “I should have stayed in Hightown.” “Maybe. But what’s done is done. If we escape these woods, do you want me to take you home?” She did not answer. Wendt said, “There…
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Comment on A new “Splash.” by Beth Turnage
I saw a trailer for the Magnificent Seven in the theater this weekend. It looked okay, but trailers can be deceptive. I agree that perhaps Hollywood should sometimes leave well enough alone but then there are other movies that beg for a better remake. Dune is one such story. How I longed for the SyFy…
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The Lonely Life of the Writer in the Age of Social Media
Hello, blogosphere. I’ve been absent for some time but I’ve recently been reminded that this is a bit of sin. I need to maintain my web presence if I ever hope to be a published or successful author. Agents and publishers want to authors who are active…
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Literariness
I write fantasy. I imagine that if I am ever published, my books will appear in the fantasy/science fiction section of the bookstore. Is that a bad thing? Is it something to be ashamed of? Is fantasy only childish, escapist make-believe? I think the an…
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Called it
For anyone who thought that my portrayal of jihadis as thugs with no knowledge of Islam was maybe too harsh, we have the following corroboration from the Economist: For recruits to an ostensibly religious militia, many of those joining IS seem to display a notable ignorance of Islam. Before leaving for Syria, Yusuf Sarwar and Mohammed…
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Charlie Hebdo
Today I conducted a metaphysical interview with one of the men who allegedly carried out the massacre at Charlie Hebdo, killing Stéphane Charbonnier and eleven others. As you may know from earlier posts, a metaphysical interview is like a real interview except instead of talking to people you speculate about what they might say. It’s…
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On Style
Be clear. Be concise. Omit needless words.This is the prevailing advice on writing these days. Avoid long sentences and figures of speech. Beware of adverbs. Go light on the exposition. Use modifiers sparingly. Show, don’t tell. It is the notion that t…
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12 People You’ll Never Believe You Actually Elected
Today, instead of a fictional farce, we look at the actual farce that is Alberta politics. The Progressive Conservative party has been in power in Alberta for 43 years. I’m just going to repeat that number in case you missed it the first time: 43 years. They have literally been around longer than disco. They…
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The young man and the sage
Once upon a time a young man who was acclaimed for his wit and the profundity of his thoughts decided to visit an old sage who lived as a hermit on a mountain. The young man climbed up the steep path to the hermit’s hut and found him working in his garden. “Great sage,” said…
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Accounting for Taste
I have long believed that taste, one’s aesthetic sense, one’s choice in music, literature, art and fashion, is important, that it is not trivial or superficial. I’ve always struggled to articulate the idea, always wondering how people can like certain…