An intriguing story by Susan Barker appeared on the pages of The Los Angeles Review of Books titled "Should Ethnicity Limit What a Fiction Writer Can Write?". The article relates the authors experiences of a recent book tour she made in China after publishing her book The Incarnations set in modern China. The author is … Continue reading Write Not What You Are Not
Category: writing
Joyce Maynard vs James Patterson
In the cult movie The Decline of the American Empire, a young intellectual confesses he has sexual fantasies about sleeping with Susan Sontag. The movie was released in 1986, so Susan Sontag was about 53 years young. Times were different then. Men in their early twenties having fantasies about sex with fifty-something writers was considered … Continue reading Joyce Maynard vs James Patterson
Why Do We Read?
Emily Bronte is still awesome. Charles Dickens still holds up. Robert Stevenson is still exciting. Mark Twain can still leave the modern reader in stitches. Plenty of people haven't read them yet. In fact, there are just as many people haven't read any given classic as there are people who haven't read any given best … Continue reading Why Do We Read?
To NaNoWriMo or Not to NaNoWriMo?
I have learned the existence of the National Novel Writing Month only recently. When I was a young man in my mid-twenties with aspirations of being a published novelist, an institution like NaNoWriMo was unthinkable. It is pretty much unthinkable today, even though it exists. Who would have imagined? NaNoWriMo is a strange institution for … Continue reading To NaNoWriMo or Not to NaNoWriMo?
How do I know I’m a writer?
The beautiful Jenna Moreci, a budding writer who has a YouTube vlog in which she offers writing advice for other aspiring writers, says she is often asked by her followers "How do I know I'm a writer?" Questions like this (and many others) tell you how much her followers admire her. But she seems to … Continue reading How do I know I’m a writer?
Give me a name!
There are still not enough followers of this little blog of mine for me to gather many answers, so I may return to this topic again. I need a name. I do not want to use my real name as the pen name because I write technical documents and books relating to my profession under … Continue reading Give me a name!
My First Novel
I grew up writing and telling stories. When I was twelve, they were mostly Harry Potter style adventures. Not about wizards, but about average boys with normal fears and abnormal skills who face enemies and dangers best left for Superman to confront. In my early teens they were mostly poetry. Depressing stuff. It was the … Continue reading My First Novel
Reading in a Second Language
I am a born story teller. I love to tell stories. That alone, sadly, does not make me a publishable writer. Before I write, I must read. Before I read, I must learn to read. I moved to Scotland when I was eight years old, soon moved to the US, then returned to Japan in … Continue reading Reading in a Second Language
Laugh at Your Own Jokes
Neil Gaiman advises writers "Laugh at your own jokes". If you understand the gravity of this advice, you have had some experience struggling with writing. I just got back into writing recently at the age of 52 and was shocked at the abundance of writing tips for novelists on the internet. With the arrival of … Continue reading Laugh at Your Own Jokes
Where are the samurai stories?
It is very difficult to find good, new samurai fiction in the English language, or any Japanese fiction for that matter. If you look for a list of best samurai fiction, or historical novels, on Goodreads, you will find Shogun by James Clavell (published 1975), Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa (1939), Taiko by the same author … Continue reading Where are the samurai stories?
Samurai Novelist 