THE VIEWS OF THE AUTHOR may not reflect whatever he’s thinking about now, or however he’s thinking about it, although they most likely did when he wrote whatever you read; thus and likewise, he is not responsible for anything you…
Category: Writing
My own serious stuff; the craft itself; those who inspire me in it; the art of reading.
Pithyism #104
WHEN COMPUTERS SUPERSEDED TYPEWRITERS, SPELLCHECK superseded the dread of whole-page retyping — and encouraged laziness.
A Formula For World Harmony, Considered as a Model for the Modern Behavior of its Citizens and Fellow-Beings
LESS ‘TUDE — MORE STUDE’.
Advice to (Young) Writers
SEEK IMMORTALITY THROUGH YOUR WRITING — not your writhing. (Adapted from a quip by Ann.)
Free Metaphor: “Lower North American”
0. CONCISION AND PRECISION ARE ESSENTIAL components of the modern metaphor. What your end-user metaphorager is looking for is light in the mouth and easy on the fingers, especially when describing social groups — you want something tight enough to…
5 Thoughts: And On Your Left, the Pons Creamery
THE METAPHORAGER.NET VISITOR LOGS MAKE for interesting reading; it’s fun to see what rough edges of my prose snags on Google and other search engines; it’s nice to count the international flags and know that any Belgian with an iPhone…
Flash Fiction: Death Finishes His Drink
THE MAN WITH YESTERDAY’S EYES put down his glass. “Well, it’s 3 a.m.,” he sighed. “I guess those poor bastards aren’t going to terrify themselves.”
Under Oasine: Chapter 3 Synopsis
WHEN LAST WE MET, OUR heroes (the reluctant Hapler, the wounded Ij, and the idealist Twiz) were either successful or not in their quest to prove Twiz’s Theory of Oasine Connectivity: they did discover a new oasis beyond their native…
Spacetime Coordination
“So the first thing is where. My first thought is the Heart of Green.” “Off to the Right?” “No, before that and down hill. At the base of the Stairstream.” “Oh. Under that cliffy flat place that leads to Blasted…
5 Thoughts: Why (and How) We Write
HANGING BY OUR COMPUTER IS a sheet of paper I look to for inspiration. Sometimes it inspires me, sometimes it depresses me, but always it gets me back on the horse. It’s called “Why (and How) We Write.” If you…
Three Reasons Why I Like My New Yorker Rejection Slip
1. THEY RECOGNIZE THE SUPERIOR QUALITY of my work by admitting that they “regret that (they) are unable to carry it in the magazine.” You can’t regret doing something that’s not regretworthy, right? Right? 2. They spelled my name right.…
5 Thoughts: From Mix to Memory
1. A TREASURED ITEM IN HOUSEHOLDS of more than 40 years duration is the Mix Tape: an audio cassette of 40 – 60 minutes per side containing music from an LP or radio station which the user wishes to either…