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Posts By Caleb J. Ross

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.

A question many writers get is “where do you get your ideas?” This question often originates from one of two sources: 1) a desire for a new writer to find that secret arterial idea spring, or 2) a reassurance that the author isn’t insane (I assure you that the idea to embed fingernails into The Bible was not based on an actual event in my life). The truth is they come from everywhere. A mis-heard conversation, a sudden obsession with a particular song or painting, a dare; these things and more have been sources of my own stories for years. One of the recent areas where I’ve been seeing a lot of potential is infographics. For those not aware, infographics are basically graphical ways to show data. Data can be boring. Colors and drawings are fun. Therefore, the infographic. Below (way below, at the bottom of this post) I’ve included one such infographic that I think has some potential. I’ve isolated three of the data points following, and included a few initial thoughts on the possibilities each hold.

That’s incredible. Imagine a what the science of such projection would look like in the hands of a madman. Or, imagine a climatic (though probably funny) scene in which a man stabs a guy and gets hit in the eye with blood.
So, The Matrix was full of shit, then? Still, knowing how little amount of power the brain actually takes to function could make for some interesting machine/man hybrid stories.
Stomach acid harvested for use in either torture or construction. What about when someone is murdered by way of a knife to the stomach? Has acid ever leaked out, leaving a permanent scare on the hand of the killer? Perhaps in your story it has.

Before I say too much about this guest post, it is important that I stress the ALMOST part of "Denis Johnson Almost Drank My Pee." He did not actually drink any bodily fluids of mine at all. It's just that in a particularly drunken state, I thought that perhaps I could get Denis Johnson to almost drink my pee when I attended the Tin House Writer's Workshop in 2004. Also, I recently had the privlidge of reading this non-fiction piece to a group of students at ESU, the same ESU that funded my attendance to the Tin House Writers Workshop. Stay in school, kids. Click here to read the guest post. Also, don’t forget that if you comment on all guest blog posts, you will get free stuff.

I still get monthly emails from fans of Caleb Ross. Usually, I respond with a quick note about the incorrect identity. So to avoid further confusion, I've offered a post at Impose Magazine to help lessen the disappoint from fans of the famous Caleb Ross when they find out they have actually contacted the sit-on-the-couch-and-eat-Doritos Caleb Ross. Click here to read the guest post. Also, don’t forget that if you comment on all guest blog posts, you will get free stuff.

A few days ago I had the pleasure of being the first writer to participate in the 2011-12 ESU Visiting Writers Series. This was an enormous honor for me, as my time at ESU, those many years ago, was a formative (and formidable) time in my life both as a writer and as a person. Unfortunately, those times did not serve my tech savvy side well, as I failed to change the batteries in my audio recorder and thus came away with only the first 15 minutes of the 2 hour presentation. Oh well, hopefully ESU will invite me back soon. This episode contains a reading of a couple of stories I've read before. But it's worth checking out this new episode if only for the immensely humbling introduction from my ESU professor, Amy Sage Webb.

de Tietz: "Caleb J.Ross writes like "if Jonathan Franzen did way too many barbiturates and got into a downward spiral." As always, Ben Tanzer moderates a fantastic episode of This Podcast Will Change Your Life. This episode brings with it Brandon Tietz, author of Out of Touch. He talks about his next book, Vanity, his work at The Cult, his contribution to Warmed and Bound, and much, much more. Subscribe to This Podcast Will Change Your Life. Never miss an episode. Okay.

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