Musings from the basement...

Grappling with the business of writing

February 3, 2009 1 Comment

Writing isn’t just writing, it’s reading and knowing how to sell yourself and how to query or submit to a publisher and a million other things that aren’t the actual process of writing. Oh, first and foremost you’ve got to be able to string words together in an interesting way — it’s the most important thing, no question about that — but when you’re all done making with the wording what do you do with it? It’s easy to stagger around blindly at that stage. All this mess about query letters and proposals and cover letters markets — writers want to WRITE, they don’t want to bother with that stuff! But you HAVE to if you ever want it to be more than a hobby….
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Writing

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It’s Super Plugtastic Link Day!

February 2, 2009 0 Comments

Some semi-random link stuff for Monday. Joe Valdez over at This Distracted Globe quoted me in his write-up of Hitchcock’s The Lady Vanishes. Thanks, Joe. The quote comes from my review of the Criterion Collection DVD release, which you can read here. Purchase the (awesome) DVD here. Over on the Bibliophile Stalker blog, there is a review/overview of the issue of Weird Tales in which my “commendable piece,” Whispers of the Old Hag, appeared. Thanks, Charles. The issue also has a listing at Locus Online. Speaking of listings, Pictureshowman.com has listed A Year of Hitchcock with upcoming books on the History of Motion Pictures. Looks like we’re in some fine company. While we’re on A Year of Hitchcock, I found a good source for tracking…
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Random Musings, Uncategorized, Works by Eric

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Kate Nash is amazing

February 1, 2009 0 Comments

I’ve lately had a weakness for female British pop singers. Amy Winehouse is a deliriously talented train wreck of a woman with one of the best albums of the last five years (Back to Black). Lily Allen is a charmingly fun lad dressed as a quirky young faux-cockney gal, and her songs are darling. (Sorry, but if you don’t like “LDN” or “Alfie,” you’re dead inside.) Beth Orton (who is more folk than pop) is a songwriter who may one day eclipse the great Carol King. But Kate Nash. I don’t know where this 20something came from, but she needs to not go away, ever. She needs to keep making her wonderfully awesome music. No, it’s not because she’s a freckled redhead (though that’s ALWAYS…
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Music, Videos

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My eye is bleeding

January 29, 2009 0 Comments

(Instead of reading this, you might want to look at pictures or listen to “music” instead.) My left eye is bleeding. Same spot, always. I’ve been dealing with this on and off for months. I think it’s eye strain. I spend too much time in front of a computer monitor. Thing is, how do I not spend time in front of a monitor? My job involves sitting in front of a monitor. Writing involves sitting in front of a monitor. These days, even creating music involves sitting in front of a monitor. Heck, a lot of my goofing off time involves sitting in front of a monitor! Maybe I need glasses. I was supposed to have them in high school, but decided not to get…
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Alfred Hitchcock, Random Musings

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Pictures, pictures, burning bright

January 28, 2009 3 Comments

I like photography. I don’t claim to be good at it, but once in a blue moon I enjoy tromping around outdoors and snapping pictures. It’s something I’d like to take seriously one of these days – I’d also like to dabble in film – but for now I’m content to do it a few times year just for fun. I took this picture in Florida two years ago. I like it. It’s a good picture. You can click here for a larger version. I had a really hi-res version laying around, used it as a wallpaper for a while, but I’m not sifting through folders to find it. No color manipulation needed. Mother Nature did all the work for me. I took this next…
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Uncategorized