I was listening to the Geek’s Guide to the Galaxy podcast (which is absolutely AWESOME, by the way, if you haven’t started listening to it, you absolutely should) and in their interview with Hugh Howey, which is Podcast #83, they discussed how Hugh Howey’s book, Wool. (Available on Amazon and other fine retailers.) I haven’t read the book. Yet. I hear it’s wonderful, and it’s on my to-do list not only because of the great reviews and my desire to…
(In which I rant, admittedly likely unfoundedly, about people using “page number” when we should all switch to “word count”…) I found an article this morning called The 10 Best Books Shorter than 150 Pages by Sarah Gerard. While the article is informative and interesting (and gave me a few more books to add to my every growing ‘Need to read again’ list), I can’t help but nitpick on one point. Why is it that we use the archaic “page count”…
I went to the meeting of the Berkeley Branch of the California Writer’s Club today in Oakland. It was a grand adventure with my girl friend. We took the BART, which is always an adventure, and walked a half mile from the Lake Merritt Station to the Oakland Library. The journey was relatively uneventful; there were no strangers cursing at me on the BART, which has happened in the past. We were only asked for money a half dozen times…
I know it’s not Thursday, but here’s a Blog Post that I wrote back on July 29, 2008. It’s in an old blog I’m not using anymore, but I thought it was worth reading. I’m reposting it here. Sing-Along Blog It’s rather hard for me to put into words just how much I hero-worship Joss Whedon. …there. That’s the end of this entry. Not enough for you? All right, I’ll keep going. My passion for Joss Whedon started when I…
My Fantasy Disneyland Schedule I get to go to Disneyland without children this June. Two days of childless bliss in the Happiest Place on Earth! It’s very exciting. Though I know it’s going to be hot, crowded and exhausting, I’m still thrilled for the chance. I’ve been to Disneyland a couple dozen times over the course of my life and every time I go I learn something new–a new trick or treat that should make my next visit even more…
10 Steps to Creating Lovable, Believable Characters 1.) What does s/he look like? It’s important to have a very good vision of your character’s appearance in your mind while you write. And keeping notes in a journal/notebook or on index cards is a good idea. (Or another file in your computer, since that’s what kids are doing now-a-days.) That way you don’t say the character has blue eyes in chapter 2, and then brown eyes in chapter 11. Sometimes I…
My Heroes Second Installment: Nick Doan (And Gwen Dreyer) I’ve decided to write a blog post every month about someone who inspires me. A hero in one form or another. As so much of my life is based around reading and writing, many of these heroes are bound to be writers, bloggers, creators, artists and musicians. Though I’m sure I’ll put other people in here, too. Gwen and I went to middle school and high school together. She was the…
8 Tips on Surviving an Outing with a Toddler 1.) Don’t go. Really. Don’t go. If you don’t have to go out, don’t. It’ll save you time, energy, money and stress. Mostly stress. And hassle. Send your husband, wife, or partner to the store. Or, better yet, go when the little one is asleep. But, if you do have to go… 2.) Only make one stop. If your child gets as cranky as mine does/did, then one stop is about…
There was flour everywhere. Literally. The walls were coated in flour dust, there was a fine layer over the floor, the countertops, the cabinets, the windowsill. Thankfully, a quick charm could clean up the white powder, but the damage was done. The toddler sitting in the middle of the mess was laughing hysterically and waving her Mummy’s wand all over.“No no, please!” The tired mother, Audrey, was carrying a tiny infant against her chest. It’d probably been three days since…
This year, 2014, my daughters turn 2 and 5. I’ve seen a lot of posts on Facebook and other social media where people post about “on this day, x years ago, I went into labor…” where parents–mothers, mostly–remember fondly the time that led up to their children coming into the world. I don’t really remember much of my life before I had kids. I know it’s weird to say, and probably a little sad, but in all honesty, I don’t…