I cannot say that I am a good science fiction writer, but I keep going back to the genre every now and then. There was a piece I wrote a while ago that I actually sent to a publisher, and was soundly rejected. Sadly I cannot find the original manuscript, so I will have to … Continue reading The Cure
Be Happy
To be consciously happy is a serious and painful business.
The Dramatic Dilemma
Dilemmas are great narrative devices, but the outcome must hinge on the protagonist's choice.
Finding One’s Presence
The great actor and comedian Bill Murray, at the age of 65, was asked in an interview what he wants. He answered "I want to be consistently always there". This was very much in line with my own recent revelation now that I am in the latter half of my fifties. You are not really … Continue reading Finding One’s Presence
The Gal, the Bitch, the Broad, and the Chick
Our perception of women have changed over the years, and so have our vocabulary to describe them. For example, we don't seem to use words like "broad" and "chick" as much these days. It is usually explained that they were dropped from common usage because these words were not polite. But we still use the … Continue reading The Gal, the Bitch, the Broad, and the Chick
Acting and Writing
Kirk Douglas once said that Marlon Brando was responsible for producing more bad actors than any other man. This was because Marlon Brando was an excellent actor with an inimitable style. People who tried to mimic Brando's style invariably failed and became bad actors. One of my all time favorite actors is James Spader. I … Continue reading Acting and Writing
Gender Representation in Fiction
Ideal gender representation in reality and in fiction are not the same.
A Man’s Job (Flash Fiction)
360 word flash fiction of a job interview
A New Word
All writers are word hunters. They are constantly on the lookout for words they don't know and never used. I believe I am particularly keen on new words since English is a second language to me. I recently came across a new word I did not previously know. The word is "incel". I came across … Continue reading A New Word
The Strange Story Arc of the Star Wars Saga
When the first Star Wars movie was released, its financial success was about as predictable as that of the first Harry Potter book. Nobody expected a big success. In fact, George Lucas was so sure of the movie's failure that he skipped the opening gala and took a vacation in Hawaii to ease the pain … Continue reading The Strange Story Arc of the Star Wars Saga
Samurai Novelist 