Tag Archive: Writing

Complaining about things I shouldn’t complain about, aka Writing can be boring

October 11, 2011 0 Comments

Leaning forward with a glass of bourbon and ice next to me, hair frazzled. A human drama plays itself out in the background, all loud voices and chaos, but I can’t pay attention because I’m under the spell of inspiration, and as those words hit the page each sparkles like a shiny gold coin. Each sentence is a hundred dollar bill constructed with the power of my words. The keyboard is on fire with the rush of my work. It’s invigorating. Nah. The above scene is bullshit. Writing for pay is not always interesting. In fact, sometimes it’s downright boring. Hell, it usually is. I can still remember a time when that thought would have seemed preposterous. Get paid to write? Like, money and stuff?…
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Rants, Writing

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J.R.R. Tolkien is the reason why I write

September 30, 2011 4 Comments

I’ve no interest in writing epic fantasy, have gotten past the days when I wanted to construct a complex mythology, and hell, haven’t even rolled a 20-sided die in many years. Yet I would not be writing today in any capacity were it not for the work of J.R.R. Tolkien. Middle-Earth first entered my consciousness in the sixth grade or so. The Hobbit was assigned reading. Unlike most students, I didn’t consider assigned reading a form of torture. (Well, except when the books sucked — which they often did.) I liked reading, and the books we had to read were often excellent. The Outsiders, Lord of the Flies, The Pigman, 1984, and many other books I still cherish today were introduced to me through school…
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Books & Authors, Geek Stuff, Writing

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WRITING: Blank books, book sales, and expectations

September 21, 2011 0 Comments

A blank book reaching #44 on Amazon? Yep. It happened. A blank book — blank — became a top seller. They spend years writing a book, then even more years trying to get a literary agent and publisher to back it and then, when their book finally comes out, the author breathes a huge sigh of relief and assumes that their book will be discovered, widely read and will sell around the world in bucketloads. Well, any new author needs to wake up and smell the rankings. Most books, however well written, hardly sell many copies at all. And that’s the reality most people don’t see (including, sadly, many aspiring authors). For most folks, the world of books and publishing and authors and the like…
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Writing

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Why punctuation matters

September 2, 2011 2 Comments

A panda walks into a restaurant and takes a table. The waiter thinks it’s a bit odd, a panda walking into a restaurant , but he approaches it nonetheless. The panda grabs a menu, opens it, and points to a cheeseburger. The panda gets his cheeseburger, savors every bite, even wipes its mouth with a napkin. Then the panda pulls out a gun and shoots every person in the restaurant. Everyone except for the waiter. Soaked in blood, he can only ask the panda, “Why?” The panda pulls out an encyclopedia. It flips the book to the P section, places it on the bar, and points to his picture. Then he turns and walks out the door. The bartender leans down and reads the entry…
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Writing

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Geek Wisdom is out TODAY

August 2, 2011 0 Comments

This may not be the day when imposing alien spacecraft park themselves over every major city on Earth and bend the human race to its will, but it’s pretty close. Geek Wisdom is officially released today. Tremble in fear at the awesome geekery that will now become part of your life. Bask in its eternal glory. In all seriousness, I like this book and was honored to be one of the coauthors. Our great editor and coauthor, Stephen Segal, put together a fantastic team. I’m humbled to be part of it. I can confirm from my copies that it looks spectacular. It’s a spiffy hardcover with a great design and, of course, killer contents. I’m astounded Quirk Books were able to bring it out at…
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Works by Eric, Writing

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