Musings from the basement...

How I got published, part 2 – Ideas and Execution

February 17, 2009 5 Comments

A Year of Hitchcock

So as I mentioned in the first part of this series, ideas are, in the grand scheme of things, relatively worthless. In some ways they are the least significant piece of the puzzle. After all, creative people – and I assume that if you’re reading this you’re probably a creative person – usually have far more ideas than they know what to do with. Had I 48 hours to each day and no need to sleep I still wouldn’t have time to do and create all I’d like to do and create. No doubt that applies to many of you. Ideas are just the start. But every story has to start somewhere, and this one started with an idea. I had been itching for a…
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Writing

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How I got published, part 1 – Introduction

February 16, 2009 5 Comments

Chances are, if you like to write you’d also like to be read. While you can throw things onto the Internet and be read instantly, it’s not quite the same thing as a publisher saying, “I like your work. I’d like to invest our time and money into it. I’d like to publish your book.” Because let’s be honest with ourselves: Blogging is nice, self-publishing is interesting, but the majority of aspiring writers know being picked up by a legitimate publisher is key to making a career of it. I was fortunate enough to get exactly that response to A Year of Hitchcock: 52 Weeks with the Master of Suspense (Scarecrow Press 2009), a book I co-authored with my friend, Jim McDevitt. How did the…
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Alfred Hitchcock, Works by Eric, Writing

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More excellent blogs and resources

February 10, 2009 0 Comments

In a previous post I mentioned a few blogs and resources you should consider following if you’re interested not just in the craft of writing, but getting paid for it. ‘Cause doing something you love is nice, but getting paid to do so is even nicer. Well, here are a few more. The Swivet is a mixed bag of odds and ends, but it always returns to writing. It first caught my attention with an excellent piece about self promotion that all aspiring writers ought to read, ESPECIALLY if you’re about to be or have just been published. It’s far too easy to forget that you’re responsible for getting yourself out there. For letting people know you exist. After all, more exposure = more work….
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Writing

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The craziest DVD reviews I ever wrote pt. 2

February 9, 2009 1 Comment

As I mentioned in another post, I’ve sometimes taken a turn away from efforts at serious film criticism and instead veered into the rambling, incoherent, and bizarre. The site for which I used to be Editor-in-chief, DVD in my Pants, or DIMP, was (and is) known for off the wall, utterly crazy and very irreverent DVD reviews. So with that in mind, here are a few more selections from my more, errr, unprofessional reviews (adult language ahead!). Among the most incoherent, rambling, unfocused and bizarre reviews I ever wrote is my review of Baseball’s Most Unbreakable Feats, which does not even deserve to be called a review. It is … well, read on: “When you’re talking about unbreakable records, yeah, sure, talking about Ripken’s 37,819.34…
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Uncategorized

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Music by Eric – “eight times alone”

February 6, 2009 0 Comments

How about an airy wall of sound to soothe the savage soul? Some guitar tones, feedback, and soundscapes? I’ve previously posted the two most recent albums from my m2 project, which is noisy, ambient, walls-of-sound music I record at home. So I figured why not roll it back to 2007 for the second m2 record, eight times alone? I like this one. If you’re into this sort of thing, maybe you will, too: 1) Preparing A Resume (6:43) 2) Creative Endeavors Abandoned (10:32) 3) Tea Leaves (4:55) 4) At Room Temperature They Leave, Don’t Call (6:28) 5) On Air (6:14) 6) Beast From Forbidden Planet (6:05) 7) It’s Lonely Here (2:42) 8) The Ramifications of Answering Machines (13:33) (For previous postings from this music project,…
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Music, Works by Eric

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