I once again grace the liternet over at Slothrop.com with an article whose title might just be more compelling than the content. No, really, you should read it though. Realize that you have to just tell a goddamn story.
Posts By Caleb J. Ross
Caleb began writing his sophomore year of undergrad study when, tired of the formal art education then being taught, he abandoned the pursuit in the middle of a compositional drawing class. Major-less and fearful of losing his financial aid, he signed up to seek a degree in English Literature for no other reason than his lengthy history with the language. Coincidentally, this decision not only introduced him to writing but to reading as well. Prior this transition he had read three books. One of which he understood.
The title says it all. I give a few books what's coming to them. The torch comes this time to Cormac McCarthy's The Road, Philip K. Dick's A Scanner Darkly, Amy Hempel's The Collected Stories, Denis Johnson's Tree of Smoke, Lorrie Moore's A Gate at the Stairs, and J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye. Truthfully, I have no anger with these books.
(part of my ongoing Unexpected Literary References series) Nathaniel Hawthorne makes an appearance in the Season 11, Episode 10 Family Guy titled "Space Cadet." From FamilyGuy.Wikia.com: When Chris presents a poorly written presentation for class in "Space Cadet", he complains of not being Nathaniel Hawthorne. Nathaniel Hawthorne is seen chuckling over ruining ninth grade for everyone as he writes a story. Nathaniel Hawthorne (born Nathaniel Hathorne; July 4, 1804 – May 19, 1864) was an American novelist and short story writer. His works include The House of the Seven Gablesand The Scarlett Letter. Here's the clip:
I'm fast approaching 500 subscribers. This means nothing but good things for you.
Why dislike something that you’ve previously liked, once it becomes popular? Is there any logic to avoiding something once it becomes popular? I explore my thoughts on this topic, from the perspective of someone who has hipster tendencies, but is at least willing to admit to it.
My first novel, Stranger Will, is being re-released this January 25th, 2013 through Perfect Edge Books. However, I have a stack of unedited proof copies from the previous publication that I need to get rid of. Here's where you come in. I will send a free copy (until my limited supply runs out) to anyone willing to read the book and provide a video review. The review doesn't even have to be positive. Just provide your honest response. What's the catch? No catch. I'll even pay for shipping the book to you. Because the book will be released on January 25th, 2013, I'm hoping for reviews to be uploaded as soon as possible. However, if you can't meet the 25th deadline, anytime soon after is quite cool by me. If you have questions, just ask in the comments at the YouTube video page.
Writer’s block is just an excuse for broken storytelling. That’s the name of an article I wrote a while back for a site called Slothrop.com. The article, in so many words, says that the reason a writer gets stuck is not a spontaneous drain of energy or a mysterious lack of motivation. Writer’s block is simply a symptom of denial. Writer’s block is the writer’s intuition declaring that the story sucks and you need to fix it. Share in the comments below: what has been your hardest bout of writer’s block and what did you do to cure it?