The writer who doesn’t blog

Posted inRandom Musings, Writing
I'm a writer. I have books and stuff. My latest, about how to be a good groom, came out yesterday. But despite being a writer and having to do all that comes with the job description, I do a poor job of blogging on a regular basis. All the modern wisdom about what it takes to make it as a writer in today's world says I'm going about this all wrong. You've got to build an audience, they say. You have to keep your name out there. You have to connect with people. You have to utilize the web --…
Zombie Apocalypse Scenarios Don’t Make Sense To Me

Zombie Apocalypse Scenarios Don’t Make Sense To Me

Posted inRandom Musings, Rants
Despite the misgivings I expressed a few years ago, The Walking Dead has turned into a good watch that gets me to the TV each Sunday, or at the very least one that gets me to binge watch once a year or so. It may not be AMC's best show, but it's still pretty darn good. I can't really claim to be a zombie fan, though. I am a fan of post-apocalyptic stories. A HUGE fan of them, actually. Stories about survival after society has collapsed have always drawn me in, always will. Earth Abides, The Road, Lucifer's Hammer, Alas,…

The power of music is astonishing

Posted inMusic, Random Musings
I love the power of music. Sometimes I'm astonished by it. For a few years now, my son's favorite song has been Against Me!'s cover of "Here Comes A Regular" by The Replacements. It is, admittedly, a fantastic rendition. Check it out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7UjxvNIhC0 Thing is, it's a sad dirge about aging alone in a small, shitty town and finding your only solace in a small, shitty bar. My son is a teenager. He does not live in a small shitty town. He does not drink (and yes, smart guy, I'm sure of it). He is not a weary middle-aged man…

Why Nirvana Was Important (To Me)

Posted inMusic, Random Musings
There is a segment of music fandom that say Nirvana is overrated. They're probably not wrong. The band got catapulted into sainthood on the strength of a small catalog, albeit a pretty great one, and a metric ton of media hype. Their status as deities is perhaps overblown, even if they were briefly great. Still, some among the naysayers also say they don't get why people connected with Cobain. They say his lyrics were mostly strung together nonsense (true) and his songs were simple rips on Pixies and Beatles melodies (also true). So why the hell did anyone connect with…
Are you a writer if no one reads you?

Are you a writer if no one reads you?

Posted inRandom Musings, Writing
The question seems ridiculous, doesn't it? If you write, you're a writer ... right? Isn't that how it works? But the fact is, whether they admit it or not, every writer has grappled with a variation of this question, subtle or otherwise. After all, we don't simply want to write, we want to be read. We want to be experienced. We want to be RECOGNIZED ... ... as a writer. And there's the crux. What separates "a writer" from someone else? When can Joe say it when Bob can't? The basic answer is that if you write you're a writer.…