Trunk novel? What the hell is a trunk novel?

Posted inRandom Musings, Writing
Trunk novel. Somehow I had never come across the term, only seeing it for the first time these last few days. Don't know how it eluded me. If you've never heard the term, you'll certainly be familiar with the concept. A trunk novel is an old, unpublished manuscript stuffed away in a trunk (or drawer, or closet, or box, or whatever), in most cases because it's terrible. You pull out your old trunk novel, read it, and remember how bad you were. I can relate to that! My trunk novel -- and dear god I hope I don't build up…
Calvin & Hobbes was the greatest thing ever

Calvin & Hobbes was the greatest thing ever

Posted inComics & Graphic Novels, Geek Stuff, Random Musings
Is there anything in the world that was better than Calvin & Hobbes? I'm not sure there was. Sure, sure, there is eating and sex, but Bill Watterson's masterpiece of a comic strip is right up there. Far more than three panels of humor each day, the full scope of the work will long stand as one of the great achievements of sequential art. And no, I don't think I'm overstating the case.   In 10 years, Watterson evolved his strip from a quirky and funny comic strip that was a slightly edgy, modern version of Peanuts into something wholly…
Lost – On Locke and faith

Lost – On Locke and faith

Posted inTelevision
WARNING: The following contains MAJOR SPOILERS for the television show Lost. If you have not caught up through season 5, do not read this. It will spoil your enjoyment of the show. Indulge me for a moment while I write about Lost, in my estimation one of television's greatest dramas and something with which I am currently obsessed. Of all the overriding themes of Lost, one of the most powerful is that of faith. Or more accurately, the struggle between faith and reason. The belief in fate and external forces beyond our comprehension, and the disregard of those concepts in…

Balancing enjoyment and WORK

Posted inRandom Musings, Writing
I write because I love to write. But sometimes I write because it provides a check. I don't apologize for that. We all need to eat. Still, taking assignments you don't love can be a slog. You take a freelance assignment because it will make you a few extra bucks -- always welcome in this economy -- but if it saps all the joy out of being in front of the keyboard, is it worth it? I don't have an answer to that. I still throw my all into each project, even if it bores me to tears. I always…
Keep going, keep going, keep going

Keep going, keep going, keep going

Posted inWriting
When it comes to writing, I obsess a lot about keeping productive. I do this because at heart I am a lazy, unmotivated person. People who see my list o' projects might think otherwise, but believe me, if I could lounge around all day I would. That, and I am a horrible, horrible procrastinator. It's not that I don't love writing -- I'm absolutely passionate about it -- it's that I'm allergic to work and obligation. I can jump into something with great vigor and tear through a project like it's the only thing in the world, but once I…